So my worst fear happened...

[Kiljosh]

DB has escaped. The little ninja. I had put him in my Ball's old 20g tank 2 days ago, he immediately went and hid and I let him be to acclimatize to his new surroundings. Well I hadn't seen him since so today I went into the cage to see if I could find him. Checked his hides and couldn't find him so I figured he burrowed but could not find him in his bedding even after sifting the whole of it.

I'm so mad at myself right now because if I had just left him in his old tank he would still be in my care... I don't know how he got out, the tank has locks on it and was secure this whole time. I can only assume he wedged his head inbetween the top and the screen and wiggled out.

So I'm distraught. Its November here and I live on the downstairs floor that is pretty chilly everywhere except my room. Because of this I really don't think he would leave the warmth of my room to wander into the others. So in an effort to catch him I've set out a hidebox filled with socks on a heatpad. Also put down a waterdish so he could drink if he's around. I put this box next to a wall under my bed, next to the electric heater mounted on my baseboard. I'm thinking he found his way under it and possibly into my walls. Especially considering I just vacuumed Monday night I'm sure I scared him deeper in if he had already escaped.

I feel so bad right now...I can only hope to catch him or he will burrow and hibernate until Spring when I'll find him. Does anyone have any advice? I was thinking of trying to make a trap out of a box and a sock that would allow him to drop into the box but not get out. Maybe bait it with one of the frozen pinkies I have.
:no:

[alessia55]

Putting the hide box with the socks and the heat pad sounds like a good idea. He'll likely want to find some place warm to go to, so hopefully you'll find him there. I'd search your WHOLE room to begin with. Behind and under furniture, and in the corners of the room, under your bed, etc. Search EVERYTHING. Hopefully he'll turn up overnight. I'm sure others will also have good tips for you on here. Good luck!

[youngster]

Good luck finding him. :/ Make sure the heat pad is on a thermostat though.

[snake man12]

Yes thermostat. And you could put a warm pink on a plate over night and see if he takes it. When my corn escaped I found him wrapped around my bps heat mat

[Kiljosh]

I feel horrible...

Yea the pad is on a theromstat, I still can't shake the feeling that he's somewhere in his tank and I just didn't see him but that's impossible. I went over the whole thing with a fine toothed comb.

Do Mexican Black Kings act like Balls when it comes to digestion? I mean, if I were to leave food in a hide for him thats nice and snug...do you think he would just sit in the hide after eating to digest?

[alessia55]

Yes, he'll probably go to the warm hide to digest.

[Terranaut]

Good luck. Hope you find him soon :)

[youngster]

I would say he would stay in the warm hide. being warm makes it a lot easier to digest

[Kayla90]

Mhm you should probably find him soon if your place is cool and you've set up a warm place.. just keep checking in daily :P

[blindfireak40]

There is an important moral to be learned from my own "escape" story (http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/elaphe-guttata-guttata/85439-escape.html)...the long and short of it is, Vermicelli managed to make it INSIDE one of his cage decorations. I'm not sure if a similar concept might apply for you, but it's worth inspecting just to be safe. I know what you're going through...I think most all of us do. Best of luck!

[Devorah]

The good thing is , is that he will stop moving very rapidly, so he cannot have gone very far. Do not assume that putting out a heat pad will necessarily attract them. You must search evey nook an cranny of the room, moving in a spiral search widening around the place where the escape took place. you can that he will fit into; if he has gotten into your bed or the cushions your furntiture you (or someone else) could bring your snake to its death in a very unpleasant fashion.

But, most people underestimate a determined snake's desire to get out and their ingenuity in climbing. Espexcially constrictor-types, they are very strong and can persist for long periods of time. I know. I had two Royal pythons (down to one as of 11-11-11). They are/were both over 24 years old, and in my day conducted a few such searches as you are about to undergo.

PS a "lost snake search" is a great time to tidy up the surrounding area; you are taking things apart anyway to find your snake; why not avail yourself of the opportunity to set things to rights. if nothing else it will help you remember where you have already searched. A flashlight is a necessity to be able to looking up under furnitiure and into unlighted crevices !

[KORBIN5895]

^^^^^^^24 YEARS!!!! I am sorry for your loss. That would be devastating. I had my last corn snake 1.5 years and he managed an escape and I was never able to find him. I missed him like crazy for like 6 months.

[Faerylee]

Everybody here has great suggestions. I would also like to mention to look IN your furniture. Often I relax and watch a movie, or read a book lazin about on the couch with my 12 yr old bp, the other day he took to exploring (usually he just snuggles up along my leg) and blup! in the couch he went. I took the bottom cloth off to get him out. But it is nice and dark in there....
Best of luck!!

[infernalis]

My corn escaped once, he was inside the sofa that consequently also opens into a bed.

Lucky for both of us I looked without folding it open, the folding bed would have cut him in half had I folded it open without first looking up under it with a flashlight.

[KORBIN5895]

Snicker's tank was about 5 feet from the front door an the weather was nice so we left it open alot. I think he went outside. :'(

[infernalis]

At least here if one escapes now, it can't leave the reptile room, unless it's a baby garter, they can fit in the smallest of crevices.

[Kiljosh]

Still no sign after today, I have checked everywhere I can think of near his tank except for a vent near the floor just outside my room door. His tank is about 2 feet from the door and the vent another 3ft or so...I'm gonna take the cover off tommorrow and try to figure out where it goes. Its for our central AC so it hasn't been on, I'm hoping he crawled in there.

I've lined the walls of my room by the floor with tin foil, given him 2 hides thermostat'd to 85ish degrees, and have turned the heat down in my room. Also have a water dish down on the floor by one hide, dehydration is what I am most worried about. Still no signs but I can't give up, thanks for all the ideas guys.

[jaleely]

:( Keep us updated. I'm sorry!

[Faerylee]

Love the "0.1 spouse, 2.1 offspring" :)

[alessia55]

Any luck yet?

[ptbmaniac]

I have had 3 snakes get loose. A garter that came right to me when i opened a closet,a corn twice that was found both times. It took 2 weeks the 2nd time.And a rat that also took about 2 weeks. My wife and I tlre everything apart looking for the rat. Finally last night we found it climbing the sugar gliders cage. We use flour and tape around the walls and doors to help us.

[alessia55]

Kiljosh, have you found him yet? ptbmaniac has good advice no of us had mentioned before: put flour on the floor and see if you spot a place where he slithered over it.

[Kiljosh]

I have all carpet sadly. But no signs yet, tonight is feeding night, thawing a rat for my big guy Stubbs. I'm gonna put a pinkie in the two hide boxes again tonight, but in other rooms besides my own. Lets hope he's there tommorrow.

[alessia55]

Good luck! Lets hope he shows up overnight

[Wolfus_305]

It sounds like you are doing everything you can! I wish you the best of luck in finding him healthy and happy snuggled up in a pile of laundry somewhere! My BP escaped once but he managed to break a whole bunch of stuff and create quite a scene of broken glass and lamps and plants knocked over.

Hmm everybody here seems to be offering really good advice though, I'm not sure I can add much is there something crinkly you could put down instead of flour so that you could hear your snake if he was slithering around?

[Kiljosh]

Haha Wolfus, he wanted to destroy things I guess. Sounds like something mine would do, big clumsy guy.

But I lined the walls of my room with Aluminum foil and stretched out plastic shopping bags. Haven't done it anywhere else in the house because I'm almost never in those rooms to listen :/

[snake man12]

I really hope you find him soon : ]

[Wolfus_305]

mhmm he's quite the trouble maker. hmm i'm not sure what else you can do, I know that they can fit into teeny tiny spaces, space that you might not think ok, I know that my BP got almost all the way inside my printer via the paper tray. Good luck!