Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my ball python has escaped because im a moron and never got clips for the cage. i didnt think shed bother mussleing out with the weight of her light. shes somewhere in a small basement, with lots of stored stuff piled high, and a wsher and dryer. ive loked twice for 2 hours each time but shes nowhere to be found. theres some places that even with a flashlight you cant see in. theres no link to the outside.

im at my wits end and i guess im postign this to hear any advice you might have. is there someway to bait her? would she be up high on something or just in dark places(where ive tried looking) will she come to her UV light if its cold? any stories about looking for or finding snakes and how it can be done?

shes not in any immediate danger, the house has mice running around and no predators. but it tears me up because its my fault and im afraid i wont see her again

Im sorry to hear that, and I think we've all had this happen sometimes in our lives with our snakes. I had a 5 foot retic escape and the whole family wouldn't sleep till i found it lol.

Balls usually are very active at night, I would make it real dark in your basement and sit somewhere in there and listen. I bet you'll hear it and then have a flashlight to point to where you are hearing noises. I hope you don't have mice or rats down there.

good luck

steve

I'd find a nice clean corner of the room, put a heat mat with some newspaper on top of it, and sit a dead rat on top. It'll be quite odorous, but thats the key. Put a hide box right next to this also. Definitely not guarenteed to work, but he may be enticed by the smell and then saddle up in the hide box.
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0.0.1 Snow Corn
0.0.1 Oketee
1.1 Ghosts
0.0.1 Ball Python
1.0 Albino Burmese Python

It the washer and dryer in your basement are operational, then there is a link to the outside. The dryer will have a vent to take warm air outside. If you're lucky, this vent is well sealed against the wall or ceiling through which it passes and the hose is tight on the duct connection. Otherwise, you need to check this area immediately and find a way to seal any small holes. Obviously, if you need to move the dryer to check the vent, you'll want to check very carefully around the bottom of the dryer to be certain that you don't pull the dryer over the top of your snake.

You'll also need to take the cover off the back of both the washer and dryer. These appliances could provide a dark, sometimes warm place for a snake to hide. I won't be at all surprised if she's there. These areas also have some moving parts, so you'll want to make this check before you use either appliance. While you're at it, please check the drain line where water leaves the washing machine and possibly the incoming pipes to be sure that there isn't a gap between the pipes and the wall or ceiling.

I sympathize with your feelings right now. I've only owned snakes for a couple of weeks and am just learning the ropes. My ball python is only 14 inches long. Her aquarium is 16 inches tall. Doing the math, I can't see any way that she could reach the top of the aquarium. I have a little climbing tree for her, but getting to the top would still be a reach. Somehow, she's making that reach. I've come home twice this week to find her clinging to the support bar in the middle of the top of her aquarium. Needless to say, I'm thankful that I went entirely to clips.

I wish you luck finding your little friend. She shouldn't have gone too far. With any luck, she'll turn up somewhere obvious in a day or so.

Do you have a refrigerator in the basement? This is the most common place to find a lost snake. The compressor is warm and close to the ground, the perfect place. Be careful moving the fridge.

Place several heating pads in out of the way places and check them often.

Dave and Tracy Barker from VPI used to have snake traps. They were funnels that you put on your own lengths of pvc pipe. You placed the traps around the outside edges of the room. When the snake went inside he usually stayed.

Good luck and happy hunting, Mike