Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've had the Western Ribbon for about a year and a half. He is my first snake and I've grown quite fond of him. Today he apparently escaped after I cleaned his tank. I put him back in and I guess I didn't put the top back on right away, when I turned to the fish tank to get him some fish. I didn't notice he was gone until maybe an hour later. The top was on tightly then, so I can only figure he escaped while I was getting the fish. I've hunted all over the house, under and behind furniture, I figure he can't climb very high. There are so many little nooks and crannies where a snake could hide! I'm afraid that if he comes out from wherever he is hiding, most likely it will be my cat that finds him, and I fear cat will kill him. Can anyone suggest how to find and capture a frightened snake?

See, I'm not sure what advise to give you in the summer time. Last winter my Gopher escaped, and since I was overly warm due to being pregnant we had the heat off, so I just sat the heat rock in the middle of the kitchen floor and checked it often. (WE DIDN'T HAVE A PROPER LID, and she got out frequently) She spent two weeks behind the empty liquor bottles my boyfriend had on top of the microwave...she decided to hide behind a bottle of Yagermeister so that we couldn't see her. had Your cat will more likely than not kill a snake. And a ribbon has little chance of winning that fight. If you have anyone who is willing to keep your cat for a week or so, do so. The only thing I can think of would be to (after no cat of course) make the aquarium accessible to the snake, and they can climb as long as there's a reasonable corner to push against, and keep an eye out. I certainly hope he's recovered! Good luck. Let us know how u found him if you do.

Good news! Snake hadn't escaped after all! He had buried himself in the wood chips on the floor of his tank. Buried himself so completely that not a trace of him could be seen. Later last night I happened to glance in the tank and there was a snake head poking out of the chips! Now my question is - why did he do that? He has never done that before and I didn't even know he could dig like that. Is he trying to stay cool in the summer heat? Is this mating behavior (making a nest maybe)? (I actually don't know if "he" is male or female, and anyway he is alone in the tank.)

Congrats on finding your snake safe and sound. Snakes like to hide and the extent of this behavior varies with the species and the individuals within a species. If he does not have a hid box you might want to provide him with one. This may or may not change his behavior. I have never kept a Western Ribbon but I have an Eastern Ribbon and close to 30 Garters of various types. Some of them never dig and some always dig. This can vary even within the same subspecies. I use Aspen shavings for many of my snakes. My Ribbon has a hide box fashioned out of a coconut shell and he rarely ever leaves it.

Perhaps your snake is super intelligent and concocted this elaborate scheme. If you thought he had escaped you might leave the lid off so he really could escape. OK, that is quite a stretch but again, I am glad to hear he wasn’t lost (and a cat toy) after all.
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Randy Hallman