Lost And Found Jasper

I'm sure many of you can sympathize with that feeling of dread- you tear your snake's viv apart, and he isn't there. Anywhere. The only thing that kept me from going totally insane last night when I went to check on Jasper, who I hadn't seen in a while, who was not in his viv!!! was the fact that he's in a Critter Cage with the sliding locking lid and 5 million lid inspections later still did not reveal a way to escape. So he had to be in there. I removed everything- two stone hides, his big fluffy six foot long vine, his climbing branch/hide. I sifted all the aspen maybe 20 times. Not there. In a ten gallon! I'm telling you, I would NOT be happy telling everyone I'd lost my snake. I especially would not be happy telling Carol I lost her precious baby. Could he be in the climbing branch? There was one limb that seemed to be walled off, but what if there was a small hole into it I couldn't feel or see? That was my only hope. I'd just advised some panicking soul a couple weeks ago that if the snake is not in the viv, and you are sure it didn't escape, it's in the climbing branch, and sure enough, a couple days later, it was back in the viv, safe and sound. I am not that patient, however. The missing snake, Jasper, my boyeeeeee, my favorite of all the new ones, would eat at me until I had a resolution, one way or another. Just before I went to sleep, I had an idea. What if I sawed the limb off? I decided to wait till morning. I woke up at 1:30 and 4:30 AM to check- but he wasn't back in his viv. Then this morning, the first thing I did even before brushing my teeth was to take the hide out of his viv, find the hack saw, and gingerly cut the limb off. Voila! There was my missing baby, safe and sound in his tiny hollow limb. What a relief. Prayers _do_ work!!

I'm a tree surgeon!

Proof of the connection:

The Prodigal Son!

Thanks for looking! Whew!!!!

I would have been terrified using a hacksaw, good rescue!

Iv had a simular experience with one of my corns. What a relief when you find them

diamondlil said:

I would have been terrified using a hacksaw, good rescue!

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I couldn't stand not knowing! I scored the plastic all the way around with the saw, and then cut just barely through for about half an inch, then just broke it off.

I've heard of several people using ice packs to make the snake come out when you're positive it's in there, too.

Lily has the same branch. I suppose I shoud do surgery on hers, too. I can't even imagine not being able to find my lavblood...

So after panicking about Jasper for an hour or two, Lily was also not appearing. Lily is always, without fail, in her vine at 6:00 PM. But I'd seen her, for sure, last night. (They all ate Wednesday, so didn't get handled Thursday). I was just freaking out for general purposes. Now I've only dug her out of her viv one time- when she had to get her new thermostat installed the day after she got here, and she responded to me rooting around in her aspen by flying out of the top like a wildfire evacuee! Same thing last night- as soon as I was lifting hides, she came flying out the top at warp speed! Funny. But safe, so I made her cuddle for a while before letting her go back to whatever she was doing.

Wow! A hacksaw??!!! All I can say is "Whew!"

I had a clown loach once get 'stuck' in something like that once and I took a pair of pliers underwater and 'nibbled' away at the opening until he could turn around and escape. That little guy had 9 lives for sure!

Glad you found your baby!

I had an african clawed frog get stuck in something like that. What do these manufacturer's think, when they make things like that to put in tanks and vivs? Oy!

So glad that you found her. She is a sweetie, for sure. I don't know what I would do if I lost my baby girl. They sure can find places to hide, that you never would think of. My son lost his snake and three days later, he and his wife found her up on the ledge of two little windows that they have in their bedroom that are about 13 feet up. To this day, we have NO CLUE how she managed to get up there. Even if she had gotten up on the dresser mirror, from there to the ledge is way longer then her :shrugs: go figure. They are just happy that she is back in her viv and now have a lock on it.

I had that SAME goddamn plastic log, and that's EXACTLY what happened, too. I got him out by pouring water into that end of the log.

I really highly advise anyone from purchasing that plastic log. It's only going to cause you trouble.

Nastassja said:

I had that SAME goddamn plastic log, and that's EXACTLY what happened, too. I got him out by pouring water into that end of the log.

I really highly advise anyone from purchasing that plastic log. It's only going to cause you trouble.

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I wasn't even sure he was in there, because I couldn't see or feel the hole, and when I gently shook it, I didn't feel anything! It's fixed now, though! I have another log in several vivs that has a tiny hole in the bottom- but I know about it, so they are all blocked with aquarium silicone. It's the big brown one, in the center.

Glad he is safe and sound. I like that picture in post #3. It looks like he is saying "What mom? I didn't do anything. Honest!"

I am so infected with lolcat...

good deal, hes so cute

Ha! That looks so familiar!

Had the same thing happen, to me, almost a year ago... with the same, exact, accessory/limb.
I, too, could not wait and had to perform the limb amputation.

The one other time I purchased this particular accessory (later and for another snake)... I made darn sure that the way into the limb was well sealed off.

Glad all turned out well with Jasper.

That's a great lolcat Nanci! I have contemplated buying a plastic branch at the store a couple of times, but after reading threads similar to this one, I started sticking my fingers in them to test for little holes, they all have them! What are they thinking?

:-offtopic

Here's my latest:

Pasodama said:

Ha! That looks so familiar!

Had the same thing happen, to me, almost a year ago... with the same, exact, accessory/limb.
I, too, could not wait and had to perform the limb amputation.

The one other time I purchased this particular accessory (later and for another snake)... I made darn sure that the way into the limb was well sealed off.

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Lily has the same one- I think I am going to drill out the entrance to th secret compartment after she is out for the night. I don't think she goes in there, but I don't want her to be able to hide out of reach...

OMg I wouldve been too scared I would cut the snake.. Sounds like you where very careful though... Thats why I hate those hides, they always seem to find the tiniest part and stay in there. My moms kept hiding in her hides and we stuffed tissue in them and they couldnt anymore lol..

It was so fun tonight, sticking my finger into the cut off branch to pet him in his secret hideaway! Not a secret anymore!