House Snake On the Lam

[SerpentineDream]

So... one of my pair of hobby olive house snakes got out of her cage and is on the run. She's gravid. She's loose in the basement and has been for a few days now. She's not exactly easy to replace if I can't find her. She came from Ireland as there just aren't any of this species that I have found in the US.

Currently her cage is on its side in the hope that she will move back in once she's had her taste of sweet freedom and realized it's cold out there. Hopefully her eggs will be none the worse for wear either.

We've set out water and sprinkled flour in strategic places to see if squiggles appear to give us clues as to where she is.

It was my own dumb fault. I was distracted and forgot to properly secure the cage.

The big fear is that she will make her way upstairs and encounter the greyhounds or the cats, any of whom would gladly make a meal of her.

Any ideas for catching a wily escape artist?

[DJC Reptiles]

There is a big thread dedicated to how to find a lost snake. Other than that I am not sure what you can do, try putting a box with some heating in the same room she got lost. Chances are she will go there when she gets cold, to keep her eggs safe. Best of luck.

[Scubadiver59]

Plenty of other recent threads discussing loose snakes...just needs a bit of searching to find them.

[IDvsEGO]

Our mbk got out and we are trying the tricks. No luck yet but still working on it. Best of luck to you

[SerpentineDream]

Yeah, I've looked at the threads and have tried all of the tricks I can muster but thought I'd cast my net out anyway in case someone had anything else up their sleeve.

I'm really hoping she will go back to the nice warm cage on the floor. I cut and wedged a pool noodle under the door so that if she's not already out of the room she'll be stuck in there. That pool noodle will stay there for good in case we have any other future escapees.

I'm worried for her and for her precious cargo. She's expecting soon... it's certainly not the time to go AWOL!

One thing she has going for her if she encounters a dog or cat is that she's mean as hell. Her willingness to repeatedly strike may startle a would-be predator into letting her go. She lets me have it with both barrels if I'm not careful.

[Klinger]

I was employed to find an escaped ball python once, it took a few hours but was successful. Search around warm air ductwork and furnaces, remember snakes can get almost anywhere and will park for a long time when comfortable. Best of luck to you.

[TLD]

Oh no!

Theres this old video about making a snake trap that seems pretty friendly (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L11IQoDr5Wg). I'll admit I've never had to make one and I hope I never will.