Lost and found

Snakes are escape artists and when they get lost, they REALLY get lost. I've had several lost and found stories in my snake keeping career.

The first I can remember is a Ball Python my son had years back. He escaped and we tore up the house looking for him to no avail. It was months later, we found him up on a closet shelf. There was no way we could see that he had gotten up that high but he was there nonetheless, and was a little thin but none the worse otherwise.

I recently was cleaning cages and left 2 sliding doors just slightly open, I remember I was going to change water dishes but must have been distracted by something else, and never did, and both cornsnakes escaped. I found one behind a cage the next day, the other, a beautiful orange one, went missing for weeks before I saw him slithering across the reptile room one evining and scooped him up.

How about y'all, have y'all had reptile 'lost and found' experiences?

Well this wasn't my experience per say but a pet store owner I used to sell to in Kansas had a ball python escape when I first started selling to her in 1997. It was an adult female that was pretty healthy. I continued to sell to her for 2 years and asked about the ball python escapee occasionally but nothing ever turned up. In 1999, I went in to deliver some mice and she had a nice looking adult ball in a cage and I asked when she got it in. It was the escapee!!! She found it in the basement of the building she had her pet shop in over 2 years after it escaped! We guessed the only way it survived is off of the mice and rats down there and staying close to the boiler during the winter.

I had an adult Blue Beauty (6+ feet long) escape. Looked all over for her but couldn't find her. I found a shed about a week later but no snake. About a week later the wife came and got me to look at something on her computer and as I was just about to walk into the office (mind you I was following the obviously not to observant one who had just walked back and forth) and there she was hugging the wall half way into the office. Of course I got an earful for her escaping.

Originally Posted by norsmis

Well this wasn't my experience per say but a pet store owner I used to sell to in Kansas had a ball python escape when I first started selling to her in 1997. It was an adult female that was pretty healthy. I continued to sell to her for 2 years and asked about the ball python escapee occasionally but nothing ever turned up. In 1999, I went in to deliver some mice and she had a nice looking adult ball in a cage and I asked when she got it in. It was the escapee!!! She found it in the basement of the building she had her pet shop in over 2 years after it escaped! We guessed the only way it survived is off of the mice and rats down there and staying close to the boiler during the winter.

WOW!!! I hate to admit, but you've given me hope.....I had a ball python escape about a YEAR ago, and even after tearing the place apart, I've never found him. Maybe he WILL still turn up someday....

The only other real escapee I've had was another Ball, and she was found the next day by my daughter, she was walking down the stair in the dark, and she almost stepped on it. Scared the heck out of both of them I think, lol.

once when i was cleaning giselles tank..(my western hognose) i had put her in a shoe box like always while cleaning and changing sands..finally after i go to get her..i see that she had pushed the corner of the screen i put on top of the shoe box and crawled out somewhere..i completely freaked cuz shes so small and could go into any hole, vent, or crack..i was screaming her name...knowing she cant hear me...i had walked back and forth back and forth near my computer desk to see if she had gone under there, but didnt see her..finally i just sat on the floor crying trying to figure out what to do..and ALL OF A SUDDEN..i see her ttiiiiny little head pop out under the computer desk..i was so amazed cuz once she finds a hiding place..thats it!! but what i think happened was..she felt the vibrations of my footsteps going back and forth.and she knew i was frantic...that was the best moment of my life..and ill never let it happen again...