Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Help! How do you catch an escaped Leo?

I just went to check on Tiger, our leo, and she's not in her tank! We went away for the weekend, but I thought surely she would be fine; I put in several crickets Friday just before we left. She didn't immediately come out and eat, but it was 4:30 PM, so I figured she was still snoozing. This morning I picked up her humid hide to rewet it, and a ton of crix hopped out! She's not in the tank. She may have been gone since Thursday, b/c a few mealies I put in there Thursday were also in the tank, under stuff.

It's a ten gallon tank; we did not have the screen top on it. I really didn't think she could reach the top, but she's about a year old now, and has grown a lot.

Any ideas on how we might find/catch her?
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2.1 Pygmy leaf chameleons (R. brevicaudata)
0.1.0 Chinese firebellied newt (Flame)
0.0.1 grey tree frog (Mr. G)
0.0.1 White's tree frog (Whitey)
0.2.0 guinea pigs (Pepper and Baby)
1.0.0 dog (Scout)
Countless fish

first off you should of had someone watching her there very crious leos and second you should of had a lid on top of it..

i never had a excepted leo sence i never make thee atempt to lose mine ..
im sure someone could give you better info ..

just look around in dark places ?? they like dark ,, they come out at night .. all the info i can give you
good luck finding her though ... hopfully she will be ok and not hurt herself ..

Yes, I know we should have had the lid on....we were painting my daughter's room, where Tiger lives, so I took Tiger and Mr. G (a gray tree frog) out, so they wouldn't be affected by fumes. So her tank was on a bench, in the dining room, for several days; and somehow the top didn't get in there, too. I had never seen her get close to the top of the tank! We were only gone two full days; I took the dog to the kennel, and had a neighbor mist the chameleons; but I really thought the frogs, newt and Tiger would be fine without attention for two days.

What if I put the undertank heat mat on the floor, and put a humid hide on top of it? Do you think that might give her an attractive place to spend the day?
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2.1 Pygmy leaf chameleons (R. brevicaudata)
0.1.0 Chinese firebellied newt (Flame)
0.0.1 grey tree frog (Mr. G)
0.0.1 White's tree frog (Whitey)
0.2.0 guinea pigs (Pepper and Baby)
1.0.0 dog (Scout)
Countless fish

I would check the warmer area in your house...
also leave a mealworm dish on top of a sheet of tinfoil (aluminium paper) so you can hear when he aproaches.
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4.7.0 Leopard Geckos
0.2. Homonota Darwinii (Talus & Gracilis)
2.3.3 Tarentola Mauritanica (Pickles)
0.1.0 Cham Caliptratus (Clotilde)
0.0.1 Corn Snake
1.0.0 Golden Retriever (Cafu)
1.0.0 Black cat (Felipe)
0.0.x Tenebrio Molitor
0.0.x Zoophoba Mario
0.0.x Lobster Roaches
0.0.6 A. Campestratus
0.0.1 E. Musculosa

OK, first off too mootish- you are quick to cajole others, but if you insist on pointing out others' faults, please at least have the courtesy to check your own spelling. As for losing the leo- A full grown leo is not capable of jumping to the top of a ten gallon tank. They may make it if jumping from a hide or other furniture. In terms of finding the lost leo, really what you need is luck and patience. I recommend doing a full and complete sweep of the house, making sure to check every small dark crevice, and esp. under appliances, etc. that are warm. they don't tend to climb vertically much, but it's certainly not out of the question, so check them anyway. You should keep some crickets, or even nice smelling waxworms out to hopefully attract any loose leos in the area. IN MY Experience, leos are often found not far from where they left. They are not stupid, and are not apt to wander intentionally far from a location of available food. If the sweep does not turn her up, sweep the place again, and if still no luck, you may need to sit in the dark in silence for hours with a flashlight, waiting. good luck, hope you find her!
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1.0 Hypo stripe, Het RW from JL (BJ)
1.0 HypoTang from Crested (Apricot)
1.0 Tremper Albino from Petsmart (Cloud)
1.0 SHCT hatched by me! (Sunny)
0.1 Hi-Yellow Leopard gecko from Petco (Beatrice)
0.1 Stripe female (rehabilitated rescue)(Pepper)
0.1 Jungle het RW hatched by me! (Jungle Bunny)
0.1 Normal from 2001 (Freckles)
0.1 SHCT Leopard Gecko from Petco (Brite)
0.1 Tangy Mutt Leopard Gecko from Petco (Rainbow)
0.1 RW Stripe hatched by me! (unnamed yet)
0.1 Leucistic rescue (unnamed yet)
RIP Peaches, Ghost, Bill
Adopted out: Goldie, Leucy, "Q"
Hatched: ~50

Thanks for the suggestions! I had thought about leaving mealworms out...or maybe I can find some waxworms somewhere (I've never given any to my critters). As long as my dog doesn't eat the mealworms....The tinfoil sounds like a good idea, too. My husband said he heard some rustling in the dining room this morning, pretty loud, and mentioned it to my son, who figured it was a frog or the gecko in their tanks.

I think she must have climbed on top of a hide that's shaped like a tree trunk. It' still a good 6 inches from the top of the tank, but if I'd thought about it, she's definitely more than 6 inches long!

I thought about the warmth thing, b/c we keep our house about 74 right now; first place I looked was under the fridge. If she's under there, she smothered in dust bunnies! I'm kind of afraid to move stuff, 'cause if she's under the furniture I might smush her when I shift things....
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2.1 Pygmy leaf chameleons (R. brevicaudata)
0.1.0 Chinese firebellied newt (Flame)
0.0.1 grey tree frog (Mr. G)
0.0.1 White's tree frog (Whitey)
0.2.0 guinea pigs (Pepper and Baby)
1.0.0 dog (Scout)
Countless fish

okay so a few weeks back i lost one of my juvies. he was a little patternless just about a month old. anyhow he got away and i noticed it within a half hour of the escape but i couldnt find him after searching everywhere. ive lost my adults over night but i always would find them wihtin 15 mins of looking but this little guy did not want to be found. any how i looked about twice a day for about a week and still no luck. i kinda gave up but i was leaving a water dish in every room for him. after a while i thought somehow he had gotten outside the house but then i started to notice poops in different rooms so he was obviously making his rounds. on the 14th day i found him back in the gecko room under the desk! its warmer in the gecko room. anyhow just keep looking in dark and warm areas. he was fine but he wouldnt have been if i didnt leave water out for him. by the way you need to keep your dog outside or caged because it will eat it!

I agree- keep a close eye on the dog. With his better senses of hearing and smell, he may find the leo well before you do. Maybe you could leave a small critter keeper full of crix out, that way the dog wont eat them, and water dishes aren't a bad idea either. If your leo's never had a waxworm, the crix may be a better draw, plus the leo can hear them.

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1.0 Hypo stripe, Het RW from JL (BJ)
1.0 HypoTang from Crested (Apricot)
1.0 Tremper Albino from Petsmart (Cloud)
1.0 SHCT hatched by me! (Sunny)
0.1 Hi-Yellow Leopard gecko from Petco (Beatrice)
0.1 Stripe female (rehabilitated rescue)(Pepper)
0.1 Jungle het RW hatched by me! (Jungle Bunny)
0.1 Normal from 2001 (Freckles)
0.1 SHCT Leopard Gecko from Petco (Brite)
0.1 Tangy Mutt Leopard Gecko from Petco (Rainbow)
0.1 RW Stripe hatched by me! (unnamed yet)
0.1 Leucistic rescue (unnamed yet)
RIP Peaches, Ghost, Bill
Adopted out: Goldie, Leucy, "Q"
Hatched: ~50

Am I just trying to attract her to the critter keeper by the sight/smell of the crickets? I had thought about Scout (the dog), but honestly, he's pretty lethargic most of the time. Maybe if she walked right in front of his nose! I'll probably shut him in his crate tonight, though. He always sleeps there, but we usually let him roam if he wants.

I have been hoping to find poops around. I'll be putting out a water dish in the dining room, along with a humid hide on a heat mat, and crickets and/or mealworms in the center of a piece of foil. Wish me luck! Thanks for all the help!
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2.1 Pygmy leaf chameleons (R. brevicaudata)
0.1.0 Chinese firebellied newt (Flame)
0.0.1 grey tree frog (Mr. G)
0.0.1 White's tree frog (Whitey)
0.2.0 guinea pigs (Pepper and Baby)
1.0.0 dog (Scout)
Countless fish

he might turn up all of a sudden when its too late to realise, so keeps your eye's peeled for him.

good luck finding him!

Not that my clever traps worked....but this morning when my husband got up to feed Scout, she was sitting by the back door. Scout was so interested in his food that he didn't notice her. Bill came and woke me up, and I caught her pretty easily. She was wild! She hasn't bitten me in forever, but she did this time! As soon as I put her in the tank she started hunting crickets and mealworms, taking a break occasionally to climb up against the sides. Too bad...now there's a lid!

Thanks, everyone, for the advise and well wishes!
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2.1 Pygmy leaf chameleons (R. brevicaudata)
0.1.0 Chinese firebellied newt (Flame)
0.0.1 grey tree frog (Mr. G)
0.0.1 White's tree frog (Whitey)
0.2.0 guinea pigs (Pepper and Baby)
1.0.0 dog (Scout)
Countless fish

Glad she is back safe and sound.. probably up waiting on her breakfast too.
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This is courage.. to bear unflinching what heaven sends. -unknown

2.1 chocolate labs and bassett (Harley, Barker and Capone)
1.0 leopard gecko (Nacho)

glad you found her ,