my snake is houdini reincarnated

[raebug2000]

ok. about a week ago i went to feed my year old male CB BP; and welll *poof* he wasnt there. :jawdrop: now that my resisdence is throughly clean, we have looked everywhere including behind stove, fridge and under( couch, bed, entertainment center, fish tank stand) and in( laundry ,dresser drawers,kitchen drawers/cabinets, bathrooms,kitchen sink,computer desk) everything.i cant name a place that has not been moved in search for him) im at wits end. i want my " baby" back. is there any way i can lure him out? is there any thing i need to watch/listen? anyone have any suggestion on where my little boy can possibly be. :dumb:

[jwsporty]

Sprinkle a little bit of white flour all around the baseboards to see if you can pick up tracks and put out a few heat lamps. Offer a food item on a plate around his normal feeding time and hope for the best. Don't forget to look up as well. they don't always stay on the floor. My corn was gone for 3 weeks before he shopwed up hanging off a hot water pipe. Don't rule out the possibility of him being in or under the fridge, stove, washer or dryer. Hopefully he didn't crawl into the toilet. Hope your luck changes soon and you find him. Keep us posted.

[Jazz6279]

There's a post a little further down the page titled 'Dealing with a first time escapee' and there is a lot of VERY good tips/ideas on how to get them back again, especially one posted by 'Zoe'. Check it out its very useful information. I really hope your find your baby soon, it must be heart breaking. Got all fingers and toes crossed for you finding him safe and well soon!
Fiona.

[sapphire_moon]

hope you find him soon!

[lilyskip]

this seems to be the season for losing snakes. there are at least two or three posts with some good responses to it (one of them is from when my bp escaped). Check it out. :D

[Linds]

You can try setting one-way traps along the walls. Snakes tend to travel along walls if they are out exploring. You can bait them with a prekilled or f/t rodent.

[raebug2000]

Osiris still hasnt turned up. im so worried. i spent all last night crying and looking.:( i was going to breed him this year.

for a bit of back history, Osiris ( named for a sqiggly on his right that looks just like the eye of Osiris)was recused with mites all over his month old body. i got him for $20. he was skinny and dehydrated and pathetic.i took him home and let him settle in for a few hours.he took his first meal from me that night. i said" if you can eat i can make you better". removal of the mites, treatment of an RI and easily switching him to rats he has quickly become my pride and joy.he turned 1 year old last month and he is producing plugs. * sniffle* mommas lil man!

[Jo060]

Originally posted by Zoe
Finding an Escaped Snake:


So your snake went for a change of scenery, eh?

Why?:
There are a number of reasons a snake can escape: a weak enclosure, a hole, a lose lid, forgetting to close the lid to name but a few. It's best to try and avoid escapes in the first place by making sure you have a sturdy cage, a tight-fitting and locking lid, and making sure to always close the lid or door.
Though it's always a scary experience, escapes happen to the best of us, and it's usually no big deal unless the snake is dangerous (for example a 15 foot burm, or a venomous snake).

First Step - The Search:
Now, hopefully you've noticed not longer after the escape that the snake (or lizard) is no longer in its cage. The first thing to do is close the door to the room the cage is in and remove all kids and house pets. The snake probably hasn't left the room, and headed directly for warm and dark areas, which is where you want to start looking.
Look in dark and warm areas surrounding the tank and work your way outward in concentric circles. Get a mirror and flashlight so you can see into the smallest, darkest areas. Look under every crack and in every crevasse, you'd be surprised where a snake might go (in the garbage, on top of or under bookcases or desks, under the radiator, curtain rod, behind the enclosure, in a bed or a purse or bag etc). Don't forget to look UP, too! Check cushions for holes in the seams.

Second Step - The Traps:
Didn't find him? No big deal, there are a million places a snake can hide. You're probably fed up with search by now, and are out of places to look. The snake probably won't come out with all that comotion anyway. Inside the room, place a head pad on the floor with a hidebox or paper bag on top of it, and a mouse/rat in front of the hidebox door / paper bag(preferably NOT on the heatpad. hot mice rot fast). Paper bags are helpful because if you're close enough, you can hear the rustling and grab the snake right away. Leave it there for a few days (but check a few times a night), he'll get hungry and one of his expeditions he'll come across the mouse/rat, eat it, and decide that the warm hide is the perfect place to chill and digest.
Another idea similar to this is to take a relatively big cardboard box, poke some holes in it and cut a large (big enough for the snake) hole near the top. Place the food item in the box, and place the box near a heat pad. The snake, when hungry, will enter the box, eat the food and might be unable / unwilling to leave the box.

Leave the snake's cage open, he may very well return there. You can also enter the room quietly in the middle of the night (or during the day if the reptile is diurnal) with a flash light; the snake might be out and about.

If you aren't sure the snake is still in that room (even you think he might be - it never hurts to do this!), sprinkle flour or corn startch across doorways, hallways etc to see if he's moving around the house.

Third Step - The Wait:
If you've got nothing to do that night, you can try crinkling up plastic bags and laying them in the room (near the walls is you best bet) and sit near the dark, quiet room, and wait. Snakes often travel along the wall at night - even diurnal snakes - and you will hear the snake if it does. Have a flashlight and handy, and as soon as you hear a bag rustling turn on the flashlight and take a look.

You Found Him?:
If you see the snake, DON'T jump after it! It will just slither away before you can catch it. Aproach it slowly, and you should be able to pick it up. If you can't catch at, at least you know the area is in and can place a box with a mouse/rat inside about where you saw the snake, leave, and come backin an hour or two to check.


Some Nagging...
Even though escapes are completely undesireable, you need to learn for the experience. How did the snake escape? Loose fitting lid? Hole in the cage? Forgot to close the cage? Remember that bricks or heavy books aren't suitable to hold down lids because all a snake needs is a little give, and they can force their way out. Tight bungee cords work well, but proper, locking lids work best. Once you know what the problem is, fix it! If your snake is escaping on a regular basis (ie more than once!) then there is something seriously wrong. Just because you found your snake every time it escaped, doesn't mean that the next time it escapes it won't find a hole in the wall, or an open window, or a cat or a bird.

[raebug2000]

i did.

[daver676]

Where did you finally find your snake? What did you do help find her? Bait, flour? This type of information will help other people on this board other that just saying "I did."

Congratulations on the find though. :)

Dave

[raebug2000]

no i didnt find him.:( i did follow all the directions in the post by jo060.

[daver676]

I see. Then I mean GOOD LUCK! ;)

Dave