Help! Missing Corn Snake...D'OH!!!

[Ladyhawk]

Well, my very nice albino Okeetee female has been missing for about two weeks thanks to my stupidity (I didn't close the lid properly). I haven't seen any sign of her.

I've been very sick for the past two weeks and unable to do much except sort of keep an eye out for her. I was wondering if minnow or crawdad traps sort of like these ( http://www.billssportshop.com/nets/traps1.html ) would work on a snake. If I could bait the trap with a live mouse and some water, maybe I could lure her out of wherever she's hiding.

Any other ideas?

[redtails]

They could work, never tried. I used a bucket with a hole in the lid, a mouse, and a hot rock set on low inside with some luck. Tried without the hot rock first, but the snake ended up eating the mouse and getting out. I guess you could just cut the hole a little smaller than the size the snake would be with the mouse in it, but it might not find it's way in. Is your water heater accessible? I found a snake there once, and another on a light bulb. Corn's like to climb, so when scouring every inch of your house, make sure you check closet shelves and other spots up high. Good luck and hope this helps.

[Ladyhawk]

Thanks, I'll give that a think. She's a little small to find her way into a very large bucket, but it might work if I pile up stuff around it. She's about 2 and a half feet and any mouse that she could reach would have to be hopper-sized or smaller.

Perhaps I could try leaving her container slightly open on the floor with a young mouse in it? It's heated, smells like home and is inviting...I hope. Of course, I was in the middle of cleaning when I noticed the snake was missing so it only smells of aspen shavings and clean water.

As for the water heater, I can't see behind it very well, but she could be back there, I suppose.

She hasn't eaten or had a good drink in awhile so I'm wondering how much heat she would want. I've left water where she could reach it, but *shrug*.

Sorry, I'm just musing to myself. I think I'll try baiting her enclosure and seeing if she decides to come back and stay. If that doesn't work, I'll consider some kind of trap.

[wcreptiles]

Get two funnels that will fit in the ends of a 3" of 4" diameter piece of plastic drain pipe about 2' long. Cut the opening in the funnel so the snake will just be able to fit. Bait the trap with a f/t mouse and secure the funnels to the drain pipe with a couple bungee cords or heavy rubber bands tied together and hooks made out of paper clips. Lay the trap along a wall in a room where you think your snake may be hiding and with a little luck who knows.

It's really a "minnow trap" you make out of funnels and pipes, you should be able to make several for a few bucks.

[Ladyhawk]

I have seen no sign of her at all and I'm worried I've seen the last of my very nice albino Okeetee. Drat! :( I suppose she could still turn up. I've heard of missing snakes turning up after months. It's even possible she ended up in a cold closet and decided to brumate. :shrug:

I think I'll go to OSH and pick up what I need to build the traps you describe. It's just the idea I needed. Thanks!!

[redtails]

Ya, they do disappear for a while. I had an anole run away and found him chillin on my shoe almost 2 months later waiting for the flies to find my smelly sneakers or something. Good luck.

[Aaron_S]

Try placing a heat lamp out? Dusting around floor boards with flour, she would leave tracks and you might be able to find where she went, or has been.

[wcreptiles]

Did you ever find your lost snake? Here's the trap I was talking about sold by The Bean Farm.

http://www.beanfarm.com/cgi-bin/store/agora.cgi?&p_id=50084&xm=on&ppinc=search2

I'll try to upload a picture.

[redtails]

http://www.beanfarm.com/cgi-bin/store/picserve.cgi?picserve=/handle/snaketrap2web.jpg