Reptile & Amphibian Forums

HI, I posted a few days ago, but I haven't been able to find my snake sinse saturday. I'm beggining to get worried. I've looked everywhere imaginable and at random times throughout the day and night and still no sight of my snake. She escaped her enclosure in the basement and simply vanished.

Ok, this may sound silly but it's all I could think of that might work. I've never had this problem and I am no expert at catching 'runaways'.

If you put a mouse or small rat in a cage (not glass tank) in the middle of the room, the snake would smell it and then wouldn't the snake eventually come out to check it out? If you have the time, you could sit down there and wait to see; then if it works, you could catch it again.

Good luck - I hope you find it soon!

graycat

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Letting me live here:
2.1 normals
0.1 pie ball
1.0 hetpied
? Suriname
? Common snapping turtle
? Alligator snapping turtle
1 Guinea pig
2 gold fish (turtle survivors)
1 pet mouse and
3 cats
Oh yeah, and 3 children!

I also heard you should try taking the prey and run it along the baseboads and back to the box. This way the snake has a scent trail to follow to your "trap".

Good luck
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0.0.2 Bearded Dragons(Ziggy and Stardust)
0.1.0 Royal/Ball Python(Not named yet)

>>HI, I posted a few days ago, but I haven't been able to find my snake sinse saturday. I'm beggining to get worried. I've looked everywhere imaginable and at random times throughout the day and night and still no sight of my snake. She escaped her enclosure in the basement and simply vanished.

I gotta say, you could find it in a day or three months. Some have found them the next season even. It seems kinda random. I have found a snake as it was escaping and I have had them AWOL 2 months and find them curled up on a bookshelf or climbing a shelf or whatever. Don't give up on your snake just yet.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

You need to treat your basement as a grid and methodically search every square inch. It's amazing where these crafty guys can hid. As you search, move everything to an area where it cannot become contaminated. Something like the middle of the room or a vacant wall.

How large is your basement? What's in it? Furniture? They will hide in it if they can.
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Jay A. Martin

hi guys...sorry to hear about your snake...i know the feeling though, mines been missing for almost 8 months now...you just gotta try the baiting and hopefully it will work out for ya...good luck

Place some plastic bags around the floor and shut the lights off. When the snakes slithers onto the bag you'll hear it.

Also, you can try using flour on the floor too. When the snake crawls through it, it will leave a trail.

Either or both of these with a rat as bait should eventually produce your snake.

Also, if it's cool in your basement get a heating pad and put it next to one of the bags with a hide.

Good luck!!
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Rob Talkington

"ESCAPE! One of the worst feelings I've had is the realization that the snake in not in it's cage. Most often it's due to the fact that you've forgot to secure the cage. If this unfortunate event happens to you, there are a few things you can do to get it back. First off, try and pinpoint exactly when it got out. If it's been a few hours, it's most likely in the nearest spot which is small, dark, and warm (like the cushions of a sofa). If it has been awhile, you Ball Python may be anywhere in the house. Good placed to look are around or in appliances that give off heat: Refrigerator, Oven, Water Heater, TV, VCR, etc. It's advisable to look at night, since Ball Pythons are nocturnal. You may also want to set a scent trap, which may or may not work. Drag a prekilled rodent (a gerbil would be best) along the base boards of the room(s) that you think your snake might be in. Then place the rodent into a cardboard box that you've cut an access hole into, and place the box in a corner. You may want to put a heat pad under the box. The reasoning is that chances are the snake will crawl along the wall, hopefully pick up the scent trail and follow it into the box. Once in the box, it may eat and decide to stay in the dark warm location and digest. You may also want to restrict other house pets like cats and dogs, from being in the room(s)."

i'd say the food and dark warm, spot would be the way to go after u rub a scent trail.
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1.0 Monty - The Ball Python

My hubby was "watching" the pets while I was camping over the weekend, and my beloved Noah is now en official escapee. I really appreciate all the advice (much of which gives me a lot of hope), and I love the baiting idea, but I'm not sure where to start. I'm not a great housekeeper (shhhh), so I know he went from his room (laundry off kitchen) into an adjoining bath, and then the trail goes cold. He could have made it into the basement from all the pipes around there or into the kitchen, or up into the ducts to the upstairs. I do have pet rats upstairs (which are now in a small kiddie tent for their protection) and a blue tongued skink who's well secured and hope he'll turn up there trying to eat (Noah's only about 2.5' so I'm assuming the uncovered box turtle is safe...?). I'm bummed as heck but remaining optimistic...

GOOD LUCK!

Beck