@athleticshoelace and @ashleyraeanne both offered great advice. Making sure she has some nice snug, dark hides along with plenty of ground cover could very well improve her temperment.
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I did change her hides and put covers all over. I going to buy a smaller opaque tub, i do wish i knew a lot of this because it does stress me out. Well at least now i know.
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The first time keeping any animal is always a learning experience. You’re seeking out knowledge, heeding advice, and learning from mistakes, which is all anyone can do. No matter how much research you do, there’s always going to be a learning curve, because every animal is unique and you have to figure out what works for them.
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I just had a chance to get online today. I’m glad that you’re found your girl so quickly! Most of us have had an escape at some point and it’s SUPER nerve-wracking.
I’m with @ashleyraeanne, I’ve never had an escape from a tub/bin with latches. I keep baby corn snakes in Sterlite brand 6-qt bins with latches once they have had a couple of meals. This one weighed in at a whopping 7.7 g last night. She’s snug in her bin. The toilet paper cores are cut in half so she can feel safe with it touching her back, and I can easily find her at feeding time.
I appreciate how much you love your animals. I’m the same. Please know that I get how hard it’ll be to follow this advice: once Orange Crush is safe, spend the next week not interacting with her at all. If you’re adding dark hides so she feels safe, do it as soon as possible. Remember that these don’t need to be fancy. An opaque plastic tub, part of a halved paper towel core, crinkled wrapping paper, a butter box, etc. Then close the viv and do not open it again for at least 3 days, at the soonest
At that time just change the water as unobtrusively as possible then wait another 3-4 days before opening the viv again. The only exception is if she fouls or spills her water.
Her stress level is way up right now. A snake’s top three needs are safety, safety, and safety. In her little mind, she’s been through a tremendous amount recently. She needs undisturbed time for a mental reset.
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I removed the clear tub added paper towels, paper towel roll and toilet paper roll (empty of course) i added some plastic leaves and i wrapped the outside of the tub with rolled up bed sheets to make it darker for her. Im just so worried about my babies and not wanting to be a bad provider for them. My boy is like so sweet and he seems to have handled the new home well i just need time to spend with her after i leave her be for a week or so. I don’t want her having issues as she gets older.
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In the words of Bob from Green Room Pythons- A Bad Keeper wouldn’t worry about whether they’re getting it right- so you’re a good keeper.
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You’re doing just fine! It can be so hard to give them the space they need. There’s no magical shortcut though. I usually advise myself to take it about twice as slow as my natural inclination. Lol
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That’s a great quote!
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I am definitely listening to advice from keepers who have experience. Ive no doubt that everyone here cares as much about animals as i do so we also care and are invested in helping others give their animals the best.
I fully understand each home is different and depending on locality they may have to deal with higher humidity for example.
I also have seen both my snakes have completely opposite personalities. The male seems to be the mellow one who has adapted well to his new home with me. I can open his lid and he will come say hi. I say hello and talk to him, he also is a great eater.
Orange Crush on the other hand is spicy, that is probably stress related, as she tries to escape. She has fed ( which is good) but she definitely is very defensive. ( which i understand) she was uprooted from her original home, shipped and then put in an unfamiliar and scary new home. Im sure from her perspective i am a giant and she doesn’t know that i love her and not in a million years would i ever harm her intentionally. ( im sure my very nosey kitty also exasperated the situation) kitties natural instincts are - snake=bad -kill it, and OC’s instincts are im not safe i need to hide.
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Turn your ac really low and keep an eye on hot water lines and hot water tank and the stove and anything else that will be warm even try putting a heating pad under your couch turned on she will take shelter in one of these hot places and also check under the hood of your car before you start it in the morning lock the cat up in a pet taxi or something till u find the snake
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Well guess my reply was way to late then lol
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I am really grateful for all the support and information it really has been extremely helpful. Orange Crush, Snowfall and i thanks you all. I know eventually she will be as good of a snake as Snow even with different personalities.
I do tend to be ( perhaps over vigilant) with all my animals, but its because i care about them and see them much more than just an animal. I log everything from temperatures and humidity to when they fed etc.
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I had one of my hatchlings escape because I somehow forgot to latch one side of the tub I was keeping her in 
My fiancé found her a few days later exploring our entertainment stand, as she had knocked a pen off and onto the floor. She had gone through the kitchen from the dining room and then to the living room!
I was very confused when he placed her in my hand, as I was in bed and half asleep 
“Why are you handing me this? It’s cold? OH IT’S THE BABY”
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This reminds me of my more recent escapees! So I’ll add a few of my snake escape stories.
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about 6 months after i got my first snake, i forgot to secure the tank lid after a feeding. When i went into the room the next day he was stretched out on the windowsill, just soaking up the sun.
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same snake, a few months later, found him wedged between his tank and the wall. Still no idea how he escaped that time (he now lives in a rack, where he is thriving, no escapes yet… knocks on wood)
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when i recieved my first group of garter snakes, one leapt out of its deli and made a break for it, nearly lost it because i couldnt stop laughing.
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back in april, after an unsuccessful first breeding season (or so i thought) my female cornsnake escaped her tank and took shelter in the coldest room in the house, curling up on the vent. So i was woken up at 7 am (basically my midnight) by my sister, who just kept saying there was a snake in her bathroom. Turns out the clips to secure the lid were damaged (likely by the recent move) so she just slipped out.
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not a pet but i had caught an anole in our yard and was showing my siblings, anole jumped down to the ground and one of our cats (also escape artists) snatched it up and ran to the door, wanting inside. He eventually surrendered the anole after i refused to let him inside with his prize. Anole appeared uninjured and was promply returned to where it had been collected.
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My crayfish use to escape the tank all the time, i think he was climbing the air hose. Id find him all over the house. One time he was iny moms closet its wierd because my moms room was like way on the other end of the house. She screamed to get it out i was like what the heck?? How’d he get all the way there. He was pretty dried out so he was glad to go back in water.
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So after finding her last time i was sure she couldn’t do it again. I put binder clips on all sides and i duct taped many places i was sure she couldn’t get out but she did.
I should have checked often bc now she is not behind the sofa like last time.
This girl is definitely smarter than me because she didn’t hide in the same location she got caught from. Ugh. When i recapture her im not putting her in the tub it is not secure for a smart small snake as her.
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I used these, and still have them for expansion or quarantine needs. They have different sizes. Just drill 1/4" holes along the top edge, only along half the length on both sides and the one end. Place them about 2" apart. You can add more if needed, but I found this works good. You could add a few on the lid to help vent, but only on the one side.
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Once i can find her again i hope she didn’t go out with the trash yesterday as i don’t know exactly when she escaped it could have been yesterday or last night or today.
What i do know is she is far more smart than we give them credit for. It’s wierd my boy who is much bigger and stronger hasn’t tried getting out at all and if i do open his tub he just sits there chilling.
Orange Crush didn’t leave until i changed her enclosure since everyone was telling me her hide was too big and clear so she definitely had an urge to get out after maybe all the move was too stressful.
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It doesn’t take much for them to get out. They are escape artists and curious. It wouldn’t hurt to use these all of them. Keeps them enclosed and safely away for the cat. Our cat is not the best hunter, but we still used these for the extra security.
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Oh no, I’m so sorry she escaped again! She’s a serious escape artist. Just because she escaped doesn’t mean she doesn’t like her enclosure. Some snakes will just continually escape if they see an opportunity.
I’m really curious how she managed to get out, because it sounds like you made the tub super secure. Though they can fit through places smaller than you expect, and they’re also usually stronger than you think.
Try putting out a heat trap and water dish along a wall in the room where she escaped and see if that doesn’t attract her. You could also put a nice dark hide over the heat pad and see if that makes it extra appealing.
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