Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I haven't posted in awhile, being that my BP vanished right before Christmas. He normally lives at my office (I work with children with autism, and the kids love him!), but I had two weeks off at Christmas and didn't want to leave him there. Also, being LAZY, I did not want to haul his 40 gal tank home, so I just brought him home and set him up in a 20 gal I had. At work, his tank has a locking lid (he escaped at the office once. I found him sleeping in a drawer full of crayons a couple hours later. ), but, being LAZY again, I did not want to run out and buy a locking lid for the 20 gal at home, so I rigged one with a screen and bungee cords. Yep, the next morning, Monty Python was gone. I have spent the past five months searching my house, leaving mouse "lures" out in cages, even turned my ferrets loose to see if they would find him (ha! worthless pampered weasels that they are, couldn't even find a python in an apartment!). I had finally given up, thinking Monty could not have survived this adventure. Then tonight I went searching in the drawer under the stove for a cookie sheet, and noticed all this SNAKE SKIN all over the bottom of the drawer. I started ripping pans out of there, and guess who was at the bottom, looking up at me like "Oh, hi! Long time no see!" I know I checked that drawer at least a couple of times since he escaped, so who knows where he was before that. He actually looks wonderful for having been on the lam for 5 months. Still plenty plump, and very alert. I think he was probably getting water from the cats' dish, which is in the kitchen. I had a "lure" mouse on hand, which I offered him, and he swallowed in about 3 seconds. He was a tiny bit dehydrated (we have had several days in the 90's here this week), so I let him soak in the bathtub for a few minutes, and he took several good gulps of water. I'll take him back to his big cage at the office tomorrow. Tonight he is in a tupperware box with a LOCKING lid!

Just wanted everybody to hear this one, as I am so happy to have him back, and I know many of you have lost snakes. So don't give up!! They really can go months without food, and be found alive!!

Wendy

The first snake I bought (had lots of lil ones I cought) was a sub adult female BP that I was TOTALLY scammed on, but that's another story. ANYWAY, I sold her to a friend who wanted a BP and coulden't afford the whole setup and all and his kid REALLY wanted one. Since he has had ALOT of herps and currently owned 7 taranchulas (sp? I am not a spider person) and I knew he cared for them well, I gave him my girl (Her name was Baby) and her WHOLE setup and a 20 gallon long full of breeder/feeder mice, EVERYTHING, down to extra bedding for the mice! I had him give me $75 for the whole thing, he was a good buddy, so I gave him a deal. He had her for about 4-5 months and he left and was having the neighbor help him out with food/water/cleaning the cage. Well the day he left, SOME HOW she got out of her locked top cage and it was febuary and we live in MICHIGAN and his house had no heat at the time and no appiances to make heat as they were getting ready to move, only the heat pad and lamp. The snake was MIA for like 3 months, we thought with those temps she was a goner. one day they were moving out and moved something and, there she was, calm as ever and plump as well. she had some stuck shed and was a little bit dehidrated, but she is fine now (a month or so later). I think other than the temps the german shepherd he has would have had a snack, he would have had he seen her! I was like WOW!!!!! I didn't believe him, I had to go see her before I believed him! I might even borrow her and breed her someday, and split the hatchlings with him!