Reptile & Amphibian Forums

PLEASE... anyone with any ideas or knowledge on this help out.

My 2 year old jungle carpet got out last night, I had weights on the top of the tank but somehow he moved the top and now he is out. He is in the basement somewhere and no idea where. We have an exposed ceiling so he could have gotten within the pipes and all that good stuff.

Worst and best part I guess is that he just ate yesterday, so I doubt hell move much, and that leaves months for him to just show up. I also have a terrier which I am terrified to let downstairs now for the snakes safety.

Anyone with any type of crazy experience with something like this please give me some ideas of what could possibly be done. I have been looking for an hour now with my father all over the place and we have no luck!!!

THANKS!!!

If one of my snakes happens to get loose I use my two ferrets to find them, you might try your dog on leash they are good at finding them!
Boneiface

keep the lights on down there and randomly check any dark places. your snake will seek out a dark, enclosed area to hide in. If you have a closet down there, periodically open the door and look through it. check behind hot water heaters, boxes, etc. you won't find him right away, but if you do this a couple times a day, he'll most likely show up.
-----

The Reticulated Rattler

1.0.0 Great Plains Ratsnake
1.0.0 Corn, Lavender Aztec het for Amel
0.1.0 Black Ratsnake
0.0.1 Texas Rat (tame)
1.0.0 Broad Banded Water Snake, Hypo
1.0.0 Black Bassador Retriever
2.1.0 Godchildren, 1 Evil, 2 possible hets

one more thing, if two weeks goes by and you haven't found him, set his cage on the floor with the lid open and a freshly thawed meal inside. check it every twenty minutes. Once your snake gets hungry, he'll start looking for a snack.
-----

The Reticulated Rattler

1.0.0 Great Plains Ratsnake
1.0.0 Corn, Lavender Aztec het for Amel
0.1.0 Black Ratsnake
0.0.1 Texas Rat (tame)
1.0.0 Broad Banded Water Snake, Hypo
1.0.0 Black Bassador Retriever
2.1.0 Godchildren, 1 Evil, 2 possible hets

Please don't anyone misunderstand me, I'm not criticizing anyone's husbandry or anything, just pointing out a few things.

"...Once your snake gets hungry, he'll start looking for a snack."

The owner said this: "Worst and best part I guess is that he just ate yesterday, so I doubt hell move much,..."

The snake is most likely still hungry. Snakes that have eaten appropriate size meals do not try to escape within days of feeding.

I didn't want the owner to be thinking that the snake is most likely coiled up in the nearest, warmest spot, digesting it's meal. More likely than not it's on the hunt for more prey.

I would still search every dark, warm area because it may retreat to these areas between hunting. It's a good rule of thumb to assume they are near their cage but don't stop there.

I hope you find it. My son didn't secure the lid on his 4ft anery motley corn last year and it was loose in the house for over a week. I walked into the kitchen one day and saw it going under the stove. This was mid-summer in an non-air conditioned house.

Hang in there!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

ok... just got back from dark knight, awesome movie by the way. I walked downstairs and figured I would take a quick look around because it's peak time for these guys to be moving around. So after about 30 seconds, who do I see? My draco sittin perched on a pipe in the furnace room like he did nothing wrong. Great part about this guy is he has the best mannerisms from being picked up practically everyday that he didnt even care that I grabbed him.

Now the fun part is that he definitely shed somewhere, wherever it was that he was hiding. Because he is totally brighter than yesterday, and he has just a few little scales on the tip of his tail that I eased off real fast.

So yea, I got freaked out and scared, but 18 hours later and we have a recovered snake. There is about 80 lbs on top right now, but I am going out to the garage to get some clamps and a lock. I am securing this thing hardcore until I complete the new enclosure that I started for him last week.

YAY!!!

and by the way, he actually eats very well. One fully thawed large rat once every 9 days. For his current size that is more than plenty

That's great news! I'm tickled to death you found it so soon and nothing bad happened to it.

"and by the way, he actually eats very well. One fully thawed large rat once every 9 days. For his current size that is more than plenty"

Once again, please don't misunderstand me. I'm not trying to embarass you, criticize you, or anything like that.

I've been keeping snakes for 40 years, but I will admit that I have never had a jungle carpet python. My experience is limited to colubrids, burms, retics, and a few venomous species.

All snakes, reptiles, animals, humans, that get a full stomach from a fulfilling meal do not remain highly active afterwards. If your snake is as active after being fed as it was prior to feeding, it is not getting fed enough. I kid you not.

Now, some may cruise the cage for a minute or two afterwards but they'll quickly find a nice warm place to chill out & digest their meal. Any snake that puts forth enough effort to escape a weighted down lid within days of being fed is still hungry. I promise you. I assure you.

Our captives will teach us everything we need to know if we'll only observe & interpret their actions. I strongly suggest increasing the amount fed per feeding or feeding more often.

I'll bet that your JCP has quite a strong feeding response. Stronger than normal. I've got an 8ft - 7yr old female burm that I rescued and I pity the fool that would get between her & a prey item. Stems from being underfed.

Please, for the sake of your snake, and possibly your safety, at least think about what I'm saying.

I really am glad you found it. That's a heck of a feeling, re-capturing an escapee, isn't it?

Take care & thanks for letting us know!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

Thanks!!

Don't take response incorrectly as well either. I fully respect everything you have said, and I am going to try and give him a little more food next week and see what happens.