Lost snake

[freckledimple]

My corn snake has gotten out of her tank, and I can't find her. I'm not home all the time, so I was wondering if anybody had any ideas on how to "trap" a lost snake. Thank you.

[sweetpatata6]

set up a "heat spot" ((a place with a heat lamp around the house)) or two where she can get to freely to get warm since she will most likely stay there if it's really warm.

[buttercup132]

That happened to me too and I never ended up finding her.

You could try lying some live pinkies around. Maybe put a heat lamp somewhere or heat pad like the other person said and the pinky.

[Pawsitive Thinking]

What's a pinkie? although I'm not sure I really want to know.....(but its a quiet day at work ;) )

[DrKym]

What's a pinkie? although I'm not sure I really want to know.....
an Infant mouse..before they get hair then they are fuzzies, then hoppers then mice

[Queen of Poop]

Check your drains. We found our rat snake in the jetted tub drain. They don't like to be out in the open so a series of "hide" spots might do the trick.

[DrKym]

Also good places to look, under the fridge, the diswasher, cupboards that have loose floor boards and are close to heat vents. the heat vents themselves, any obvious source of warmth, closets, under the bed.

We found our burm in the inside of a reclining chair once....had to remove the back and it took nearly 2 hours to get him dis- entangled from the springs in the back. The chair was a heated type with massage and he climbed right in.
He was unhurt but the chair was never the same :rolleyes: .

We also found our escape artist Ball python in a bath cabinet that had a heating vent under it (we still dont know why they put a vanity cabinet over the heat vent, and had no idea it was there till we found the snake)

I wish you luck.

[CathyBogart]

My snake has gotten loose three times. Twice she turned up in the bathroom, once in one of my shoes. Unfortunately, I don't have any suggestions for finding yours, except maybe leaving out several appropriately sized prey items and hoing she's too tired to go far after she eats.

[buttercup132]

I also remember someone telling me they found their snake in their oven so check there before cooking anything!:eek:

[Sophist]

Does she have a favorite hiding spot inside her cage? If so, leave some food under a heat source and move that hiding spot to be nearby. 9 times out of ten, if she comes out to get warm and have a snack, she'll want to hide herself under the familiar 'safe spot' to warm back up. She won't want to go far. Or you could place the food inside something, like a liter soda bottle, milk jug, a cardboard box with a small hole cut in it, or small carry-cage, anything that you think would make her feel secure after feeding.


Your snakes main priorities are going to be warmth and security. Look any and everywhere that provides a warm or snug hiding spot.


Snakes usually don't like to travel very far. Normally, I'd bet on them spending AT LEAST a day or two in the room they escaped in. Most snakes aren't big travellers. If she has escaped pretty recently, put a small strip of flour or corn starch or something across the bottom of your doorway. Not enough that she can't get through without having to inhale a face full of flour, but enough that if she does leave the room that way, you'll at least have a pointer in the right direction.


Leave her cage open in case she decides to cruise on home on her own. There's always a chance.


A lot of keeper I know suggest laying out glue traps, and then using oils to release the snakes. I would advise against it, however. Your snake could hurt herself struggling to get free, or could suffocate in the glue... it could just be bad. So, don't be surprised if your search for solutions turn up this suggestion, but please be very wary of using it.


Last but not least, don't beat yourself up. Most snakes are incredible escape artists. It can happen to the best keepers. Just keep looking, and also try to figure out how she escaped and what you can do to prevent future escapes.

[Sophist]

I always forget something! :rolleyes:


Please be very aware of issue you may have with other pets. Are there cats or dogs you might need to think about confining somehow while your gone to cut down the chances of them bothering her? Do you have small pet rodents or birds that you need to make extra-secure from a hungry, wandering snake?


Just another thing to consider.

[Kalei]

Oh no I hope you find the poor snake. I can't give any more advice after all that has already been given, its great advice to continue to try it. Good luck.

[freckledimple]

I read on another site about a catching trick and wanted to run it by ya'll to see what you think. Someone said to tie a pinky to a string, drag a trail, and then tie the other end of the string to something larger than the snake. They said the snake will smell the trail, follow it and eat the tied mouse. Then the snake would not be able to go anywhere, and you could cut the string and it would pass on through. Is this a viable idea or is it dangerous to the snake? If it is ok, I would use kitchen cooking twine. It is all cotton and untreated. If it is not, I'll continue to try all of your wonderful suggestions. Will this work? Thank you for all of you help and shared experiences :D

[CathyBogart]

I don't know how dangerous that would be, I'd ask a vet.

[DrKym]

That is not a brilliant idea :(
For many reasons, the first and foremost being it isn't safe, a snake doesn't necessarily "pass through" a string and/or larger obstruction.
Secondly although it sounds in theory as if it would work, your snake isn't large enough for you to hear it feed. Thereby meaning you could be asleep, or in the shower etc.
I have a friend who lost their snake when it ate a washcloth that her rats had used in the cage. The snake escaped hit the laundry room, and ate the washcloth, it never survived the surgery to remove it. I dont remeber if it was her red tail or her green tree boa, both I do remember it was an adult.

Please reconsider that idea. :)

[mike001]

I hope she doesn't get into your plumbing pipes. You just might get a surprise. Or do you have any duct work?
I'm so glad I have a dog...lol... :)

[Twisterdog]

My son's snake got out of his cage twice. The first time he was out for a month, and the second time about six weeks! :eek: We left the heat lamp on in his tank, and left the lid open half way, just in case. We had completely given up hope of ever finding him, both times. The first time we found him ... well HE found US actually ... my son was sitting on the floor leaning up against the bed, and the snake crawled across the bed onto his shoulder! The second time, I was going to take the tank out of his room, thinking the snake was gone for good. When I reached out to turn off the lamp, the snake moved - he was in his tank!

I have no idea if this is common, or simply coincidence, since this is the only snake we've ever owned. But I swear, it seemed like both times, he intentionally sought out either his owner or his house, when he was ready to come home. Smarter than we gave him credit for, that's for sure.

[TamanduaGirl]

A trapper did the string thing on an episode of animal cops to get some freed venomous snakes out of a neighborhood. But not sure how concerned they were about survival after caught.

[Vela]

Wow, I can't imagine losing my snake. I'd be seriously bummed. I keep her very large terrarium padlocked so it is impossible for her to get out except for when I take her out myself.

http://skelsch1.zoto.com/img/45/304ee0c900a44bd47391e5ffb0d17a76-.jpg


Sure hope you find your snake.

[ramanth]

I'm sorry your snake is lost.

I once found a loose snake curled up in the laundry room in some dirty clothes.

If you have wood floors or tile in some areas, they suggest sprinkling flour across doorways and then check every so often for a trail. That way you can see if you snake is coming or going or moving from room to room.

Another good trap to make is to take a 20 oz. or 2 liter pop bottle. Cut the top off and then insert it backwards into itself. Tape it down good and tight. Put a pinkie mouse in the bottle. The theory is the snake will go in to get the mouse, but will be too plump to get back out.

Good luck!

[lllxtclll]

you can look around/in any areas that would have heat, under the fridge, behind heaters...ect also, I attempted this once and It never worked but it might be worth antther shot. place the tank on the floor with the lid slightly open and buy a live mouse...keep the mouse alive and hope your snake gets hungry and goes looking for food.

[Suki Wingy]

you already got great advice so I just wanted to say good luck! My dad's had not so great luck with a couple, including our favorite hognose. :( My lizard came back after a few weeks though, she was basking by the window.

[Sophist]

I read on another site about a catching trick and wanted to run it by ya'll to see what you think. Someone said to tie a pinky to a string, drag a trail, and then tie the other end of the string to something larger than the snake. They said the snake will smell the trail, follow it and eat the tied mouse. Then the snake would not be able to go anywhere, and you could cut the string and it would pass on through. Is this a viable idea or is it dangerous to the snake? If it is ok, I would use kitchen cooking twine. It is all cotton and untreated. If it is not, I'll continue to try all of your wonderful suggestions. Will this work? Thank you for all of you help and shared experiences :D


I would say no to this one.

First off, I can only imagine the snake would start struggling. Even if it didn't damage itself doing so, the next natural response would be regurgitating the food item that caused the annoyance. Regurgitating is NOT GOOD (yes, all capitals, it can be very serious). If a snake feels trapped, threatened, exposed, or just decides that eating something was not a good idea, it is their instinct to simply bring it back up. There are a lot of ways this is unhealthy for them, not the least of which is usually the risk of dehydration.

And last but not least, I would never intentionally get any animal to swallow string and just hope it would pass through without difficulties. I tend to prefer keeping foreign, non-digestible bodies out of my animals intestines whenever possible.

[buttercup132]

Did you find it?

[freckledimple]

Not yet. She got out years ago, and was missing for 6 months. So, I haven't given up hope yet.

[SANDY FROST]

My corn snake has gotten out of her tank, and I can't find her. I'm not home all the time, so I was wondering if anybody had any ideas on how to "trap" a lost snake. Thank you.
I'm sorry your corn snake got out. I've got two corn snakes myself with a lock on each od their cages. The heat lamp and the pinkies are a good idea.Are there any small holes in your walls or air vents or a gap between the driveway and the garage door. Snakes like to hide in a dark place like mice so they can catch their prey. Good luck to you . Go to your regular reptile pet shop or an exotic vet than takes care of snakes. These people are experinced in the field and your best bet.
Sandy Frost ;) :(