View Full Version : At a complete loss...need help
Ok...i have delayed in asking for help for two reasons....1) i made a huge rookie mistake and 2) i really thought i'd find her before now....
my retic escaped from her enclosure saturday evening. i was misting my cages and like an idiot, i became distracted and left her cage lock loose enough she was able to "nose it" open. probably around 2-3 hrs before i noticed. i have torn my house apart. moved dryers, freezers, furniture. i have placed flour on the floor in the doorways where we have tile to see if she is on the move. i have placed a box with an entry hole on each side containing a thawed rat in various parts of the house (the box is also placed on top of a heating pad). I have shut off all access to water except for water dishes placed on the floor by the boxes. i even borrowed a fiber optic scope from a colleague of mine to look into appliances and furniture. nothing. i am really desperate now for two reasons....i really love this snake and i am sick that i allowed this to happen and want her back safely. the second is my daughters cat is basically "dead man walking" right now. we have kept her sequestered in my daughter's room with the thresholds blocked off (i am relatively sure it's not in her room...hers was one of the easier to search with limited hiding opportunities).
you guys can take your best shots at me, it's probably nothing more than i've already said to myself. i feel like a total fool for this. i would appreciate any advice you may have. i really want to get her back.....
thanks
Gungirl
01-10-13, 11:56 AM
I hope you find her soon. Until then double check every possible place you can think of and then check places that seem to obvious. Do you have any couches she could have gotten inside of? Cabinets, drawers, attic, basement, attached garage. You just have to keep searching and hope for the best.
Mark Taylor
01-10-13, 11:56 AM
How big is it?
Have you got any floors that have holes in as the heating pipes that run under the floor may be a good place to get heat and it will be secure I only say this as one of my mates snakes escaped it took 3 months before he decided to rip up a couple of floor boards.
You can try lines of flour on the floor in doorway to se if she is moving around. This will help isolate the search to specific rooms.
i have placed flour on the floor in the doorways where we have tile to see if she is on the move.
did that....nothing yet
dinosaurdammit
01-10-13, 12:03 PM
You can try lines of flour on the floor in doorway to se if she is moving around. This will help isolate the search to specific rooms.
baking soda works too! try making a snake trap. Put a box with a flap that only opens in, drag a rat from about halfway across the room and drag it into the box, make it so the animal has to push the flap and get all the way in to find the rat and when it tries to leave the door wont be able to pushed outwards, only inwards. I did this once when my water dragon found a way to open the viv door (before i built the new one)
did that....nothing yet
Sorry I missed that in your original post.
Lankyrob
01-10-13, 01:21 PM
Not gonna bash, most of us have had one escape, really hope you find him soon :). Keep us updated :)
[Dont beat yourself up..everybody has lost one a few times I had a boa disappear for 4 months before...popped a roast in the oven he came shooting out from behind the oven lol check all warm tight spots including appliances ;)
dinosaurdammit
01-10-13, 01:53 PM
Lmao that is horrible and yet so freaking funny lol
Dont beat yourself up..everybody has lost one a few times I had a boa disappear for 4 months before...popped a roast in the oven he came shooting out from behind the oven lol check all warm tight spots including appliances ;)
also check the back of your fridge, some have a space that your animals can hide in. you may have to remove the back panel- i once had my nile escape my hands and run back there, i had no idea fridges were like that
Sorry to hear and hope you find her soon... I'm sure you will. Your retic is beautiful btw (I've seen the pics).
I had my BP escape one time, it was a silly mistake on my part, left one of the snap-on handles to the tub slightly ajar. She didn't go far though. Just crawled into the nearest dark hidey place... the very back of my closet behind my sweater boxes.
They usually don't go on a massive exploration and I'm certain she'll still be somewhere in the house. Look in the closest places to the enclosure. Go over everything with a fine comb, so to speak.
Best of luck mate.
How big is it? You could always use the cat as bait.
dude...i have thought about it! if my daughter wasn't so attached to it :)
oh...and the difference is a cotton ball tail and long fuzzy ears. just so you know ;)
MoreliAddict
01-10-13, 04:37 PM
OP - best of luck finding your snake.
also check the back of your fridge, some have a space that your animals can hide in. you may have to remove the back panel- i once had my nile escape my hands and run back there, i had no idea fridges were like that
Most fridges have a condensate tray heated by the discharge pipe at the back, he may very well have found that as a heat source. Worth a check imo.
Hope you find him.
Dark is good, warm is good, warm and dark is better :)
dinosaurdammit
01-10-13, 04:55 PM
Dark is good, warm is good, warm and dark is better :)
warm dark and cramped is best :P
marvelfreak
01-10-13, 05:17 PM
The last time i had a snake escaped. three weeks ago i found it in a pvc pipe in the coolest room in my basement. It was only 54 degrees in there. So i would check any place dark cold or warm.
The last time i had a snake escaped. three weeks ago i found it in a pvc pipe in the coolest room in my basement. It was only 54 degrees in there. So i would check any place dark cold or warm.
Yeah, darkness did seem to take preference over warmth in my instance too. My BP was in a nice dark, cramped spot that was not warm.
I'd check all the dark places for sure. Inside pillowcases, under the mattress, bedsheets, sofa, under the tv, under the bed, closet, sweater boxes, inside tshirts and clothing, behind or under the sinks, behind the fridge, under the oven, corners of the room, behind books on bookshelves (if there's a gap)... just a few places that might spring to mind. Hope this helps.
AC vents? Also, inside washing machine/ dryer, and do you have a laundry basket with laundry in it?
marvelfreak
01-10-13, 06:18 PM
Also i won't use your washer or dryer until you find it or at least make sure there is no way it can get around any moving parts. Had a Ball get lose years ago and we found it wrapped around the bottom of the washer tub. Had we turned it on she would have be a goner.
Philmul
01-10-13, 06:43 PM
Hope you find her soon. My bp got out and fortunately I found her behind the radiator next to the viv. Isn't your wife going mad having a loose retic somewhere in the house
Pirarucu
01-11-13, 08:11 AM
Not sure how large this one is, but retics are not as concerned about dark and cramped as other snakes are. They still pop up in unexpected places though. Look up. They are climbers....
Not sure how large this one is, but retics are not as concerned about dark and cramped as other snakes are. They still pop up in unexpected places though. Look up. They are climbers....
It's about 6 ft...it can't fathom how a 6 ft snake can disappear! when it's coiled up, it's about the size of a football.
Thanks so much of all of the suggestions. I'm still looking. I'll keep you updated.
shaunyboy
01-11-13, 08:33 AM
Explain to me the difference between a cat and a rabbit.
imo there's no difference mate
it's just like feeding any other mammal or reptile to a snake...
they're predators after all
to the op
imo you should'nt have worried about getting flamed mate,most keepers have had a snake escape at some point in their keeping career...
most of the time they go to the nearest dark warm secure place...
at least it's not a hatchling,that said,imo you'd be surprized where a 6ft snake can hide
cheers shaun
i think i want to RFID all of my snakes so if this happens again i can track them!!!!
last week i had to help my friend find a beardy her husband left the cage open for. He was between a stack of picture frames in the corner behind a file cabnet.
dinosaurdammit
01-11-13, 03:51 PM
i think i want to RFID all of my snakes so if this happens again i can track them!!!!
Have you done each room a tear down? I would shut all doors and do a tear down. Buy a rat or a few, put them in small wire cages in each room. If somehow the rat disappears you know which room he was in if you didnt find him in the first tear down.
Pirarucu
01-11-13, 07:02 PM
It's about 6 ft...it can't fathom how a 6 ft snake can disappear! when it's coiled up, it's about the size of a football.
Thanks so much of all of the suggestions. I'm still looking. I'll keep you updated.Double check cabinets off the ground, as well as on top of the refrigerator or any bookshelves.. My experience with retics (especially ones this size) is that they will end up off the ground. Mine is around the same size as yours and when I take him out, he often climbs on top of things. He also never stops moving for long, like other snakes will. Yours may be moving from spot to spot as you look for him.
Have you done each room a tear down? I would shut all doors and do a tear down. Buy a rat or a few, put them in small wire cages in each room. If somehow the rat disappears you know which room he was in if you didnt find him in the first tear down.
I'd do this /\. Some good advice there Dino.
Also, check behind your bed, where the bed touches the wall. My BP enjoys squeezing down into the gap between the wall and the mattress. Infact, anything that's against the wall, pull it back and look behind...
Corey209
01-13-13, 07:57 PM
When I was gone for a weekend I had someone check my cages and they forgot to put the clips back on the BPs cage. He was able to lift it up get out and I found him in between two boxes in my closet. They can get into really tight spots, just check everywhere you can.
Thanks guys....an update: nothing new :(
Even had a buddy bring his bird dog over to sniff her cage then see if he could find a scent. Yeah, it didn't work (I know it's prob dumb, but I'm desperate)....anyway, checking and rechecking everyday. I know at some point she has to show up, I just relly hope it's sooner rather than later.
dinosaurdammit
01-13-13, 09:21 PM
Thanks guys....an update: nothing new :(
Even had a buddy bring his bird dog over to sniff her cage then see if he could find a scent. Yeah, it didn't work (I know it's prob dumb, but I'm desperate)....anyway, checking and rechecking everyday. I know at some point she has to show up, I just relly hope it's sooner rather than later.
Have you done a room by room tear down?
DOBERMAN
01-13-13, 09:35 PM
This is great. Not you losing your snake of course, but a thread that's helpful and supportive with a bit of humour and devoid of malicious intent. This is how ssnakess.com was meant to be. I've lost my boa b4 and even have walked around my second story roof, looking into the eavestroughs (almost killed myself by falling off of course) because a window was left open a crack.
Good luck with the search.
Necrias
01-14-13, 04:26 PM
I just went though the same thing with a 6 ft Bredl, I feel your pain. Here is how I found mine:
Since snakes on the move tend to hug the walls, place empty bottles (pop/beer/whatever) along EVERY wall in your house, if she knocks one down you know she was there. I followed the trail of tipped bottles and found her in a duffel bag in my bedroom. It also took more than 2 weeks for her to show up, but boy am I glad she did! She got a nice big jumbo rat as a present for coming back :)
Squirtle
01-14-13, 04:45 PM
Back when I got my first snake, which was a Colombian Red Tail Boa, was my first ever escapee that I've had. She wasn't out for too long, I actually woke up, noticed that she was missing, went to the kitchen to grab something to eat, and there she was.. basking next to an open window (thank god she didn't go outside.. I live in NYC and things would've been VERY bad..) I've also had a Spider Ball Python escape on me once; took about 5 days to find him. I was watching TV once I kept seeing this tongue flickering under my TV stand, and there he was. To this day, I still wonder how he wasn't squished by the TV stand..
DiscoPat
01-14-13, 04:47 PM
My Savannah Monitor Steve escaped a while back and I found him wedged between 2 bricks next to a hole in the wall. I was just happy that he didn't make his way into the wall.
Is there any place in your house that she would be able to get into the walls or possibly outside the house?
Steve'O
01-14-13, 05:36 PM
Have you checked all of your clothes that are hanging in your closets? Check the dust covers on the bottom of all furniture and beds. You would be surprised how far up into a piece of furniture they can get. I had a BP get out once when I used aspen bedding which left a gap in one of the doors (don't use bedding any more because of that). She ended up in one of my dog kennels curled up with one of the dogs. Not, the smartest dog... LOL...
KORBIN5895
01-14-13, 06:02 PM
Honestly you should check craigslist.
dinosaurdammit
01-14-13, 06:03 PM
Honestly you should check craigslist.
how does this help?
KORBIN5895
01-14-13, 06:07 PM
how does this help?
He needs bait.
I just went though the same thing with a 6 ft Bredl, I feel your pain. Here is how I found mine:
Since snakes on the move tend to hug the walls, place empty bottles (pop/beer/whatever) along EVERY wall in your house, if she knocks one down you know she was there. I followed the trail of tipped bottles and found her in a duffel bag in my bedroom. It also took more than 2 weeks for her to show up, but boy am I glad she did! She got a nice big jumbo rat as a present for coming back :)
Love this idea. It might work too.
Get drinking MDT, you now have an excuse to enjoy a 24 pack this week.:D
Korbin...dude...i can't bait w a kitten or puppy....my kids would never speak to me again!
i have done fairly (in my mind) exhaustive searches, but the tear down beings tomorrow. i've been working pretty much non stop since the escape, so tomorrow is the first real day off i will have had.
i really like the idea of the bottles. i will implement as well. keep the suggestions coming guys..thanks very much!!!
dinosaurdammit
01-14-13, 09:37 PM
Korbin...dude...i can't bait w a kitten or puppy....my kids would never speak to me again!
i have done fairly (in my mind) exhaustive searches, but the tear down beings tomorrow. i've been working pretty much non stop since the escape, so tomorrow is the first real day off i will have had.
i really like the idea of the bottles. i will implement as well. keep the suggestions coming guys..thanks very much!!!
put some bells or rocks in the bottom of each bottle so if they are knocked over you can hear it when it happens.
put some bells or rocks in the bottom of each bottle so if they are knocked over you can hear it when it happens.
Yeah... little bells, marbles, coins, anything that tinkles... you could put them inside the bottles. Check the bottles several times a day.
I would also definitely pull things back from the wall to look behind. Any gap is a good gap.
Put yourself in the mind of the snake... get down to ground level, think like a snake... where would you go?
where would you go?
Disney World :)
:) Haha, I was totally asking for that one!
KORBIN5895
01-14-13, 10:48 PM
@ MDT
Is that a bad thing?
@ MDT
Is that a bad thing?
Kinda depends on the day!
KORBIN5895
01-14-13, 11:37 PM
That's how I feel too!
stephanbakir
02-27-13, 01:26 AM
Look UP, retics are climbers... They can do the unexpected. I had my big female on the couch yesterday, the phone rang so I went for it... it was an automated call so I hung up and went right back to the room. When I got back she was hanging off my fan trying to reach a picture frame halfway across the room. They generally climb up.
Thanks Stephan! I've divided (still dividing, I guess) my searches between up and down. We have some pretty good hiding places that are elevated. I routinely search these areas as well as the usual "behind the dryer" type places. And I guess, as an update, we still have a retic that is AWOL. :(
ilovemypets1988
02-27-13, 07:29 AM
id suggest that you start thinking like a snake and sit down with a clear mind, and go check the very last place ud expect to find him.
a snake would look for 3 things: hiding, food and a drink, so if you know somewhere like that, ull find him.
something along the lines of an open water tank in an attic, cold pipes in a warm place (condensation on pipes will give a drinking source of babes), even under a bath tub. think along those lines and ull find him :D
themeyers
02-27-13, 07:55 AM
I have had a couple of escapes in my day. and both times I found my little guys behind the fridge. one of the times they were on the motor and coils for the fridge. I hope that helps. good luck.
Starbuck
04-09-13, 08:24 PM
i think i want to RFID all of my snakes so if this happens again i can track them!!!!
YUP!!!! I'm right ready to go and do it myself... the neighbor RFIDs all his cats and follows them around outside with a big antenna...i could just borrow his hahaha...
LOL MDT, your snake could just eat an RFID rat/rabbit, and you could find him that way... ;)
smy_749
04-09-13, 08:26 PM
id suggest that you start thinking like a snake and sit down with a clear mind, and go check the very last place ud expect to find him.
a snake would look for 3 things: hiding, food and a drink, so if you know somewhere like that, ull find him.
something along the lines of an open water tank in an attic, cold pipes in a warm place (condensation on pipes will give a drinking source of babes), even under a bath tub. think along those lines and ull find him :D
Heat maybe?
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