...in tears...my snake is gone...

[lilyskip]

Huxley turned up missing this morning. His tank (a sliding top) was totally shut when I put him in last night before going to sleep. It was totally shut when I woke up this morning, minus a snake. I looked everywhere in my room, under dressers, in hampers, open suitcases, behind refrigerators, etc. I haven't found him. Most evidence points to him being stolen, but as that means I'll probably never see him again, I prefer to hold out hope that he's here somewhere.

If anybody has any advice on luring back missing snakes, it would be greatly appreciated. Right now, I just have his tank open on the floor, with all the heating stuff on. It's cold up here, so I'm hoping he'll be attracted to the tank and climb in. Help, please. Huxley was such a kind, gentle snake...I really really want him back.

[marisa]

Although I know it seems he couldn't have gotten out, I have had three snakes escape ESCAPE PROOF enclosures. They can flatten themselves out.....is your top made from screen or wire?

Marisa

[snakehunter]

do you live with anyone else, how could he have been stolen. thats horrible, im so sorry.

[doenoe]

Sorry to hear that Lilyskip. I cant help and give you tips or tricks to find him, but i do hope you will find it soon again.

[sapphire_moon]

How could someone have stolen him??? Do you live with someone else?? I'm sorry he is missing, I hope you find him, try leaving a rat in his tank f/t of course, maybe under the heating light or over the UTH to keep it warm....he'll see it and climb in, eat, then not want to move...I hope you find him!

[Zoe]

Finding an Escaped Snake:


So your snake went for a change of scenery, eh?

Why?:
There are a number of reasons a snake can escape: a weak enclosure, a hole, a lose lid, forgetting to close the lid to name but a few. It's best to try and avoid escapes in the first place by making sure you have a sturdy cage, a tight-fitting and locking lid, and making sure to always close the lid or door.
Though it's always a scary experience, escapes happen to the best of us, and it's usually no big deal unless the snake is dangerous (for example a 15 foot burm, or a venomous snake).

First Step - The Search:
Now, hopefully you've noticed not longer after the escape that the snake (or lizard) is no longer in its cage. The first thing to do is close the door to the room the cage is in and remove all kids and house pets. The snake probably hasn't left the room, and headed directly for warm and dark areas, which is where you want to start looking.
Look in dark and warm areas surrounding the tank and work your way outward in concentric circles. Get a mirror and flashlight so you can see into the smallest, darkest areas. Look under every crack and in every crevasse, you'd be surprised where a snake might go (in the garbage, on top of or under bookcases or desks, under the radiator, curtain rod, behind the enclosure, in a bed or a purse or bag etc). Don't forget to look UP, too! Check cushions for holes in the seams.

Second Step - The Traps:
Didn't find him? No big deal, there are a million places a snake can hide. You're probably fed up with search by now, and are out of places to look. The snake probably won't come out with all that comotion anyway. Inside the room, place a head pad on the floor with a hidebox or paper bag on top of it, and a mouse/rat in front of the hidebox door / paper bag(preferably NOT on the heatpad. hot mice rot fast). Paper bags are helpful because if you're close enough, you can hear the rustling and grab the snake right away. Leave it there for a few days (but check a few times a night), he'll get hungry and one of his expeditions he'll come across the mouse/rat, eat it, and decide that the warm hide is the perfect place to chill and digest.
Another idea similar to this is to take a relatively big cardboard box, poke some holes in it and cut a large (big enough for the snake) hole near the top. Place the food item in the box, and place the box near a heat pad. The snake, when hungry, will enter the box, eat the food and might be unable / unwilling to leave the box.

Leave the snake's cage open, he may very well return there. You can also enter the room quietly in the middle of the night (or during the day if the reptile is diurnal) with a flash light; the snake might be out and about.

If you aren't sure the snake is still in that room (even you think he might be - it never hurts to do this!), sprinkle flour or corn startch across doorways, hallways etc to see if he's moving around the house.

Third Step - The Wait:
If you've got nothing to do that night, you can try crinkling up plastic bags and laying them in the room (near the walls is you best bet) and sit near the dark, quiet room, and wait. Snakes often travel along the wall at night - even diurnal snakes - and you will hear the snake if it does. Have a flashlight and handy, and as soon as you hear a bag rustling turn on the flashlight and take a look.

You Found Him?:
If you see the snake, DON'T jump after it! It will just slither away before you can catch it. Aproach it slowly, and you should be able to pick it up. If you can't catch at, at least you know the area is in and can place a box with a mouse/rat inside about where you saw the snake, leave, and come backin an hour or two to check.


Some Nagging...
Even though escapes are completely undesireable, you need to learn for the experience. How did the snake escape? Loose fitting lid? Hole in the cage? Forgot to close the cage? Remember that bricks or heavy books aren't suitable to hold down lids because all a snake needs is a little give, and they can force their way out. Tight bungee cords work well, but proper, locking lids work best. Once you know what the problem is, fix it! If your snake is escaping on a regular basis (ie more than once!) then there is something seriously wrong. Just because you found your snake every time it escaped, doesn't mean that the next time it escapes it won't find a hole in the wall, or an open window, or a cat or a bird.

[daver676]

Stolen?

Close off all rooms. Look in the warm spots of your home. Underneath/behind fridges, stoves, dishwashers etc. Look in the furniture, hell, look in your shoes! I've heard about putting sand down around the corners of rooms and such, to see if you can see any snake slides. Hopefully someone with more knowledge on the subject can help you more than I.

I really hope you find him, or the person who stole him. ( I can't get over someone STEALING a snake)

Dave

[marisa]

Lots of people find their snake missing, and think there was absolutly no way on earth it could have escaped so it must have been stolen. I am not saying this offend lilyskip, as it has happened to myself.

You just can't believe it got out on its own because there was no way it could have when you are lookng at the cage....once I have a cage "100%" secure....I was housing two hatchling corns in it (which i would never do now) and one escaped. I could find NO WAY he got out, and the other wa still there. Sure looks like a stolen snake, eh? Well found him later but never ever knew to this day how he got out of there.

Marisa

[HetForHuman]

sorry to hear that.

i hope you find him.

[Invictus]

I think the reason Lilyskip suspects theft is because the sliding top was CLOSED, minus the snake. Would a ball python stop to close the cage lid behind it? Somehow I think not.

Zoe's post covers pretty much everything, but I'm really keeping my fingers crossed for you, Lilyskip. It's obvious to anyone who has read your posts how much you care about Huxley. I sincerely hope that he turns up, one way or another.

[the general]

I hope you find him!

We had a BCI reserved at a shop last year and she escaped. Found her after a month (over the winter) and she is fine.

He's probably curled up warm somewhere - Good luck!

[lilyskip]

oh gosh, i hope i find him too. i guess it's possible that he escaped. I don't know when I'll be able to go down to the pet store and get a mouse...I'm looking, though.

fyi, the top was a sliding-top, but it wasn't locked. it's just weird that it was still shut when I looked. Has anyone ever not found a lost snake?

[Zoe]

lilyskip, I've lost a few and found them all.
Let's see now: House snake (found in a box)
Baby IJ (under a pile of clothes)
Baby IJ [a diff one] (in my school bad - AT SCHOOL!)
Male CRB (in the garbage)
Female CRB (in the bathroom)
Coastal Carpet (on the bookcase)

Only one was not found in my room.

And by the way, nothing has escaped in a long time - I've learned my lesson!

[marisa]

Same here, I have had three escapes

1. Male hatchling amel lost for two months, found him sitting in front of his tank.

2. Same amel lost for three months the next time, found him in the same spot, in front of his tank.

3. Female adult anery, lost for three days, slithered on my hand when I was bending over and holding on to a shelf above me.

They turn up when you least expect it

Marisa

[lilyskip]

FOUND!!!!

Thanks guys for all your help. After reading all of these posts and calling my (now much calmer) mother, I decided to make another (less frenzied) sweep of my room. He didn't turn up, but I went to the back of the hallway in our suite, by my room, where I keep storage drawers. I looked through some backpacks and behind dressers, and then half-assedly opened the bottom drawers of the plastic shelves.

Sure enough, in the soap drawer (which I'm pretty sure was closed initially, too) was Huxley, curled in a ball on top of a chocolate-scented soap.

I freaked out...I'm glad to have him back, although now I'm somewhat mad at him for tormenting me all day. He's got fresh water and heat now, and I put a lock on the sliding top, so he should be okay. Thanks everyone for being so kind. And thanks Invictus, too...after finding him, your post made me feel less silly for suspecting a one-armed man of stealing my snake.

Phew. Just for future prep, have anybody's snakes escaped from locked tanks?