Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My blue tail escaped its enclosure or my little cousins hands while I was working yesterday. ): he is still a baby less than 2ft i set up lamps and mice close to the lamps so it can bask and possibly even grab a mouse while I'm not home hoping someone will see him and call me so I can shoot over and catch him. so far today went poorly, all mice were in there place when I came home. I'm starting to think he might have escaped outside while someone was leaving the house or something. I feel stupid for letting this happen and horrible without the monitor. I'm really attached to it and now its gone hopefully not for good. I've desperately check the entire house and nothing. I'm really worried. /:

How long can they go without food and more importantly water?

Sorry to hear about this. My nile escaped a while back, dirt had built up in the tracks of the door and he was able to push the door out. He was gone for about a month with no signs of still being in the house. One day about a month later I heard ton of noise coming from my reptile room and he was in their freaking out trying to climb the walls.

As far as how long a monitor can go without food or water, well that really all depends on the shape your monitor was in when he escaped. My nile still looked good after being out for a month, granted im sure he had the occasional loose cricket or roach to eat. So if your monitor was in really good condition, he should be ok for a while.

I have only had my monitor escape one time, but I have had several snakes escape in the past. They always come back to heat. I always find them near a heated cage or in a rack laying on some heat tape, usually within a day or 2.

Good luck!

It's really hard to say how long you have as it depends on the condition he was in when he escaped as well as what he gets himself into once he's out. However unless he gets into to some extremely bad place (like in your stove of freezer or similar predicament.) he is not going to die overnight. As frank Retes tries to tell everyone on here monitors like to hide in holes or in similarly secure places. I would start looking for any holes in your walls as well as in your furniture and in your appliances. They will much more likely turn up somewhere like that rather than outside.
I don't have escapes that often but they do happen and I have always managed to find the escapee alive. With the exception of the occasional day gecko or iguana escape (which I have kept outside anyway) I have only had one reptile escape and make it to the outdoors. I was a water monitor and the house I lived in at the time was an older house that had many holes leading to the outside world (roof rat infested rental.) Idid catch him, it was when I spotted him that I realized he had actually gotten out of the house. as I said this was an unusual exception. Good luck in finding your monitor.

First off, thanks got the replies. knowing it is likley he is inside makes me feel a little better. I will check for small holes today after work. He hasn't taken any mice yet, I checked when I went home for lunch, so I'm guessing it hasn't moved from where it is. Of all my animals to escape it had to be my favorite. If I find him I am buying a lock for it. No more escaping.

Never had blue tail monitors before but once lost a young water monitor in the house. Since they love to soak I set a tupperware half filled with water and a board across half and set it near the heat lamp and food. Next day he was in there soaking, the board on top makes it feel like a hide so he stayed put long enough for me to get him. With escaped reptiles create a list of the top 10 places they absoulutley could NOT go in your house.........then start looking there!

"With escaped reptiles create a list of the top 10 places they absoulutley could NOT go in your house.........then start looking there!"

LOL!! Best advice ever.

hahaha, yes I learned that when keeping 3 ferrets in my younger years!!!

Back in February when I got my second sav, it would always find a way to escape its quarantine enclosure. Each new time I was sure there was no way it could possibly escape, I would come home to an empty cage. Here's what I tried.

1) Search any and all dark, tight, warm places near the enclosure. They like to be hidden. So, closets, laundry piles, hot water heaters, crevices near furniture and appliances, etc.

2) You can pour flour or baking soda across doorways so if your monitor passes through, tracks will lead you in the right direction. Found a loose garter snake in my friend's house weeks after it escaped this way.

3) Set up a Sterilite tub, with a small entry point cut into the side at the bottom. Add a heat source, a water source, and a live mouse in a kritter keeper. This got her every time she was missing for more than a few hours.

He finally took a mouse but was able to get out of the box I put it in which was in. also as I was searching around where the mouse was taken from I found poop. I never thought I'd be so happy cleaning poop of the floor lol. (: so now I just have to catch him.