Ratsnake Escaped

verymoistcrayon · 10-23-17, 04:20 PM

Hello there, I am new here as a snake owner and a forum member so forgive me for any mistakes.
I have owned my scaleless rat snake for a month now. A family member got him from an independent reptile shop around 2 years ago but had no more time for the poor guy, so he was given to me as I had been looking into getting a snake. He was being kept in a 40g breeder with a screen lid and multiple tank clips to keep it secure. But of course, the one day when I forget a clip or two off the lid, he makes his escape-and i'm loosing hope fast.

He's been missing for nearly a week now, and i'm loosing hope quickly. I have tried everything-put flour in any places he may have been, ripped my entire room to shreds, and much more. And let me tell you right now, putting out a mouse is hopeless, because the thing is...I already have other rodents in the room. Yeah yeah I know, a dumb idea. I have three guinea pigs and a giant rabbit in the same room. So even if I put a mouse out, the mouse's smell will just mix with the other rodents's smells, so it won't even be effective. Also another dumb thing on my part, I have the tank on a low table that is right next to a radiator-the clips I left off were the clips closest to the radiator.That means he could've easily slipped out from under the lid, take a turn, and gone into the radiator.

I'm absolutely heartbroken. While he was quite snippy and did bite me once, he was my first snake so he means a lot to me. I have wanted a snake since sixth grade, and of course when I finally get one he escapes due to my own irresponsibility. I have done all I could by wanted some second opinions. Feel free to be honest, I can use anything now, as this forum is my last hope.

Thank you in advance.

Herpin' Man · 10-24-17, 10:03 AM

Snakes tend to dehydrate quickly when loose in the house, and will seek moisture. That is why they are often found around plumbing, or under piles of laundry. I suggest placing damp towels along walls in areas of the house where the snake might be. Assuming that the snake is still in the house, it should eventually turn up under the towels.
I realize that a lot of snake keepers use aquariums with various tops, but they aren't escape proof. Investing in an actual snake cage might prevent this from happening again.

dannybgoode · 10-24-17, 11:22 AM

To find a snake you must think like a snake. It could be anywhere in the house but it's like to be somewhere dark, warm, humid and snug.

One of mine is currently on the run but they they very nearly always turn up so I'm not panicking - I just keep checking likely spots and I'm sure she'll appear.

Snakes are generally incredibly robust so assuming it was well fed and watered before it got out it will more likely than not survive months of not longer without issue.

verymoistcrayon · 10-24-17, 04:47 PM

Thank you for responding.
I never thought about the damp towels! I'll definitely try that out.
I always keep my bedroom door closed and the opening underneath is very tight to the floor, so he's either roaming the room or journeyed into the radiator. I am truly praying he didn't go into the radiator, but seeing as they go into dark, warm and humid areas, there's a pretty big possibility. I really hope not though, there's a lot of dust and I don't think there is anyway I can get to him. the radiators lead down to the basement-and ill never find him there.
I fed him around two weeks before he escaped since I switched to small rats, but i'm not too worried about him starving. I do think he did try to get a bite to eat though-I woke up one morning to find the rabbit's cage absolutely demolished. This has never happened before as my rabbit isn't one to destroy her cage, so the only thing I can think of happening is that the snake may have spooked her which caused her to have a breakdown, destroying her cage. But i doubt that happened.
Im getting quite close to giving up, but ill keep looking. I guess I'm just pampered to whenever a rodent escapes-put out a trap and you find them the next morning!

**Minkness** · 10-24-17, 05:42 PM

Here's a story for hope....I lost a teeny tiny baby western hognose in my car if all places before. Didn't even know that was where he got lost. Thought it was inside the house. Well. Like a week later, the bigger just cruised out into my radio knobs like nuthin was up....ih, and it was the middle of summer, AND I didn't know the last time he had been fed or watered. Still got the little Houdini snake too. He has gotten out several other times as well. Longest to go missing (in the house this time) was 3 weeks.

Good luck, and don't loose hope. This thing happens. =)

jjhill001 · 10-24-17, 05:54 PM

I've found they normally don't go very far from where they escaped at least within the first week or so. REALLLY check within a 10 foot radius of it's enclosure. Any possible place it could hide.

verymoistcrayon · 10-24-17, 10:06 PM

So I'm feeling a lot better about finding him. Not only did Minkness's story help, but I was poking around with the radiator and I found no traces of him so the search continues! My radiator is the type built into the wall with a pipe leading down to a boiler. The only possible way he could've gone through the radiator is through the small hole where the pipe leads through, which was completely dusted over, meaning he didn't touch it! I blocked it off just in case. I had already patched up some previous holes in the walls to prevent any escapee hamsters from finding their way into the walls, so I don't need to worry about thise. I only stress that I really hope he didn't wriggle his way into my garbage bag full of used animal bedding, while I severely doubt he did my anxiety gets the best of me in situations like this.
The same family member I had gotten the snake from had lost a python in my same house and found it alive 5 months later, and Minkness's story really helped. Wherever this snake's hiding it's pretty dang good, I've gone through every bag,box,corner and closet I can think of, but it turns out I need to look harder. A LOT harder.
Any other tips are appreciated at this time! Ever since the hermit crab incident I've become very nervous upon loosing non-rodent animals, so this forum is a great help.

dannybgoode · 10-25-17, 04:11 AM

See - in a drawer not 1' from her viv. How she got in the drawer I don't know because it wasn't open but hey...

verymoistcrayon · 10-25-17, 06:50 AM

Ha, that's too funny. I have a few drawers to the left of his tank, but they can only open a few inches since they're blocked by the table with his tank on it. I'll take a look in them. I tried looking in them before but it was a tight squeeze so I didn't get a good look. I'll also take a look through my book closet since it's not to far from his tank.

dannybgoode · 10-25-17, 07:43 AM

I've often wondered why snakes bother escaping. I lost a corn snake one who turned up a few months later - he had been on the bookcase by my bed that his viv sat on the whole time. Hardly worth the effort!

dannybgoode · 10-25-17, 07:51 AM

And it's a good job I found it before it wife did. She doesn't know I've bought this one! Would have given her the fright of her life!

**Minkness** · 10-25-17, 08:50 AM

Omg, Danny! Lol

Bandit · 10-25-17, 09:22 AM

Agreed, check drawers lol. Both my milk and my king have been found in the dresser drawers (which were closed). Make sure you dig through clothes and stuff that are in the drawers - they may be underneath or curled up in between stuff. Also, when I found my milk snake, he saw me and shot up to the other drawers. So it may be worth taking all drawers physically out and checking the interior frame of any drawers or anything, a small rat snake could definitely hide up in the back/top of it.

Don't lose hope, it's likely still in the area. Also, he may be more inclined to move when no one is there or at night. So don't rule out checking places you've already checked.

verymoistcrayon · 10-25-17, 04:04 PM

Well I've looked pretty much everywhere within the ten feet and most of the beyond. I cannot for the love of all things fuzzy find this snake. He hasn't touched the radiator, so that's good, and i've sifted through any garbages in my room, so he's not in the trash. I went through my drawers in which he was not there, stripped my bed bare, checked in all the little crevices around my bed in which he could've gone, ripped my closet and bookshelf apart, looked under all furniture and guinea pig cage, etc. He is nowhere. He's either nowhere, or in plain sight. I've even checked the blinds.
I'm at a loss.
You would've thought that a living noodle would be easy to find, huh?

verymoistcrayon · 10-25-17, 07:58 PM

I just keep reminding myself of the python that got lost in my house for five months and was found alive, as well as many other stories of runaway (slitheraway?) snakes to keep my hopes up. Guy isn't that long, only about two feet, so that makes it a bit harder. I'll being putting down the damp towels tonight. The tank is close by to my room door, but if a snake slithered out the doorway I would notice it. Sorry for making this a big deal, he's my first snake and the longest one of my critters has been out for (longest was three days,held by one of my many past hamsters). Wish me luck, I really need it!

(Oh, the hermit crab incident. Long story short, Olivia the crab was being kept in a critter keeper, critter keeper fell over,crab escapes, and is never seen again. Most of the family thinks we threw it out during an intense room cleaning, sort of explaining my fear of the snake being in the trash.It's because of Olivia the crab I never owned a hermit crab again.)