Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So, all of my encolsures have pin locks on it... except one. I never bothered with it because of the way the lid snapped down and in place...

...but to make a long story short, my very first snake (Adam, normal Ball Python) that I have ever owned and raised and absolutely love and trust since a baby escaped last night while we were sleeping along with my new 0 Het for Piebald.

I'm afraid my cat may have already got to them, and I don't want to wait too long in case either of them need immediate medical attention.

We had friends over and we tore the house apart searching for him, and the cat has already been taken to stay at a family members house. We even dug around the dusty crawlspace underneath the house. If anyone has any tips on were escaped ball pythons hide, or if anyone has unusual stories on where they've found their MIA snakes, please share. Adam is a 4 foot long snake; you would thing he'd be difficult to hide. But either way, he is absolutely irreplaceable to me. I don't want to loose him. PLEASE HELP...

ANY SUGGESTIONS APPRECIATED!!!

Bookshelves, lamps, closets, under fridge or freezer, dark places, warm places, under dryers and washers, in chairs, couches. I had a boa hanging from a bathroom light. They can climb very well. Hopefully there are no holes to get outside. Just about anywhere. Good luck! Let us know how it works out. Derek

First mode after losing a snake is panic mode. Take a deep breath. In this mode, I often find myself looking in the same spot repeatedly over and over again. Not surprisingly, the animal doesn't show up!

With half of the escapes I've seen, the animal shows up incredibly close to the escape point (like within 5 feet). My friend had an 8 foot halmahara (spelling?) scrub get lose. It ended up going into shed and sitting right behind its enclosure for two or three weeks. I've lost a snake or two myself and found them within feet of the enclosure days later. So, really go over the immediate area where the snake got lose.

Second, think outside the box. It could be a 50/50 chance whether the ball python took the high road or the low road. Like the previous poster said, check everything high and low. I have a hard time thinking a 4ft ball python could go under a normally set door. Check warm areas (like appliances that get warm), but also look in cool areas. Ball pythons do perfectly well in ambient summer temps. Check boxes, bags, garbage cans, etc. Snakes can show up in odd places.

Finally, if you still can't find the snake, you can try setting some traps (although I've never actually caught a snake in a passive trap. Appropriately sized PVC can be laid out along the edge of the wall and capped on one end. You can even bait it with a mouse. You can also try sprinkling powdery substances along non-carpeted surfaces to see if it crawls through it at night.

Really, my guess is that you'll happen upon the snake. I'm guessing it is hunkered down and is going to sit there waiting to be found or for food to come by. Also, don't be surprised if this snake is nasty once you find it. For some reason, escaped snakes can get a terrible attitude. I have no real idea why.

Good luck and keep at it!

Check everywhere and don't give up hope. When my little house snake got out, I'd given up looking for him and set out a pinky and a heat pad on the floor to try to lure him. I went to sit on the couch and watch some TV, and it occurred to me to look under the couch first... and there he was!

My male rosy boa got out when a friend was watching them for me. The day after I came home, he fell out of my bookcase and just sat there, looking kinda stunned, while I scooped him up. So, you never know what'll happen.

Another idea might be to turn out the lights one night and give it an hour or so, then look for him with a flashlight. The dark might persuade him it's a good time to come out, and the flashlight wouldn't warn him to go back into hiding as fast as turning on the room lights would. Good luck,

-P
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1.0.0 Normal corn snake (Frito)
1.0.0 Creamsicle corn (Tang)
0.1.0 Ghost corn (Raynham)
1.0.0 Bay of LA rosy boa (Rivet)
0.1.0 Cape Gopher (Mole)
0.0.1 African House Snake (Really Lil' Dude)

My own snake has escaped twice now, but as far as hiding places goes, he's pretty unimaginative, although the first time was when I was living in a highrise, and I left the window open. I was so freaked out when I thought he may have gone out the window... huge drop.

As someone else said, panic always grips you when your snake escapes, but try to remain composed as it will help you keep your wits about you.

Check in shoes, wardrobes, closets, anywhere dark, down the back of the sofa even.

Another tip I can give you is, keep seal your house off room by room after checking it, i.e. close all your doors and windows, and search one room at a time, this means the little blighter won't be able to go from room to room eluding you