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Controversial Topic (08/23/07): Escapes!

Hmmmmm, well, I've done/had both... I have cohabbed Boids in display tanks in the past, and still don't see anything wrong with it as long as the person knows their snakes. I know there's a greater risk with Colubrids, but there are very successful breeders/keepers that do, with no problems. (Applegate cohabs the very cannibalistic Kings in colonies, and Hondo's in specially built vivs, without incident. He even writes about it on his website.)
As far as escapes go, I had one of my female Hondo's, right out of brumation, escape from a Sterilite tub with six binder clips and another stacked on top... yeah, strong girl... She showed up in time to breed :grin01: Now her tub gets an extra 10 Lb. weight...
 
Roy Munson said:
I don't think I clearly communicated my exact feelings on this matter, and I think this was the paragraph that requires clarification:



Honestly, I really didn't mean to imply that a keeper who has had escapes is inept (you know I don't think you're inept, Janine and Susan). I realize that it reads that way, but I didn't mean it that way. I also didn't mean to imply that all people who have had escapes take these escapes lightly.

My comments were directed at those who DO take escapes lightly, and allow the same snake to escape multiple times from the same enclosure. For example, I recently saw a thread where people gave advice for recovering an escaped snake, but the original poster was lucky enough to find the snake. The snake had escaped one other time previously. The original poster thanked the other members for their advice and said that he/she would use these tips NEXT TIME. This didn't sit well with me. And we've all seen the "Houdini" threads where a snake gets out over and over, but the poster isn't worried because they always find li'l snake-ums behind the refrigerator, or wherever. I have no sympathy for these people, and I'm not going to participate in the lame and trite "Houdini" jokes.

And one other thing. If you have an escaped snake, I'll tell you where NOT to look for it: your computer monitor.
Click to expand...

Clarification read and understood! Not a problem! I didn't take any of your statements personally, and I do agree with you on those multiple repeat offenders that really don't care if their snake escapes or not. In cases such as the one Matthew described, some same-snake multiple escapes are a little more challenging to prevent. But as long as the person is doing their best to try to prevent further escapes, I can accept and sympathize with them. But, as in the case of the dog owner who refuses to fix the whole in the fence, if your dog gets loose and is hit by a car, as your veterinary technician, I'll feel sorry for your dog...for more than one reason.
 
Roy Munson said:
And one other thing. If you have an escaped snake, I'll tell you where NOT to look for it: your computer monitor.
Click to expand...

You mean you've never been handling a reptile while sat at your desk who then decides to scarper under the monitor?

One of my geckos desperately wanted to be a monitor lizard :)

I've had a couple of reptile escapes - three geckos, one of which I cannot for the life of me work out how she did it because the cage WAS locked and sealed and she sure wasn't small enough to squeeze out between two panes of glass. She was missing for two and a half weeks - and we finally found her sitting outside a viv looking very relieved to have been found. The other, I know when and how (cage door was open, but I was sat RIGHT in front of it) but I don't know how she managed to avoid being SEEN escaping. And the last was because my partner didn't check the door was completely closed before he locked it. This has happened with two other escapes as well - my eldest corn snake Jasper - who hid from us for a week, until I pulled the room apart completely... and our favourite legless lizard Hansel, who took advantage not only of the open cage door but also the gap underneath the stairs. And met the cats, which was a terminal sort of mistake.

So in my case, I just shouldn't let my partner feed the animals... but I can't do all of it alone (I feed and clean out the snakes, he does the lizards, usually it works out but sometimes it doesn't.)
 
I just recently experienced my first escape, although it wasn't through a faulty lid or enclosure, it was just a very nervous wriggling hatchling who slipped from my hands.

I think that people are sympathetic towards people who lose their snakes because it's easy to imagine the worry and anxiety that they would feel if it were their snakes. Granted if a person doesn't take the initiative after the first escapee to prevent a second then they are obviously not living up to their 'caretaking' roles. However, lecturing someone who is already knee deep in panic and worry by saying, 'it's your fault for not having a secure enclosure!' is probably not the best way to handle the situation.
 
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