Arrggghhh!!! (KEVIN IS BACK!!!!!!)

Lankyrob · 06-24-10, 07:17 AM

What a 24 hour period! Ceramic issues, 1st escape, 1st tag, 2nd escape, 3rd escape! All in 24 hours!

Put the corns in their fantastic luxury viv yesterday afternoon - noticed whilst "decorating" the three vivs that at the back of the python's viv there is a hole where the guy before had some cable or other coming into the viv. Monty is currently at school learning to eat so made a mental note that need to cover teh hole before he comes home again.

After about 45minutes of the corns being in their viv one of the clips holding the ceramic to the roof of the viv snapped (no idea why) meaning that the ceramic was just sitting in its cage. Dangerous me thinks so turns off the ceramic - what to do with the corns?? Ahhh - Monty's viv is all set up and ready to go - lets put them in there for now - i can mend the ceramic when its cooled down and move them back later.

Roll on 2:30 am - woken by a noise downstairs. Our cats are prolific hunters - always bringing mice, slow worms, birds etc into the house. I trudge downstairs expecting to find a dead something and instead find the best hunter of the two cats pinned into a cornet by one of the corns that is striking at the cat ( the corn is 18inches long!!) - the cat is terrified!!

Not really being awake i bent to pick up the snake and got myself tagged (first official bite!!! woohoo!). I realise that the hole is still open in the viv, hence how he got out so as a temporary measure i grab the corns old faunarium - put both of them in (one of them was still in the viv luckily) clip the lid on the faunarium and place it inside the viv so that they are getting some heat until morning when i can sort things out.

Got up this morning - removed the faunarium from the viv - the lid is still clipped on - but no snakes!! they have somehow escaped the faunarium (locking it behind them!) and then used the same hole to escape the viv!

I repaired their original ceramic - search for and find them both - thankfully!! And put them back into their viv before going out.

Came home about an hour ago and Kevin is gone again!! From a locked viv!! I know about them escaping between the glass doors but there is seriously less the 3mm gap??

Have searched the house top to bottom but no sign so will have to start trying to trap the little bugger now!

shaunyboy · 06-24-10, 07:21 AM

wow rob you've had some 24 hours mate.i hope you get your escapee back soon mate.
cheers shaun

Lankyrob · 06-24-10, 07:22 AM

Thanks Shaun - am gonna silicon seal the glass shut once hes in there and never open the viv again!!! (Joke

)

shaunyboy · 06-24-10, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

Thanks Shaun - am gonna silicon seal the glass shut once hes in there and never open the viv again!!! (Joke

)

its nuts the way they can escape from the craziest of sized spaces.i had a jungle that kept getting out a shut faunarium.turns out 1 of the little plastic bars thats part of the ventilation round the top of faunariums where the top goes on had broke of.she managed to squeeze out that little space.thankfully she always went behind the viv stack and wrapped round the cable of the probe going into her tank.i had to move all my vivs to get her.took me over 5 escapes to work out where the hole was

happy hunting mate,im sure she'll turn up.is there any way you could put your cats in one of those cat carrier things until shes found.at least the cats are wary of the snake thats a good thing mate.
all the best
shaun

Lankyrob · 06-24-10, 07:33 AM

Unfortunately the cats are worse than the snakes!! They would go apeshit if we tried to close them in anywhere - we also have an open plan house - only have doors on the toilet and bathroom so cant even close them out that way.

Am sure the littly bugger will pop his head out sometime today and be back in his viv by bedtime - if not i will probably have a wake up call at 2am again!!

shaunyboy · 06-24-10, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

Unfortunately the cats are worse than the snakes!! They would go apeshit if we tried to close them in anywhere - we also have an openplan house - only have doors on the toilet and bathroom so cant even close them out that way.

Am sure hte littly bugger will pop his head out sometime today and be back in his viv by bedtime - if not i will probably have a wake up call at 2am again!!

i'll have my fingers crossed for you mate.
cheers shaun

infernalis · 06-24-10, 07:56 AM

Too much excitement Rob, naughty snakes.

Lankyrob · 06-24-10, 08:20 AM

Your not wrong Wayne and crawling round searching for snakes with a bad back ain't much fun either - gonna need a holiday when he comes back!

marvelfreak · 06-24-10, 11:43 AM

I feel for you Rob. Been there only i had a fat ball that could escape just about every cage i put him in. Hope you find Kevin soon.

Lankyrob · 06-25-10, 10:23 AM

Left a bottle trap out for him last night - no luck (but Arthur likes the fact the pinky needed eating this morning!!) Will continue to put one out each night til he's back.

On a good note i found out how the bugger escaped!! Mainly thanks to catching Perry in the act of squeezing through (and getting stuck) the same hole! On visual examination yesterday (and before we even put the snakes in there) neither me or my wife saw the hole. I measured it this morning and its just over 2mm in diameter - it took Perry - with some help from myself - over 2 hours to get through it last night! He is left with some slightly scuffed scales on his back but seems ok apart from that so hopefully his next shed should repair any damage.

Have today blocked the hole with a piece of timber screwed to the inside of the viv. Is now 100% secure so when Kevin comes home he wont be going walkabout again!!

shaunyboy · 06-25-10, 11:17 AM

2mm thats a tiny hole mate.amazing what a determined snake can get through pal.let us know if he turns up.at least its summer time so he should fing some heat on the other side of that it may make him stay on his adventure longer.
cheers shaun

emseeKAY · 06-25-10, 06:02 PM

hopefully he comes back, keep setting those traps though lol :P got my fingers crossed for ya!

Lankyrob · 06-26-10, 02:58 AM

Well, he is still in the house - heard him moving around last nite but couldn't find the bugger - but at least he is still alive!!

shaunyboy · 06-26-10, 07:51 AM

when i noticed you'd posted today i thought you'd found him.at least you hear him mate thats a great sign.i found my kingsnake through turning all the tv's etc off then heard him trundling about.one day i heard him shuffle out from under the skirting board in my bedroom.hope you catch him soon mate.
cheers shaun

Lankyrob · 07-01-10, 09:49 AM

KEVIN IS BACK!!!!!!

Laid in bed last nite about 1am reading me book and heard a noise downstairs - came down to find him behind the tv unit.

He is now back in his "secured" viv and seems to be no worse for his adventure!!