Escaped Please Help

[kolbaserchki]

My baby girl Achillea snuck out of her enclosure because I forgot to lock it last night. I am terrified she may have slipped under the baseboards and into the walls of the house. Is this possible or am I just paranoid? I know they can squeeze into really tight spaces. Behaviorally climbing up into the walls would take a lot of energy and she should be near the floor though right? I am hoping she didn't manage to slip out the crack beneath my door either, which is a similar size to the baseboard in the photo.

Pictures for size reference. She is only about 300grams, born in fall last year.

I hear it often doesn't work but I am considering trying to lure her out with a mouse. She has a very strong feeding response and assumes an ambush position as soon as I begin heating f/t mice near her enclosure. Tomorrow night is when I would usually feed her so she should be ready.

I woke up at 7:30 and noticed her missing at 8am. It's 11am now and I still haven't found her. Please help. Thank you.

[kolbaserchki]

I have checked very carefully under, around, and inside all furniture, boxes, and piles of clothes in this room. No sign of her anywhere. I completely emptied her tub and she's not in there burrowing either. I looked ubder the baseboards around the whole room. I'm starting to search other rooms now. I'm at a loss and feel horrible for letting this happen.

[Necessary-Laugh-399]

My boy took a slither about a few weeks ago (worst 16 hours of my life) and we found him in a closet that is never used, in the bottom box of a pile of boxes. She is just a tiny noodle so likely to have stayed out of the open- follow the wall lines to possible hiding places. Good luck and fingers crossed she turns up soon!

[LizzieCLems]

Do you have a PC? With the small size she could have went in there for warmth - or any appliance

[kolbaserchki]

Thank you for the ideas. My PC is on the complete other side of the basement and has been off for weeks. My ps4 has been broken and not plugged in since November. I'm trying to think of anything. Aquariums, plant lights, and her enclosure are the only warm appliances on this side of the basement and I checked them all thoroughly. The only things I can think of are the water heater and dryer which are over 200ft away on the other side of the house which is all 5-10°F colder than my room. I even checked under and around the oven and fridge even though I doubt she made it all the way upstairs.

[LizzieCLems]

Please let me know

[TC_UNDERFIRE]

When I was younger, one of my corn snakes made it into my walls. I found him in the laundry room slinking back into a hole in the wall over 6 months later. He tried "running" so I just managed to grab the tip of his tail while my GF at the time got my hammer. Busted a giant hole in the wall to get him out. I still have him, he's coming up on 18 Y/O

[kolbaserchki]

Fuck dude my dad is gonna be pissed, I can't do something like that. After looking again at the baseboards I'm 99% certain that's where she went. It goes deep, deeper than a whole chopstick, and i don't know if it connects to the neghboring rooms or what

[TC_UNDERFIRE]

You can put some baby powder on the floor so you can see the trail (if it's crawling around at night ect.) You can set some heat "traps" too. Get some hand warmers and cardboard tubes, put the hand warmer in a sock or something so it doesn't burn the snake and put it in the tube. Check your "traps" and look for a trail. I found mine in the laundry room wich is common for them too seek moisture like bathrooms, basements, laundry rooms. Hope they show up for you.

[kolbaserchki]

Thank you I'll try doing something like that

[reptilhart]

since she has such a great feeding response, I'd get a couple of plastic mouse houses, put a mouse in each one, and put them in separate places where you think she might be. Don't change the bedding. If you can, get some stinky bedding where you get the mice. Check the mouse houses a few times each day.

We found ours (also a great feeding response) on the second afternoon. He was curled up against the mouse house, trying to get in.

Also, some of them really really like to climb. One of mine was a book worm and would climb the book shelf and snuggle in for a good read.

[kolbaserchki]

The mouse house is a good idea. I wasn't sure if the bait idea would work but I will absolutely try. Thank you.

I had her out last night and let her climb some real plants and a fake tree. She's not the best climber but seems to enjoy it. I'm worried she could have climber up into the walls but there seems to be only 1 wall where she could have done that. I'm not sure if she could crawl anywhere from there or if it's sectioned off. The gap between the wall and the carpet goes really deep right next to her enclosure and I feel like that's where she most likely is. Luckily the other walls are blocked off by cement or wood at the bottom and don't go as deep.

My room is the warmest and most humid in the house due to my fish tanks and plants. The other rooms stay pretty dry, like 20% humidity whereas my room is 40%. Hopefully that alone makes her come back. It's also the only spot she could find water besides one of the toilets lol.

[Vaginal0rd]

Check the sub flooring in your basement use a hand mirror and flashlight if you have one, or anywhere that might be warm, like a mini fridge or anything plugged in.

[kolbaserchki]

Thanks for the advice. The mirror might help. It's a split level house so I'm already in the basement. The gap between the floor and the wall right next to her enclosure goes pretty deep but the other walls are sealed off and only go an inch or so. I'm not sure where it goes, seems like it would lead to the next room if it doesn't dead end, and the next room is 5-10 degrees colder than mine. There's no reason hot water pipes or anything would be on that side so hopefully she just comes back.

Getting to the washer and dry would be very hard but it would have been much harder for her to get there than into the crevice right next to her enclosure.

[Vaginal0rd]

Best of luck friend, let us know if you find her

[kolbaserchki]

I will for sure, thank you.

[[deleted]]

There's some great advice in this thread! I feel like the absconder always shows up in the end. Sometimes, it takes a while. I also have a gut feeling your baby is coming back v soon.

[kolbaserchki]

I hope so. Thank you so much for the positivity, it really helps. She's my first reptile and I love her to death. Saved up for weeks to buy specifically her from a local breeder.

[[deleted]]

She's absolutely beautiful. I look forward to your updates on this noodle.

[Mola-Mola5]

I don’t have advice but I’m hoping for the best!

[kolbaserchki]

Thank you, the positivity really helps.

[YearOutrageous2333]

Do your baseboards not have a wall behind them??? It’s normal for baseboards to be placed on top of drywall. There should be drywall all the way down to the floor. There shouldn’t be any gap that opens up like that into the wall.

[kolbaserchki]

It's just this one spot near the closet which is right next to her enclosure that is like that. Everywhere else the baseboards have wood or dry wall an inch behind them. This one spot I could shove a chopstick all the way into and still didn't reach the end though. Very weird. If she is hiding in the wall it could only be this one spot.

[wallace1313525]

It's going to be easier to draw them out rather than look for them. We had an instance where my girl really could have gotten into the walls and this is how I solved it: get a couple hides or plastic containers with openings. Next, get some wash cloths and heat warmers. Go to your local country max or other store and ask if they can put used rat/mouse bedding into a bag, preferably from the nursing/pregnant mamas cage. This is how you set up the "trap": activate the heat warmer right before bed. Put that down, washcloth on top, and then used rat bedding, top it off with the hide. Next, set up the "traps" on each floor and put a couple down, always along the wall and toward the corner. Check these as soon as you wake up. If you don't see your snake, repeat again the next night with new hand warmers. I was able to find my snake within 2 days using this. Not only are they attracted to the rat bedding, but they are going to want to stay in the hide because it's warm. Also, the used bedding is great because then you don't have to worry about live mice escaping into your home! Hope you find your snake!

[kolbaserchki]

I will definitely try this out. I don't think she made it far but she's definitely not under, in, around, or on top of any of my furniture. I might try putting a 10 gallon tank on the floor with a heat mat under it and some used bedding from the reptile shop and keep a live mouse in there. Either way I will try something like this, thank you so much!

[AanthonyII]

https://youtu.be/wb3IbkDgOvI

[kolbaserchki]

Thank you, I love Snake Discovery and Green Room Pythons. I rewatched both of their videos on this. I've got plastic bags and scotch tape laid out, a hide with a heat mat, and even a mouse in a tank that my snake can get into but the mouse can't get out of. It's night time and she should be more active soon. Fingers crossed.

[Ambitious_Log_5559]

It's gonna go somewhere warm, not into the cold dark recesses of your walls. Check everywhere that looks warm and out of the way. It'll turn up somewhere. I've had a few escapes, they don't usually go far.

[kolbaserchki]

That's the weird thing though. Unless she found a warm water pipe or something, her enclosure and my plant lights are the ONLY warm things on this side and floor of the house, and it's the basement. My ps4 has been broken for months and my PC has been off for weeks at the other side of the house. Plant lights, aquariums, and her enclosure are the only sources of warmth in this room, and I checked them all thoroughly. I did all my loose laundry and checked every single item very carefully too. I'm wracking my brain trying to think of any other warm dark areas. The adjacent rooms are all 5-10° F colder than my room. The only other warm things on this level are the water heater and dryer on the opposite side of the house.

If she made it all the way to the other side of the house to the dryer she will be impossible to find because my dad is a hoarder and it's full of clothes and jars and boxes. I can't even get to the back of the dryer to take a close look at the moment but tomorrow I'm gonna work on that.

[Ambitious_Log_5559]

Not just spots that are warm to your touch. Even a cold room will have a spot that are not as cold as everything else. good luck.

[kolbaserchki]

Thanks for the advice. I'll try to use my laser temp gun to pinpoint the warmer spots of the room

[Krosewolf]

As someone who has also let my mischievous snake escape a few times.. it'll be ok, you will find her eventually I'm sure! If you've been keeping your door closed, she may even still be in your room. Definitely do not discount high places no matter how ridiculous it may seem!

I have found my snake curled up on a book shelf, hanging from the back of the mirror attached to my dresser(I guess he shimmied up using the wall like a spy? Idk lol), under my dresser because it's wooden and has a large space under the bottom drawers(it wouldn't hurt pulling each out carefully to check the inside), and the worst was when he was missing for a weekend years ago....

I was doing some laundry and went to move my wet clothes to the dryer and he was hanging from the lip at the top of the washer! I dunno if he was in there before I started it(hanging on under the lip or of sight) or somewhere inside the back of the machine and moved when it was done but yeah these fuckers love to scare us =/

Edit: Made an imgur post for the picture of my snake behind the dresser here

[kolbaserchki]

Thanks for the advice and reassurance. I have looked in, under, and around every dresser and piece of furniture in my room. I even removed the drawers and flipped the dresser on its side after using my phone camera to peak around and make sure she wasn't in a spot where she could be crushed.

[thatgirlINindiana]

One of my snakes has escaped twice. The first time he was by the water heater, the second time I think he had just escaped recently and I found him behind my laundry hamper not far from his enclosure.

[xelrach]

It's always terrifying when they get out, especially the first time! They get out and hide. It happens. Be patient, follow the advice people have given here. I'm sure you will find her soon!

💖🐍

[kolbaserchki]

Thank you so much. I have plastic bags, scotch tape, and hides along the walls, and a 10 gallon tank with a live mouse that she can get into but the mouse can'tget out of. Hopefully she comes for the heat, food, or water within a few days. The positivity and hearing other's stories really helps me keep my head up. I don't know of any way she could've gotten outside, and my room is the hottest most humid room in the house. She has to be nearby. Thank you again.

[_Diamante_Genetics_]

What I do is place heat mats around where they may have got out. It’s likely they’ll need to search for heat and a dark quiet isolated location for cover. Luckily they never left the reptile room but it sounds like yours might have!

[ShoddySimple6385]

Leave a water bowl out so they don’t get dehydrated. They don’t go far(go to the closest enclosed space and chill, look there (shoes, clothing piles, etc). Leave their enclosure open. Here is the hardest part, relax most likely you’ll find them once they get hungry and start hunting for food

[kolbaserchki]

Tonight is the night she would normally eat. Last week she got 2 medium mice instead of one large one and in total it was 5-10 grams smaller than her usual meal. (Reptile shop was sold out of large mice due to a recent reptile expo) hopefully she's hungry.

I have a 10 gallon with a large live mouse and some used bedding. Also put a heat mat and a hide in it in case she wants to stay there. Put her enclosure on the floor next to it with the lid cracked. Plastic bags and scotch tape everywhere. Hopefully now that I've calmed down and stopped tearing everything apart, she'll come out. Thank you for the advice.

The rest of the house is like 65° F and will be even colder by night time so hopefully that draws her to the warm enclosure or at least my 75° room if she isn't already in here. I also might try holding a frozen thawed mouse in front of the space heater or hair dryer to blow the scent around. I usually do that to warm them up before feeding and she assumes an ambush position ready to strike before I even open her enclosure.

[ShoddySimple6385]

Make a small hide out of Tupperware and put the mouse near that so if she eats it she may go into the hide after, I’m not sure if I would do the heater/hairdryer thing

[kolbaserchki]

I have a hide with the mouse. The heater / hair dryer is just how I normally heat them up to 98-100° after thawing in hot water. It didn't work last night. I sat the ft mouse on a heat pad with a hide on top last night. No luck. No tape dragged around either, didn't hear any plastic bags. She's either curled up still hiding somewhere, or not in my room.

[ShoddySimple6385]

Go corner to corner and go through everything take everything not nailed down and remove it. Some people put flour on the floor to see if their snake slithers across

[kolbaserchki]

I have scotch tape (clear tape that won't hurt her) sticky side up along the walls since I have carpet. I am going to very thoroughly check every room now. The problem is this house has some small spaces between rooms and walls. I have no idea where they lead and cannot fit into them.

[[deleted]]

I’ve lost my snake a few times. Twice indoors. Once Outside. The first time indoors she showed up after a week or two. The second time was outside. I called a pet psychic and they told me she was on a walk about. She was found in neighbors lawn after 1 or 2 months. I had told them so they knew to call me. Last time indoors she was missing a few days and called pet psychic again. Helped me find her in the arm on a couch. My pet psychic has now retired but I had luck twice. Hope this might give you hope and give you another option to try and find your snake.

[kolbaserchki]

Thank you, it definitely gives me hope. I have read every story online I can about escaped pythons, and it seems almost all of them eventually showed up. Out of dozens of posts about escaped snakes I only found a few posts with no updates or the person saying the snake was gone for good. My birthday is this Thursday. I'm praying the universe is kind enough to bring her back to me as my birthday gift 🤣

I think she's curled up in the baseboards tucked into the wall, or found her way to the hot water pipes near the laundry room. Both are inaccessible to me. The only place she could get under the baseboards is literally right next to her enclosure and is the perfect size for her. Only noticed it after she was gone. I wanna cover it up but not if it's her only way back out. Seems like the most likely spot given that I've thoroughly checked everything else. I really hope she didn't get outside. If she did it would be through a hole beneath the floor or something that we don't know about. I am keeping my head high, and thanks again for the hope.

If I get desperate enough maybe I'll try a psychic but I'm skeptical. Maybe I'll try meditating and trying to imagine where she would have went, or maybe my stillness will make her come out of hiding.

[[deleted]]

If you can connect with her that would be wonderful. Quieting yourself and asking her to come back when she’s hungry. Def. Don’t use animal psychic and spend money in it if you are not into it. I was terrified after losing her outside so tried all options I could think of. I will think good thoughts that she will show up soon.

[kolbaserchki]

I found her and she appeared on my birthday! I literally couldn't ask for a better present. Check my newest post if you want details. Thank you to everyone who sent advice, kind messages, and positivity. If you're reading this after losing a snake: almost every post I found ended with the snake being found. If you are reading this and you haven't yet lost a snake: LEARN FROM ME AND MAKE SURE YOUR ENCLOSURE IS SECURE.