Escaped Ball Python

[harrypei]

So the snake pushed the tank top open and escaped last night...it's still young, only about 1.5 ft...do you guys have tricks and tips on how to recapture? i've checked warm places in the house and a lot of gaps/spaces where it could make a good hiding spot but no success so far...

 

[DITB]

my kingsnake escaped once and i found him next to a heat vent under a shirt about a week later

 

[harrypei]

i figured that they'd like warm places...i'll keep searching and set some traps...

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Put a dead mouse in a warm place with hiding places nearby, see if that doesn't get your snake's attention when he's hungry enough. Snakes have a wicked awesome sense of smell, don't underestimate his ability to find it if he wants it bad enough.

A popular suggestion is to put down flour in the doorways so you can see if he's travelling between rooms.

A big bowl of water in the floor somewhere is also good bait, especially if it's just hidden enough that he'll feel safe going after it.

 

[harrypei]

i've already setup water traps...don't think i can use the live mouse since i have two cats...:liar: flour would make a mess...:evil:

 

[Mushroom Spore]

don't think i can use the live mouse since i have two cats...

Dead mouse. I wouldn't let a live mouse go in my apartment either, hehe.

You didn't mention cats, though. That's, uh, pretty serious. I don't doubt most cats would make short and bloody work of a little snake. Is there any way you could board them at the vet for a couple days?

If not, dead mouse goes in the room the snake escaped in and then you shut the door. Cats can't get at the mouse, snake is free to go after the trap.

flour would make a mess...:evil:

Sometimes you have to be inconvenienced when your pet needs saving.

 

[DITB]

ya the cats need put up somewhere until you find the snake....unless they already have

 

[harrypei]

just want to say that the snake has been safely returned to the tank

 

[Mushroom Spore]

That's a relief! I was worried we were gonna end up with another "guys my cats killed my tarantula/lizard/snake/hamster" thread.

What kind of lid do you have on the enclosure? I always suggest one of those metal-framed screens they sell in most pet stores, paired with at least two of these:

http://www.petco.com/product/4353/Four-Paws-Tank-Top-Screen-Cover-Security-Clips.aspx

I have one on each end of my own ball python's 20L tank and he definitely ain't pushing that one open. Some people can squeeze the latches to open it with their bare hands; I have to flip mine off with a pen. Still great.

 

[harrypei]

Yes I do use clips, but this lid is a little deformed. i thought it closes tight enough, but guess not...i've since replaced it with a new lid.

i let my cats roam actually in hope that they would help find the snake...we pretty much always have someone at the house so we are watching them closely. my cats have helped me find an escaped scorpion and a pede on two occasions.

appreciate the concern

 

[BrassMonkey]

Good to know you found him! The year I got Luigi, my first BP, she (yes, she) escaped and was gone for about a week. My cat woke me up with meows and lead me to Luigi, wrapped around a vent ! I now have a solid steel top with holes drilled in it, great for when it comes time to shed because it maintains humidity well. Two 5LB weights on both ends is fabulous as well =P.

 

[Leigh]

i lost a King Snake in the house once! that was rather interesting, it was gone for like 16 months. we had signs that he was still around so we knew that he was alive as such

he turned up in the kitchen cupboard with my mum saying " Oh my god that isnt the brush handle"

Classic!