Snake trap plans?
 

I've got 2 corns on the loose in my house. Unfortunatly my house has a billion crawl spaces and holes and random empty spaces in the walls so searching for them is an up hill battle. One of them has been missing since I put her into hibernation and she squeezed between the lid and the lip of the tub. The other one I have no clue how she got out of the rack system because she's full grown and gravid. Odd.

But anyhoo I am looking for an ideas on snake traps. I would really like to catch this gravid female ASAP. My problem is that I only have f/t mice and those will get yucky after a few hours sitting in a trap. I can get live but how do I make a trap that the darn mouse wouldn't set off? I am thinking of making a tub with a hole in the lid that would just fit the snake in but not a fed snake out. However if she's gravid it's hard to say how that will work.

humpf

thanks
Missy

Good Luck!!
 

I have two Gravid Kingsnakes and one Gravid Corn on the loose, i have every hole leading outside plugged, but there are several hiding places in my snake building for them to go... Hopefully the kings won't eat the corn :hot: .. If i think of some way to make one i will let you know... Mike

sucks doesn't it

Ugh...i hear you...i currently have 3 northern redbellies loose in the house...my daughter caught them to take photos for a project and while she was getting the cam, they slipped out...

I don't have much experience with corns, but whenever one of my carpet pythons gets loose I do this:

I set my alarm clock for 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning and when it goes off, I quietly search the house with a flashlight. I have noticed that nocturnal snakes will wait until everyone is asleep and the house is dark and quiet before they become active. Once they're out and about you have a much better chance of finding them. Sometimes you'll here them knocking things over as they climb about.

Good luck!

I've tried that too, specially since I tend to get insomnia around 3. The problem is that someone who was lacking in a brain built my house. It has so many different caveties. There are holes that are cut into the wall under the staircase so that you can get to plumbing and all there is to cover it up is this ugly infinity light box which just about fits perfectly. THere are holes in the closets that go above the stairwell to the basement. THere are vents everywhere in the house that are pretty loose. The wall doesn't perfectly line up with the floor so every here and there there is a crack big enough for a snake to get in behind the crappy drywall job.

dumb, but it's my husbands and my first house

I would venture to say the snakes did not go too far. I have had only one snake go further then their enclosure after getting out. The gravid corn may not go much further and find a place to stay until he lays the eggs and hatches them out. You should have better luck finding her curled up in a dark damp place that is probably not to far from the rack. The one that is not gravid will be doing a bit of moving around, a trick I have heard of is to place a few lines of flour on the floor, check the next day for any breaks in the line and you can get an idea of which way the snake is moving.

Good luck. I once had baby boa get out and she ended up in my cupboards above the kitchen sink, I have no idea how she got up that far but she did.

I've heard of the flour idea. I will probably try that tonight. I dread the mess the next day though since it's all carpeted flooring. THat and I have two feisty kitties.

I found a tip of a snake shed in my kitchen but my cats are known for digging them out of the little garbage can in the rep. room and then drag them around the house. I did find a decent shed in the basement where the nogravid one was loose. That's why I am trying to create some sort of trap to catch her.

So I am thinking of getting a shoebox tub or something a little bigger and putting a thawed mouse in it. I'll cut a hole in the box on the top that's pretty small so that they can get in and hopefully not out. But these darn snakes got out of the hibernation tubs so I'll also be taping them shut. I just can picture myself going through a lot of mice here.

I may also create a sort of flap that would work kind of like a doggie door that only works one way. But how would I make it so that they can't get out. I'm picturing a rubberband spring that would hold it shut but how to attach it all is the mystery.

Well I found the gravid snake. SHe was laying under the rack system. My husband did confess that he had probably left the tub lock unlatched. No biggie. SHe is still gravid and really pissy.

The one in the basement still continues to roam free. I am trying to fabricate a trap using a tub and a spring/rubberband held door. We'll see I'll post pictures if and when it is completed.

What worked for me was putting a couple of live mice out in a critter keeper cage where I thought my kingsnake was hiding. I later found the kingsnake, 5 weeks after it had been mising, because he was hungry striking at the critter keeper cage full of mice and making lots of noise in the middle of the night. You could also sprinkle some flour around the critter keeper or well ventilated cage to see if you snake has ventured out to see the mice. It also doesn't take long for the mice to get smelly enough to attract a snake.
Good luck,
Uncloudy