Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My new Okeetee has been with us all of four days and escaped. He is 7 mo. and has a standard 10 gallon with a half-hinged wire mesh top from Petco. I have no idea how he did it, and have read that corns excell in this activity. There is no way to lock, or clamp, the top (from what I can tell). I've got about 20lbs of books piled on each end right now but I am afraid that will overheat the little 10 gallon. I am looking for a more permanent solution that does not involve my library. Any ideas? I'm not ready to invest in permanent, larger Vision cages at this point. And how can a little corn do it, anyway??? Kathy sure knows how to breed 'em.

I was able to find him (under the mat in front of the front door) and he was very cold. He has now been without a meal for 10 days and refused to eat today...poor guy has had a rough week.

As always, thanks for your help.

Does Kathy have a website?

Paul

She is one of the forum sponsors. Her link is on the main cornsnake forum page. Cornutopia.com

Thanks alot.

i have the same setup as you have described, but with my hinged lid came two clips that secure each side. one part slips under the black around the top, and when you close the lid, the other secures over the top and under the first part. with the clips in place its basically impossible to open. i'd check with petco and see if they have any of those clips, or if your lid should have come with them... mine did. and i'm sure if i didn't have them my corn would have figured out a way out by now as well. hope i helped...
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-ryan
fancher@email.com
ultimate frisbee, volkswagens and snakes.

Back when I used aquariums with screen tops, I used to get some cheap hasps from the hardware store and also some silicone sealant like that used in creating aquariums. Then I would glue the long part of the hasp on the glass and the little round catch part (don't know the proper name) on the screen top. Use as many hasps as it takes to secure it. I have also used Velcro instead of metal at times, although metal will last longer. I don't know exactly what kind of half hinged top you have, but see if you can adapt this idea.

Good luck!

Another rowdy and unruly boy to join the clan....first the kid, then the cat, now the snake. They all keep me on my toes and I love every minute of it. Plus, I've never had the opportunity to go snake hunting before...

>>My new Okeetee has been with us all of four days and escaped. He is 7 mo. and has a standard 10 gallon with a half-hinged wire mesh top from Petco. I have no idea how he did it, and have read that corns excell in this activity. There is no way to lock, or clamp, the top (from what I can tell). I've got about 20lbs of books piled on each end right now but I am afraid that will overheat the little 10 gallon. I am looking for a more permanent solution that does not involve my library. Any ideas? I'm not ready to invest in permanent, larger Vision cages at this point. And how can a little corn do it, anyway???

I HATE those hinged tops. I also hate the sliding ones...that have 1/8-1/4" slop in them. The mostly escape proof tank lids are the heavier wire ones that have metal throughout and aren't wobbly. Weight helps. But with the hinged lids...especially the plastic ones I noted that weight just seemed to open the center seam by bowing it.
I put tiny baby corns into critter keepers or sweater boxes...with carefully melted SMALL vent holes.
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Sonya

Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with the software.

for her new baby corns. I guess the sliding doors had gaps calibrated for MUCH bigger snakes - her babies promptly escaped too!

>>for her new baby corns. I guess the sliding doors had gaps calibrated for MUCH bigger snakes - her babies promptly escaped too!

then they put a baby milksnake into one and since it stayed in for a week they decided to put a baby copperhead in the other. A friend of mine, who is their herp. educator....said not to do that. The next week the milk escaped and further escaped their 'snakeproofed' room. So the copperhead went into a more secure display. The sliding doors have some major gap problems sometimes.
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Sonya

Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with the software.

I had the same problem. I cut a wooden dowel to size and wedged it between the gap in the glass doors. The corn snake popped the dowel out so I had to get another dowel to hold the first one in place. (One vertical and one horizontal)

That seems to have worked and she is too big to get between the glass doors now.
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0.1 BCI
1.1 Okeetee
2.0 Motley Sunglow, Bloodred
0.2 Motley Sunglow, Ghost

I have the same lids, I bought mine at petco too, and there are clamps for the lids. I use them on all my tanks. I have 3, 2 corns and a milk. I have seen my amel corn and milk test the lids and the clamps are very secure..if you get them on right. I haven't had an escape yet.

I just built my own screen top for my 35 gal tank before I bought my corn snake. I used 1"x2" board, cut to fit into the recess part of the acquarium frame. I spread aluminum screen over top of the wooden frame and used a stable gun to stable the screen to the frame, keeping the stables very close together and the screen very tight. My snake has not escaped from it at all (even though twice I thought he did but he was still in the cage come night fall..he was very fast and good at hiding in the shavens while I searched through it).

I had looked at the plastic screen covers you can get for acquariums and they always look so flimsy and not worth the price they ask for them when I can build a better one for half the price. I will probably add clips on the sides now that my snake is getting bigger, he may be strong enough to push out the screen though he hasnt' done so yet. Deffinitely a wise precaution.

If it's the lid that hinges in the short direction, there are six points of escape; each corner and the sides where it hinges, where there has to be a break in the metal that wraps around the tank. I've had to weigh down my lid too...I have a 5 pound weight from a weight set on one end and a small cast iron pan on the other. It seems to be keeping them in now but it's a pain for me every time I want to get into the tank. As soon as I can, I'll be giving them a different home.

I have the other kind of hinged lid too, that hinges long-ways and it's not a problem. I don't know why one is a problem and the other one isn't.

The lid was slightly warped and there was about a 1/8" gap that he apparently managed to wedge himself in, and out the other side. After speaking with the BIGGEST idiot in Petco history, we finally found a less than ideal solution.

And I just have to share this worker's suggestion with you guys. This dim-wit suggested I remove the lid and bring it to the store to exchange it....like the snake would just sit in there with no lid on his cage.....the manager found that extremely entertaining as well, and busted out laughing.

I wonder where they find these people?

But, I am going to find a way to clamp it down, using your suggestions.

I'm still laughing....