catching an escapee...

[daddy and son]

One of our corns got out today. My son had it out and let it get away. He didn't tell us til several hours later. Any ideas where it might be hiding and how to try and catch it?

[alessia55]

Check every dark corner possible. Inside sofas, under the mattress, under furniture, inside pillow cases, inside drawers that might have been open, check his toy boxes.... Get on the floor and look under everything. Corns are able to squeeze into tiny spots, so even if you're thinking "there's no way he could get in there"...check it!!

[Strutter769]

Maybe this'll help. There's a post with details on making a trap too, I'm still looking... Good luck.

[Kingsnakechris]

Check under anything that emits heat as well. Under almost every appliance. Refrigerators are popular hiding places as well as dishwashers... Under the washer and dryer....

Good luck!!!

[daddy and son]

Yeah, we've been looking all over the house.. behind the refrigerator, under the stove, etc. She hasn't eaten in a little over a week so she's due. Would it do any good to try and bait her with a mouse? The temp here today was 67 degrees, so not too likely she would have ventured outside. Low tonight is forecast for 41 so I'm hoping she is still indoors. Would it be worthwhile to get the house cool and leave a heat source available to try and lure her?

[Kingsnakechris]

I've heard of people doing that.. Its worth a shot... Desperate times call for desperate measures.....

[USMCgunner11]

Do you have any other animals in the house that could cause it harm? Dog? Cat?

[KORBIN5895]

Is she even a foot long yet?

[daddy and son]

no other animals. she's about 18 inches

[KORBIN5895]

Wow! They have grown! Or you haven't been on in awhile;)

[daddy and son]

LOL... yeah been a while. Muffy is nearly 2 feet now. Chloe (the escapee) is the smaller of the two. Haven't been power feeding either. Every saturday (except this weekend because I was tied up)

[MojoHerps]

You can try putting a mouse in a bottle. Take a soda bottle and cut the top off and then put the mouse in. Invert the top and then tape it back on to the bottle so that the only way out is through the small opening. If the snake is 18 inches long she may still be small enough even with a mouse in her to get through the opening but it's worth a try.

I know corns are terrestrial but whenever mine have tried to escape they seem to go up - so if there is shelving unit int he room he was lost in try looking up.

Some people put tape along the edges of the floor where it joins the wall as a "sticky trap". Other people put down flour so they can see where the corn may have slithered.

Good luck - it really is awful when they escape.

[Wolfus_305]

Aww sorry to hear that she escaped, everybody has been leaving really good ideas, i've also read in other threads that flour in doorways can give you an indication of where the snake is because it will slither through the flour and leave a mess/trail for a bit.

I was lucky enough when my BP escaped that he broke a lamp, vase, and pushed plants off the shelf, which woke up my mom, he was found in 2 minutes and returned and locked safely back in his enclosure

GOOD LUCK keep us updated!

[daddy and son]

I like the sode bottle idea. I might get a 2 liter bottle, put the mouse inside, and make a hole about 3/8 inch in the side of the bottle then cap the bottle. She could get into there (barely) but not get out with a mouse in her. Will work on that tomorrow. Wife is pissed, son is sad, gotta try and get a happy ending for this.

[Strutter769]

You can try putting a mouse in a bottle. Take a soda bottle and cut the top off and then put the mouse in. Invert the top and then tape it back on to the bottle so that the only way out is through the small opening. If the snake is 18 inches long she may still be small enough even with a mouse in her to get through the opening but it's worth a try.

I know corns are terrestrial but whenever mine have tried to escape they seem to go up - so if there is shelving unit int he room he was lost in try looking up.

Some people put tape along the edges of the floor where it joins the wall as a "sticky trap". Other people put down flour so they can see where the corn may have slithered.

Good luck - it really is awful when they escape.

This is precisely wat I was referring to.

Good luck once again.

[GarterPython]

I'm not sure if i am the first one seeing this but... How old is your son? If he is younger shouldn't someone be watching him while he is holding it? Good luck on finding it.

[daddy and son]

He's 8. He's been very good with the snakes over the past few months. His sister came up behind him and startled him, causing him to let go long enough for the snake to take off, then he was scared to tell anyone.

[millertime89]

poor guy, I bet he feels terrible. I believe it was Eli who had one of his corns escape for a month or two before it turns up. Try putting flower or baking soda on the floor where it meets the wall and see if you can follow his tracks.
Best of luck.

[Trollbie]

This can be a lesson for your son on why he needs to tell you ASAP when something bad happens.

Good luck on finding your snake!

[USMCgunner11]

poor guy, I bet he feels terrible. I believe it was Eli who had one of his corns escape for a month or two before it turns up. Try putting flower or baking soda on the floor where it meets the wall and see if you can follow his tracks.
Best of luck.

Big mess but a great idea

[daddy and son]

This can be a lesson for your son on why he needs to tell you ASAP when something bad happens.

Good luck on finding your snake!
Yup, I sat down with him and talked, not yelled, but talked with him about it. Made it clear its better to come to us with a problem immediately than to wait. He was already feeling bad, wanted to keep it calm and not make it worse for him.

[millertime89]

Yup, I sat down with him and talked, not yelled, but talked with him about it. Made it clear its better to come to us with a problem immediately than to wait. He was already feeling bad, wanted to keep it calm and not make it worse for him.

I know when I was younger I always appreciated it when my parents approached things this way. It made me feel better but at the same time taught me a lesson. I knew my parents would always be there for me even if I disappointed them.

[Lankyrob]

Make sure you put water out for the snake, food it can go without for ages but water it WILL need. Also as the house temps arent as hot as the temps in the viv i would be wary of feeding as it wont be able to digest.

When you find it i would leave it a week in the correct temps before offering food.

[GarterPython]

Thats always good to hear. As long as he is normally good with the snake, acidents happen right!

[daddy and son]

Found her today. my wife came out of the bathroom and she was moving along the wall. A happy ending!

[KORBIN5895]

Glad to hear that! Your son must feel so relieved.

[alessia55]

Found her today. my wife came out of the bathroom and she was moving along the wall. A happy ending!

Nice! I think your son should be supervised more when handling the snakes jussssst in case ;)

[Kingsnakechris]

Nice! Glad to hear it all worked out!

[USMCgunner11]

Glad it turned out ok. The open house can be a dangerous place for a loose snake and I'm glad this story has a happy ending.

[MojoHerps]

Congrats! I'm so glad you found her.

[daddy and son]

Thanks everyone. Yeah, gonna be doing a little "refresher" course with Daniel on proper snake handling, the course will of course be taught under the direct tutelage of mom and dad.

[Strutter769]

Love a story with a happy ending! :freakedout:

[millertime89]

Woot! Party time!

[kernel]

Awesome! So glad you found her!

[daddy and son]

checked her yesterday. She seems to be doing fine. When we first found her and put her back in her tank, she made a dash for her basking rock. Now she's back hanging out in her favorite hide. Tomorrow she gets a mouse.