Escaped Garter!!

[AnOle]

I Just Noticed My Garter Snake Escaped Some How!! His Cage Is Escape Proof!! My Guess Is Someone Got Into Well My Ever Watchful Eye Was Turned!! My question is, is there a safe and easy trap or way to get him to come out of hiding in my house??

Thanks,
Brad

[Lisa]

There's a number of things that work, such as making a trap out of a bucket tall enough that the garter can't get out of, make some sort of ramp, chop the nose off a prey item and drag it up the ramp and toss the prey item into the bucket.

other things you can do is flour/tape across door ways (DO NOT USE DUCT TAPE!!!), put a warm device such as a cd player, dvd player or a vcr (DO NOT USE A TOASTER!!!) on the floor and plug it in, the snake should curl up on it. Check your boxes, shoes, slippers, under couches, etc. Good luck, and remember, nothing is escape proof.

[Oliverian]

I know you probably checked already, but are you sure he's not hiding up on a ledge or curled up under his water bowl? He might even be under some substrate, but you probably already looked. Just keep your eyes open and look everywhere! Lisa I agree with you on the fish idea. If he's hungry, he'll go up the ramp and into the bucket. Mine escaped twice before I fixed up the cage properly and always went to the quietest room in the house. Good luck! (make sure he can't get out again)

[AnOle]

Lisa,
thanks alot im gonna be setting some traps tonight!


Oliverian, Yes Tore The Encoulsure apart looking for him but thanks for the advice!

I just hope he didn't go down in the drain for my hot water tank!!

Brad,

[lordkovacs]

turn a bucket upside down, cut a hole in the top, drop mouse in. snake goes in, can't get back out.

[Oliverian]

turn a bucket upside down, cut a hole in the top, drop mouse in. snake goes in, can't get back out.

That probably works for most snakes, but garters don't eat mice. You might want to use half a fish (if it's cut in half it will smell more) and put the hole high on the side of the bucket (the snake might not be able to get up to a hole in the top. Good luck. ~TR~

[AnOle]

k thanks all still waiting to find him,
Brad,

[Lisa]

Funny thing is, all the traps I suggested are stuff other people have had work for them, i've never that that work for me. Other then an incident with a cat and a colubrid all of our escapes have been human error and boids. We've always found them either in a closet or sitting out in plain view. Go figure.

[Oliverian]

Yea... I've heard setting out fish in a bucket works, but I've lost mine 3 times and found her only by looking. Once she was behind a door in my brother's room, the second time on top of an alarm clock in the same room. The third time, just a couple days ago, believe it or not, she was lost for a day and I saw her head poking out of the snakes and ladders box. Wish I had a digicam to take a picture. Good luck, and keep your eyes open. Let us know if you find her. ~TR~

[Siretsap]

I lost a baby cornsnake and found him sitting on top of my mice cage, was trying to figure out a way to get in. He escaped because I put too much newspaper on the bottom and gave him just the right hight to crawl out of the container.

[Oliverian]

... so you didn't have a lid on the top of the container? Lol, corns will escape out of anything, especially a lidless container. ~TR~

[lanalizard]

ok here is my advice, CHECK YOUR LAUNDRY BASKET lmao....that is where i managed to find mine.....lol lol

[eyespy]

Lots of good advice already, so I'll just add that once my cat broke into the screentop of my tank and 2 juvenile garters escaped. Neither traps nor tearing the house apart worked quickly but a month later Dante just appeared crawling across my living room floor one day. Three months after the escape Lilith was just smack in the middle of my bedroom when I went in to go to sleep.

So never give up hope!

[Lisa]

Originally posted by eyespy
Lots of good advice already, so I'll just add that once my cat broke into the screentop of my tank and 2 juvenile garters escaped. Neither traps nor tearing the house apart worked quickly but a month later Dante just appeared crawling across my living room floor one day. Three months after the escape Lilith was just smack in the middle of my bedroom when I went in to go to sleep.

So never give up hope!

Thats what happened to our colubrid, kitty broke through the screen, now all screen tops are reinforced with hardware cloth.

[Pookie]

I found my cali king under the cushin of my couch! Imagine the surprise when my mom came over and sat down and a snake came slithering out! She wasn't as excited as i was to see her!