Another Newbie Owner Loses Her Snake

[HIMluv]

Forgive me if this is in the wrong place, I'm new here, and had a dire question, so I signed up.

My ball python, Zuko, is about a foot and a half long. My boyfriend and I had him for about a week when he escaped. It's been two weeks to the day since we've seen him.

Now, I have read all over the internet the best places to look, and have ripped my apartment apart. There is no sight of him. I've left his tank on the ground, open with a basking light in hopes that he would come back. Tried that for a week with no results.

He normally gets fed on Sundays, so we skipped a Sunday in hopes of making him even more hungry. So this Sunday we bought a mouse and put it in the feeding bin like normal. We put the basking light over the feeding bin, but it's been two days and we still have a live mouse (I know feeding live may be hazardous, but he's choosey and it's what he likes).

I'm starting to get very concerned. There are a couple of spots he could have gone, and I don't know where they lead. I don't want to close them off because if he's in there I don't want to trap him, but I don't want him to go in them either.

My boyfriend and I are really afraid that he found a way out of the apartment... How long should we wait with this mouse? And how long should we wait before we toss in the towel and buy another snake?

I've considered trying the bottle trap, with the mouse inside. But if a live mouse wouldn't attract him, surely the frozen one wouldn't. Right?

Please help me! I'm new to owning a snake and feel downright awful that this has happened. I just want Zuko back.

Thanks, HIMluv