Here's a happy story.
A couple weeks ago I noticed that my jv.orange ATB was not in its 10 gal enclosure. It has one of those funky lids with the plastic "screws" that keep it from coming off. Well, since this little guy is very active and small it figured out how to escape without actually removing the lid. For this reason, I didn't know it was gone for a couple of days. It usually hides under a slab of cork during the day, and I just kept on misting the enclosure for who-knows-how-long. When I discovered it was missing, I immediately destroyed my room looking for it. I found all the holes in the walls and floor that I was sure it must have found and left for the great beyond. That thought troubled me greatly because I live in a place with a deadly climate although the recent weather would support the snake for a while. I moved my search to the rest of the house.
The other night, at the end of a long day, I was taking off my shoes. I noticed a smudge on the toe of my sock. It smelled like snake poo. I was given some hope that my little guy was still in my house. Later that night I found the snake crawling over my laundry basket!
I immediately gave it water which it sucked up like a long orange straw. I set it up with the basics, and it oreinted to the warm side of the enclosure. A couple days passed and I returned it to it's original eclosure (with bungee cords for security). Today it fed for me (it's biggest meal yet). I am so glad that it doesn't seem to be suffering any ill effects, but I will continue to monitor it for signs of damage.
Just goes to show you how tough these guys are, and how even experienced keepers can mess up.
-----
Zoodude
"Just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean they aren't after me."
