So unfortunately Chai escaped his cage sometime after his last feed and I cannot find him anywhere. I don’t know how he got out of his cage, the doors we’re locked and I had some heavy stuff on top of his cage so he couldn’t get out. I believe he’s dead and I don’t know what else to do. I’ve even tried leaving a mouse out to see if he’ll come out and eat because it has been a week since his last feed yet no sign of him even in my apartment anywhere.
If anyone had any ideas, please feel free to comment. I’ll keep this updated if I find him (dead or alive). Seeing his tank is causing heart ache and I just wish he would come back.
Do you have any decor in the enclosure that could be hollow in any way? Corns have been known to wedge themselves into the oddest places. I also would not immediately assume that your snake is dead, they’ve been known to escape and pop up again months later. You’ll want to check along walls, in corners, etc. If it’s cool in your home, check near electronics and anything else that gives off heat. If the enclosure was well-secured, and there weren’t any holes for cords or anything else, I’d suggest carefully sifting through all of the substrate and inspecting each and every decor piece thoroughly.
I’ve checked the bedding multiple times and i have looked underneath all the appliances in my kitchen and nothing. I can only think that he might have gotten into the air vents somehow and traveled to another apartment but the only vent at his level is extremely tiny and I’m not seeing any evidence that he went through it.
Did you check the decor? I know I’m sounding like a broken record, but some items, especially if they were meant for something like an aquarium or as non-pet decoration are often hollow and it would not be the first time that an “escaped” snake ended up still being in the enclosure. As for the air vents, I highly doubt he’d be small enough to fit in most, especially based on the photos in your other thread. If anything, door gaps would be more concerning. Most times, you’ll often find them in the same room if it hasn’t been too long.
Ive checked his decor, and from other than the hides and his cork tunnel I’m not finding any openings that he could squeeze into. If he got out of my room, I’m afraid that my cats (specifically Mochi) would have gotten a hold of him but i haven’t seen any evidence of it.
There’s also a hole in my wall apparently and from what i can tell its about 3 inches deep but i have no clue it its actually a tunnel between my wall and the heating/air conditioning unit (which i have also checked under and stuff).
I’d say keep a close eye on your cats for any unusual behavior, but if you haven’t seen evidence they found him, I’d say there’s still a great chance he’s around somewhere. Your best bet for searching would be to dim lights around dusk, when they tend to be more active, and to sit in the room and just watch for movement.
Right now your brain is going to be assuming all of the worst case scenarios, I know it’s hard not to panic and think something terrible has happened to him, but I’ve personally lost snakes and also have a couple of rescues that had been lost and were found again. You might try setting up a bottle trap, if you search here on the forum, you’ll find out how to do that. I don’t know how successful they’ve ever been, but it might offer you some comfort to have something out for him just in case.
I’d say leave his enclosure closed and secure just in case there’s a minuscule chance that there’s somewhere inside he’s hidden himself. Whatever you do, don’t give up. There’s always the possibility he just shows up again, happened to me with an escaped baby.
Thank you, I’m definitely trying my hardest not to overthink it. I just miss him. I’m gonna try looking deeper in the second bedroom and see if he might have found a hidey hole in there. I will definitely set one of those traps up if have the stuff.
That is probably the hardest bit of it all, the not knowing, the missing, and the worry of “what ifs”. With luck and perseverance, hopefully there will be a happy ending and you’ll be posting about how you found him soon enough. Whatever you do, try not to blame yourself. These are wild animals, they have minds of their own and no matter how hard we try, we can’t necessarily protect them from their own instincts. I’ve seen snakes show up months, sometimes even more than a year later, no worse for wear. There’s still hope, we’re rooting for a happy conclusion to this story!
Looking at your tank setup, I would be extremely thoroughly examining the two skulls and the potion bottle thing for any tiny gaps in the structures. Baby corns are notorious for squeezing into much smaller openings than you’d realize.
Definitely re search the decor in Chai’s enclosure as @noodlehaus and @solarserpents suggested. If the enclosure is as escape proof as you say, then he almost has to be still in there somewhere. Be sure and keep the enclosure closed up and check it daily including the substrate.
And as it has already been said, don’t feel guilty or blame yourself or especially don’t think he is already dead because snakes can survive a lot longer than you might think they can.
And no matter what happens, we are here for you @kc383!
All great advice! You can put down some plastic bags along the walls to give off sounds, also check under the fridge where it gets warm. I hope you find it! Good luck.
The last time there was a similar thread a few weeks ago it turned out the snake was hidden in a castle (I think) the whole time.
Breakdown everything in the enclosure. Search everywhere in there that it could possibly be. Then search all the places in the enclosure that it couldn’t possibly be. What I’m saying is search every volume in there that a baby corn could fill.
Assuming that fails, close the enclosure up nice and tight as if the snake were in there. That way if it is in there and you somehow STILL missed it, it’ll stay in there safe and sound.
Next, you’ll have to methodically and systematically search every place outside of the enclosure. Sweep the room left-to-right, north-to-south, however you want to do it. Don’t skip anywhere. For instance, if you have a Lazy-boy recliner, there are TONS of nooks and crannies in the guts of that thing you’ll have to search. Even a couch has ways a baby corn can get into the innards of. It’s possibly going to take you hours of searching. Don’t give up. It’s highly likely it found the first tight spot it could jam into in the same room as the enclosure and it’s just happy as a clam. I’d say it’s highly likely it did NOT leave the room, much less your apartment.
There was a Snake Discovery YouTube video recently where some hatchlings escaped their egg box in their LARGE incubator. They searched the incubator from the outside and found no holes or gaps so they reasoned they must still be in the incubator. They broke that thing down piece by piece, screw by screw, panel by panel, rail by rail and found all of them in the end.
Keep at it and keep us updated. We’re all pulling for you. Come back and ask for “trap” ideas if it comes to that.
Thank you all so much! When I first discovered he was missing, I was literally crying for hours (I am a very emotional pet owner ) and all these comments have been very helpful in keeping my spirits up!
I will definitely keep checking his enclosure and the decorations. I have also made 3 bottle traps each wrapped up in a very fluffy sock for warmth that I’m gonna set in my bedroom where his tank is, the second room closest to my room, and the kitchen.
Thank you all again and I will definitely keep things updated
best of luck! I lost my African house snake, when he was still the size of a hatchling corn, and I ended up finding him four or five days later. If you search for “heat trap” you might be able to find how I built a warm den to lure him to a comfy spot. I know we tend to panic when we lose a snake but as they say, “If you’re a snake keeper, either you’ve lost a snake at least once or you’re a fibber.” These noodles are very good at surviving and hiding.
I’m sorry to hear you’re going through this, @kc383. You’ve gotten excellent advice and encouragement. Don’t give up! I won’t be at all surprised if your baby reappears in his enclosure. Think about how small a space they can occupy if they so desire. Chances are high that there’s a space that size within some of those decor pieces. If there is, count on the snake finding it.
I know you said you’ve searched the bedding. Did you actually remove it? If not, consider doing so, carefully, handful by handful. It doesn’t take much space for him to hide away beneath bedding. A snake moving away from your searching hands may not disrupt deep bedding enough to be noticed. I know I’ve frantically searched bedding for mine before and sworn they must have escaped, only to find them as I removed it. You can put it on a newspaper or in a bucket or something so that it can be replaced.
Is Chai perchance due to shed? If so, this may be a reason he might hide away. If he’s truly on the lam, he will need water so it will potentially help if you make some available. He’s fine without food for quite a long time.
Sending encouragement and hugs your way. Praying that you find him safe.
My daughter let our King Snake for excercise and lost him…
He survived a month with 3 cats lol. He was fine once found.
If his head can fit, he can fit. If you dont think he could be in a spot check. Shoes, book spines, books, bags anywhere. They are almost always close to their enclosure. Our king was 6 feet away from his…
I haven’t seen a scale of him yet, I have 3 bottle traps set out each wrapped in a fuzzy sock! He just shed like a week before he vanished so I don’t believe he’s due for another one yet. I haven’t tried taking out the bedding yet so I’ll definitely do that!
Thank you all for the support! I miss him terribly and seeing his tank every time I wake up doesn’t help but who knows! Maybe he’ll pop up just in time for Christmas
) and all these comments have been very helpful in keeping my spirits up!