Lost snake

[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! 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.




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

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