Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So, here's the story:

We were letting a friend watch our house while on a trip to meet my father in law for the first time. Stayed gone a week. Upon our return, we find various things missing, and before we can even kick him out, he's crawfishin, wantin to kick himself out. He left. After calming down, and running a couple of errands, I bring home some pinky's to feed my 3 corns. One of which is my most valued, and loved Izzy. An Okeetee that I got from Cochran earlier this year. I open her cage, and she's nowhere to be found.
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Now, she may still be in the house, but we can't find her. There's also the possibility that this guy traded her for drugs, or gave her away, who knows, but have to try.
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What things might yall suggest on ways to catch her if she's here? I'm thinking of setting up a box with a lamp on it and some substrate in it. Maybe a pinky for good measure. Any other ideas? I'm desperate, and don't wanna lose my baby.
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Thanks ahead of time for any input.

NO LAMP OR LIGHT!!!

You do not want light in the equayion if you want to catch her. You want it totally dark, as they are nocturnal dweller's.

You can invert some duct tape and lay it sticky-side up around the floor perimeter base board to get her stuck to it, but you MUST know exactly where you put it and check it often, otherwise it could get caught in it and suffer a good while un-noticed, and even die. If you catch her this way, you can simply remove the snake from the tape by gently working some vegetable oil or mineral oil between the snake and the tape.

Another way is to shake some fine flour around the hard floor perimeter and look for crawl marks to see where it went to hide. But this works best if there are no cats or dogs to disrupt the process.

Another thing is to cut a plastic 2 liter pepsi bottle were it starts to taper towards the top, spin it backwards, and tape it if necessary. This will create an inward shaped funnel that you can put a pinkie into and set in a nice dark corner on the ground. Then it can easily crawl inside for the pinkie, but have a tough time getting out.

Hope that scum-bag didn't sell or trade your snake for some crack!

Good luck with finding the snake!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

A pinky in a warm box with a hide is a good idea, but I always look up to find lost corns and rats. They tend to climb and you'd be amazed where a tiny snake can get to. Look at the top of doors, closets, anywhere there may be a light or extension cord hanging down from up high somewhere, anything it can climb. I found a missing baby at the top of a closet door, wedged into the rough wall framing. I found a small rat snake climbing up an extension cord draped over a tall bookcase.

Good luck, hope she just got out into the house.
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Amy Claiborne

Don't let them take your wasted time. J.T.

I agree with Amy and Dougs advice. Especially the climbing part. I would never have believed it but I heard my wife call for me a couple of years ago and a baby corn was climbing up a small pull cord on the window blinds in the bathroom. They do like to climb. I have found a lot of babies in the wild wedged in tight places up a tree or structure. Wish you success in finding him.

Thanks for the adivce and quick replys! So far no luck. I'm trying to stay hopeful, though, and of course, it's still only day 1 since I've know she was missing. I have put down some flour, and put the pinky in their feeding box, it has some aspen bedding in it, and I put her hide in there as well. I'll keep trying, and will keep everyone updated on the search.
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Thanks again!

I found my lost corn INSIDE the vaccuum head (the hard way). Fortunately she wasn't seriously hurt, but we had looked for her for over a week, went to vaccuum one day, then heard this awful thwack thwack thwack sound when the vaccuum turned on. She had wrapped herself around the spinning brush.
Anywho - point of the story - check all nooks and crannies. I even had a pair of kings find their way into one of the long flourescent light cover/fixture in the kitchen, no clue how they got there.

Well, I guess I'll be chockin this one up as a loss. I've turned this house upside-down 3 times, and still no sign of her. It really pisses me off, too, cause I loved that snake. Owell, I guess. When I have some more money I'll try again, but that won't be anytime soon, got a baby on the way. Thanks again for everyone's input and advice. I'll let yall know if she ever turns up, unannounced.