HELP! Finding missing BP

My leucistic female ball python just escaped. She’s in a basement with some heating elements and a roof partially open to insulation. Where have you found your missing snakes? She escaped less than 24hrs ago, I’m just trying to find her before she moves too far away from her cage. Help!

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Darkness and heat. Check under and inside any appliances that generate heat, under any furniture, inside drawers, corners. When I have snakes get out, I intentionally leave towels and piles of clothes down to give them places to hide. Don’t shy away from checking up higher, they can and will climb - one of my escapees was up on top of a door frame. And you’re most likely to find her at night, because that’s when she’ll be most active.

Examples of places I’ve found various escaped balls: On top of a door frame, hanging onto a door handle, underneath my dishwasher, behind my oven, inside my pull-out couch, and in the corner under a shoe rack in my closet.

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Thanks. I’ve set out a few of her old hides as well as a water bowl and some plants in a few areas. There’s also some plastic bags and foil set out so I’ll hear here moving if I’m in the basement. The problem is that her cage is on a shelf about 6" below open insulation and the ceiling boards, so I think she’s up there. I know there’s mice in the basement, so I guess I’m not worried about her starving. On the flip side, that means I won’t be able to attract her with any bait…

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I remember finding my old escape artist on a bookshelf a few times , 4th shelf up at that.

Good luck and I pray you find her.

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I’m probably wrong, but wasn’t there something about how leucistic ball pythons glow under a UV blacklight? I was thinking that if that was the case, it’d be easier to find her. Unfortunately, the noise traps I set with plastic bags and aluminum foil might not be audible because there’s a very loud aquarium in the same room :frowning_face:

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I also cut up a few pieces of rat tail and left them near the hides I set out. Hopefully that’ll draw her in.

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Go down to the basement when it’s dark in the middle of the night and turn on the lights. You may find her cruising around in the middle of the floor or in one of the traps that were suggested. Unless she is above……

Surely hope you find her safe and sound! And soon! :pray::crossed_fingers::heart:

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Thanks! I’m actually doing that right now. My plan is to keep replacing heat packs/water/rat tails when needed and checking the hides twice a day. I’m also going to spend an hour or two every night looking around for her. Praying she doesn’t find her way upstairs, I’ve got three cats.

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@caryl suggested to @starchild26 to use a flashlight…. Yes I pray :pray: she does not go upstairs too!

I sure hope you find her soon! :blush:

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Yeah… I’m not even sure how she got out of the enclosure. The door was closed, and it’s a well put together PVC cage. No holes that I could find, and I looked everywhere.

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Could someone else have removed her for some reason?

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I thought about that. I was on vacation for a few days, and I left her in the charge of a family member. They sent me a photo of the snake drinking a day or two ago, so I don’t think they moved her. I asked, and they said that they never took the snake out. Nobody’s been over since that picture was taken.

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I hope she just turns up soon. I’m busy these days, so I won’t have time to do much searching.

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Did you see her after they took the picture or after you got home?

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No, I didn’t. I found that she was gone about 10 minutes after I came home. I trust the person who was looking after her, so I don’t think they took her.

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Could they have accidentally left the door open after they took the picture, then realized it after she escaped and then closed the door again and didn’t tell you?

I am sorry but something just sounds fishy…….

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I don’t think so. They’re asleep now, I’ll ask them tomorrow.

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You might want to sleep in the basement. She might knock something over and it’ll make a noise that wakes you.

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If you can heat the hide it’s even more likely to work

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I’ve got some heat packs wrapped in paper towels in/near the hides. They’re the 72 hour kind, and I’ve ordered more. I also put water bowls out by the hides, and some pieces of rat tail to hopefully draw her in. I don’t have any electric heat pads, unfortunately.

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