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My Babies Gone....

L

lovesLester

New member
Lester escaped last night while I was sleeping. And out of his brand new cage, which is so escape proof I'd swear someone broke in and stole him.

I don't think I'll be able to find him. His viv was in my room, in a basement. My bedroom in connected to the unfinished part of the basement, which is used as a storage place. Unfortunately, it is a very messy storage place, full of hundreds of pieces of crap. There are literally 5000 places he can be hiding, not including all the cracks in the wall and the open furnace and stuff he can crawl into.

He only weighs 20 grams, he still so tiny. I hate this! I never thought losing a snake would feel so bad. The basement is cold, to boot, about 62 degree's/concrete floors. The average humidity is 42%, and Lester was just going into shed. Argh!

I set up a trap, UTH on floor with lamp and two fav hides, a slit pinkie in the middle, and tape. I'm hoping he goes to it, but the room is so full of junk that if he's under it, I doubt he'll find his way back out.

Whats the odd's I'll get him back?
 
Bottle traps might help but it sounds like you've already done a lot. Look very carefully around his cage and in every spot. Often they don't go far. I had one that got out of it's tub in the rack and went two flights down to curl up alongside another rack. Don't give up hope. You should also look up as well as down - snakes don't always just go for the floor but often go for the closest small place. Look in the evening and at night too since this seems to be when corns are more active. Good luck!

~Katie
 
Yea, as Katie said look very well in his cage. It sounds weird but often times they can hide in places that you won't look in the cage. If there are logs in the cage or anything with a small opening he could be in there. If not well it sounds like you are doing good by putting the traps and stuff out for him. Also look for a shed, this may help you find the general area he is in.

Hope you find him, and please keep us updated.
 
PtDnsr said:
Bottle traps might help but it sounds like you've already done a lot. Look very carefully around his cage and in every spot. Often they don't go far. I had one that got out of it's tub in the rack and went two flights down to curl up alongside another rack. Don't give up hope. You should also look up as well as down - snakes don't always just go for the floor but often go for the closest small place. Look in the evening and at night too since this seems to be when corns are more active. Good luck!

~Katie
Click to expand...

Thanks Katie. I spent 4.5 hours searching for him last night. I unfold and searched every piece of clothing, looked in every shoe, every hole...completely emptied my room save for the bed and desk. Thats why I fear he went into the other part of the basement, and if he did, I can't move 95% of that stuff. The last place I have to look is the computers, since they're warm. But if he's not there, I'll just have to wait him out.

Thanks again. :cheers:
 
Don't forget to search the same spot six different times or more! They have this uncanny ability to be exactly in the spot you've already checked multiple times. Whatever you do don't give up. We lost one of our first snakes (Shadow) in the winter and were living in this big old house. Looked everywhere and couldn't find him. Came home three weeks later (after Christmas) to find him crawling accross the foyer floor mad as all get out. He's currently waiting for a girlfriend to come along.

~Katie
 
Dave, didn't mean to ignore you, we must've posted at the same time. I know he wasn't in his viv, I emptied it, mostly while yelling "how the heck did you get out?"

Katie, thats good to hear. Since the basement is so cold, I have a water bed down there that is nice and toasty. I'm hoping he'll find a way up there and just stay put. And that my cat doesn't find him first, although maybe he'd be a good search tool....

I think I'm going to take the cat down and follow him around for awhile.

Thanks again all.
 
Try not to worry too much.Your snake WILL turn up.Mine escaped for 28 days,,yes almost a month.Her tank is in the hall up stairs,between my kids rooms.Now,,my kids rooms are the best place for a tiny snake to hide,,ON EARTH !!!!,total clutter :sidestep: ,So,long story short,my daughter finds her in my VERY cold basement.She was a bit thin,and REAL cold to the touch,,but thats all history now,,shes back in her viv and GROWING like crazy.
Don't get too upset.Good Luck
 
Don't worry too much yet. I lost my corn and searched all over the place, crying because I felt like such a bad snake mom. Then my family came down to help me look, and she was cuddled up in one of my hats! I have a large display of collected hats and she thought it was the perfect place.

Worse yet, though, I lost a little baby garter snake. About the diameter of a pencil, and a little longer. I believe he was gone for... probably two or three weeks. Finally, my sister found him, in exactly the kind of room you are describing! Total junk room, can hardly even walk in there, but KJ was looking for something and all the sudden she yells to me, "Mollie, I have a snake here!" She was holding him by the tail before he could slither away into oblivion.


So yeah. Don't give up. :smile: I have always found the snakes I've lost. I know some never make it home, but don't give up!
 
Thanks for the replies guys. Still no sign of him, he hasn't come across any of my traps. I took the mouse away, haven't put a new one down yet. I left the UTH and his water dish. He ate a little before escaping, so I give him a week before he comes looking for food.

Anyway its good to here that people have still found them after a long time. Its amazing how much I miss him! For the first time in many, many months I'm not waking up and flipping his day blub on - my mornings feel so empty now....
 
Thats okay keep your hopes up. Also he should be shedding in a day or two so keep an eye out.

Good luck and keep us updated.
 
once again just a suggestion. You can put flour out on the floor, and hope he slithers through. just so you know he's still there, and it might lead you to where he is heading
 
I have Bisquick down in the door ways, and crinkly paper along the walls, painters tape around his water dish...there's no sign of him. I haven't found a shed, though the junk room he's in, he probably shed under all the junk, since there's so much to rub against.

It's been in the single digits degree-wise here, and the wind chill is averaging between -10 and -20. The basement was so freezing last night, and he didn't come anywhere near the heat pads I have down - I'm just wondering how he'll handle this cold.

Will it induce a hibernation/pre-breeding state, or will it more likely kill him? Its my understanding that they go into a hibernation this time of year, is this right? Maybe he'll emerge in the spring.

I'm looking into getting another snake in the mean time. It also feels like giving up, but I can't stand seeing the cage empty anymore.
 
Alos put water out, if you can, get a portable heater but make sure the snake cant get to it, and close all the doors, then atleast the rooms warm, because altho finding him is a major priority, so is keeping him alive, so the warmer the room the better really..
 
Look for him in the heating baseboards...I found my buddies snake there, he will look for heat.


Or you can hire me...Snake Hunter...I'm kind've like the Bounty Hunter except I'm cheaper and don't say "bra"
 
I agree with Kev. With my baby cornsnake, I didn't notice, but the heater under the tank was set too low. This possibly explains his escapes, three times in three nights.

:-offtopic The tank i curently use for him is a 10 gallon aquarium tank. It came as a complete set-up lid included. The only problem is two portions of the lid was cut out. (one for the filter, and one for the thermometer). So i covered it with paper and taped it down. He escaped. Used cardboard, still escaped. I then realized he could get through the tiniest cracks on the lid.

The first time Dexter escaped, like you said.. I felt so bad. I am rather a new snake owner. I love this little guy. I could not find him the first night. I tried to set up traps (plastic shopping bags) i set along the walls. I think snakes tend to slither along wall lines rather than move in open space. A heating pad. I lowered the heat dramastically in all my rooms except one, I also set out two pinkies in different areas of my apartment. No luck hearing him at all. The next morning i was actually rather upset Dexter gone missing.. I used a sick day from work, and tore my whole apartment inside out. Sitting in my computer room i seen a cricket jump on the floor.

:-offtopic I also have a 20gal aquarium with two baby turtles which explains the crickets that sometimes get loose :)

I seen the cricket run to under my heating unit that is along the wall.. I look under it to see where this cricket ran off to, and to my suprise seen dexter slithering around the heating unit. This is where he ended up the second night, and third night also.

So i assume it was the heat that he wanted. Maybe if your snake hasn't found it's way to the heating pad.. He probably found another source of heat and does not want to move from it. From what i understand, they are nocturnal so will be most active at night. So maybe you can keep all the lights off, and use a flash light to catch him in motion. He most likely didn't travel too far from his cage. Probably to the warmest spot near there.

This probably won't help much. It's everything you already know I am sure. I guess it's just a game of waiting. Im sure he will eventually show up. I wish you the best of luck.


FYI. Just as i was about to post this, i looked over at Dexter's cage. And i hear something stuck in tape. What do you know, he escaped again! I don't know how to possibly stop him other than getting a new lid lol. I been a snake owner for barely a week and all i know is that i can't leave without him escaping.... haha

take care :wavey:
 
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