Welp. I know it happens to tons of people all the time. Guess I was due. My favorite snake too. Figured out how to budge open his glass sliding door. Worst feeling ever. I’ve put out a few little hide w heaters in them on the floor hoping he finds his way to one. It’s gonna be cold tonight and our old wood floors do no favors. Unfortunately In our old farm house every door sits high enough that he could go under them into a different room.
If anyone lives in south Texas and sees this boy. He answers to the name Guapo.
Sorry to hear that, beautiful snake too! I would do a room at a time search, and be very quiet you may hear him moving or knocking something around. Since you got wood flooring you could try flour in front of each door, might give you a clue if he moves around tonight. Good luck, hope you find it soon!
Aw man I felt so bad when it happened to me. Hang in there, try not to panic, make sure you don’t have any rugs it could crawl under and then get stepped… But know that it’ll probably come out at night looking for water and those warm hides you put out! Keep up hope!
It sucks when it happens but I will advocate that you not give up hope. I have, twice, had an alterna escape only to randomly show up a year later. They are survivours
I second not giving up. I haven’t had one reappear after a year, but I did have a hatchling corn appear safe and sound after being AWOL for months in a house with multiple cats and dogs. At Thanksgiving, there he was, sitting in the open on the floor in front of the toilet. Not glamorous, but true.
I hope yours reappears sooner. It’s miserable knowing there’s a lost creature around somewhere.
That’s just really terrible! He is absolutely gorgeous! You might add a food item in those hides if possible and put the hides along baseboards. One of my boas got out not too long ago and I found him curled up in a bookshelf.
I do think he will show up eventually in a bathroom because I think snakes can smell water……IMO of course…….
My favorite little spicy baby escape artist escaped me twice! Once for a whole month. She managed to squeeze in between the kitchen cabinets and the wall still not even sure how she got in there if you saw how small the space between the wall and cabinet was.
What worked for me as suggested by one member here Caryl possibly others it was to take 2 2 litre bottle cut off the end then invert that top into the bottle tape well to avoid any possible escape and potential harm to the snake from getting cut. Place it on a warm spot like on a heat mat and place a mouse inside. It worked like a charm for me ! I put a towel over the bottle for a bit more darkness and to entice my little one into venturing in. The very next day after setting my trap there she was curled up in the bottle with a full belly . You aren’t the 1st person to have an escape artist certainly won’t be the last.
I know it can be stressful to lose a baby like that, i stayed up many nights looking for her hoping to catch even a glimpse of her. Im hopeful you will find your escape artist. Perhaps try the bottle trap ? Then definitely get a secure enclosure.
I ended up taping my entire tub lid which was annoying but she was in quarantine so i wasn’t ready to move her to her permanent home. She is now in a secure escape proof enclosure ( provided i always remember to lock the front glass windows.
Man, I’m sorry. I say put caves along the wall and flour in the doorways and just hope you find him. I remember when one of my hognoses escaped. It was terrifying but I never gave up hope. I found her a couple days later in a dog bed with no marks, injuries or signs of illness. Snakes really are survivors, so just do all you can and you may be surprised.
Gonna be making a bottle trap or two myself. I apparently didn’t thoroughly close a lid when checking hatchlings’ water and one went on the lam. We’ve got boxes everywhere because we were preparing for a move and he could be anywhere. I’ve been doing the usual things but no joy so far. Going to try tempting him with food. Hoping he reappears sooner than later.
I’m really sorry, escapes suck and are super stressful. Once, after changing the water for my blood python, I put the lid back on her tub but forgot to latch it. It was just sitting loose the whole time I was at work. I nearly had a heart attack when I got home and saw it was unlatched, but thankfully my good girl didn’t get out, she was just sleeping peacefully under her foliage. I guess that’s one upside to having a relatively sedentary species. I haven’t had any snake escapes (yet), but it is something I worry about.
My chinchilla has managed to escape 3 times. With her, the issue wasn’t finding her, it was catching her. Chins are very fast and agile, and they’re quite smart little critters and learn quickly, so the trick that worked to catch her the first time didn’t work the second time, and the trick that worked the second time didn’t work the third time. Thankfully she hasn’t escaped again, because I’m officially out of tricks!
I think setting up heat/hide traps, ideally with food and water, are probably your best bets. MBKs are usually always ready to eat, so hopefully he’ll be drawn in by the smell of food. I hope you find him and get him back safely! He’s really beautiful.
Ok. So how big is this one. Is it a BLACK MILK or Mex Black King? Pic is a bit dark so i cant tell for sure but either way, similar habits. How long ago? If its only been one or two nights i would diligently search the adjacent rooms as well and and any closets connected to them. Dont leave anything unturned. Any crevice he could fit into as well. When was the last time he ate. They are good at smelling food. If he has been kept on frozen/thawed, get one out and place it in a spot you can monitor for a while. If he’s hungry hes gonna find it. If you’re a live feeder, palce a mouse in a 10 gallon tank with a screen lid. I bet you’ll find hime trying to get in to get it. Just dont let him eat and then disappear again. I had several escapes from plastic shoebox racks in the past because i was the dummy and didnt push the box back in all the way. Usually i found them in the closet in the same room. But once my wife informed me of one. I had been looking for it for a couple days. It was coming out of a floor vent on the first floor of the house. My colubrids were being kept on the second floor. She was looking for a place to lay her eggs. Good thing it was summer time and the air conditioning was running so it was too cold for her to drop her eggs. As far as preventing future escapes, i have 2 sliding glass door cages. I cut a piece of blue or pink foam insulation about 1/2 inch wide by 2 inches long. Leave the plastic sheeting on it and smash down one end util it fits between the glass doors. The plastic sheeting acts like a griper on the glass and the resistance against the glass pelrevents your snake from opening the doors when they crawn against them. You can see how much the foam compresses just by squeezing it. I have a Woma in a cage right now that uses this same trick. Otherwise you could buy a glass displat door lock and put it on instead.
MBK’s are so good at escaping! My bin bandit has escaped me three times. First time, he was just 3 months old. THAT was terrifying. I found him underneath my fridge. Definitely check the warm spaces. Second time he was inside a George foreman grill case. The last places you wouldn’t even think to look are the best places to look. And the last time he was behind a bookshelf. Leave no stone unturned.
I’ve heard it’s good to put plastic bags and other such noisy things all along the walls and then listen at night for crinkling. The idea is when they slither over it, the noise will alert you of their location. Unfortunately you never know when they will go over one so you are in for a couple long nights, but anything to ensure their safety, right?
. You aren’t the 1st person to have an escape artist certainly won’t be the last.
? Then definitely get a secure enclosure.
My bin bandit has escaped me three times. First time, he was just 3 months old. THAT was terrifying. I found him underneath my fridge. Definitely check the warm spaces. Second time he was inside a George foreman grill case. The last places you wouldn’t even think to look are the best places to look. And the last time he was behind a bookshelf. Leave no stone unturned.