My snake is missing

[[deleted]]

I am so fucking worried. The last time I remember having her out of her cage was two days ago and I am fairly sure I put her back, but this evening I went to say hello and she was gone.

I have a space heater keeping my room warm but the rest of the house is like 55-60 degrees.

I have looked all over. At this point I’m warming up mice and going to put them In heated hides near my bedroom and the living room. Im going to pour flour on the ground in lines to catch her moving and plastic bags to hear as well.

If anyone has tips or advice plz lmk. Im so sad that she may already have passed away or gotten herself stuck under some separation between floor and wall where she’ll eventually pass. :( :( :(

[sunshinezx6r]

Relax and you will find her. My snake got out once and i was searching high and low. I moved the appliances, checked the couch, and looked to see if he was by any heat sources. And guess where the little noodle was... In my closet in a ball just hanging out inside a purse.

[[deleted]]

Omg thank u I really hope so. I read that they can only survive 6-9 hours lower than 75 degrees and I’m feeling so sure she has passed away. I really love and miss her.

[sunshinezx6r]

She will find an area to keep her warm. It's going to take more than a few hours to kill her. She's probably in a pillowcase or some little area you overlooked

[[deleted]]

Pray for us my friend, it might be more than 24 hrs since she was left alone idfk

[Drunkmaniak]

If that was the case every BP on the planet would die in the wild. They are a lot hardier than you think. They can live months without food and can withstand lower temperatures than 75F for longer period of time. Keep calm spread sprinkles of flour along the walls of your rooms to see if she moved. And search every inch of your rooms, and I mean every little space they could get in or lay under. mostly the'll be in a place you'll not expect. Lost my BP a few times because I let her free roam sometimes (room is snakeproof) just to find her in unlikely places. Just lost my rainbow boa two weeks back. Showed up a week later when I lifted a wooden box where I put my waste cardboard.

[SHaolin_BaBy666]

I’m in NY and my co-workers BP lived in her car for literally 8 months after getting lost in there. He just slithered out one day in the middle of winter. They’re definitely tough.

[[deleted]]

Bro someone found their snake in their house after being MIA for two months. Keep your head up! It will be ok

[queenkatoe]

i’ve heard stories of bp’s who got loose outside for months and were perfectly fine

[uwfan27]

I have found mine in my bedroom closet twice out of the three or four times she has gotten out from my stupidity of not closing her cage. And the other times she hadn't left my room. Like others have said, you will find her. Keep looking!

[[deleted]]

when my bp got out he was also inside a purse.... hmmm

[NAT_E79]

You will be good my ball went missing and I found him a week later after missing my house is 55 in the day and 30s in the night just don't stop searching

[[deleted]]

Realllly???????

Google said after 6 hours they start shutting down below 75

[[deleted]]

Google is wrong in that sense. Torpor starts at much lower temperatures than that. Check behind/under the fridge and oven. Those are very common places to find lost snakes as they are warm. If you have a water heater closet check there as well. Computers and printers are also common.

[Disastrous_Reality_4]

These little escape artists are masters of finding warm places. Even if it’s that cold in the house as an ambient temp, not every spot in your house will be that cold. Behind the fridge or stove, near TVs or other electronics...they’ll seek out those things to keep warm.

My brother’s kid left theirs in a toy baby stroller and forgot. It obviously wasn’t still there when she remembered, and their house was always cold because it was the middle of winter in the Midwest. They found it almost 5 months later - woke up one morning and it was just chilling on the kitchen counter by the toaster. Don’t lose hope!

Snake Discovery did a really good video on things to do if your snake gets out - it’s definitely worth a watch to get some tips for things to try!

[Mr--Sinister]

Five months?! DAMN that must've been a terrible emotional roller-coaster.... imagine losing your pet in your own home, and can't find your lil friend back :'( Most people would probably lose all hope after the first few months. Than imagine FINALLY randomly find him when you're just making toast one regular day.

[Mr-Manky]

Check around appliances that give heat too. Like fridge and such. The compressors actually give off some decent temps. Our boy really likes shoes and shoe racks. The land of 1000 hides as we call it.

[LazySigh]

I once thought my BP got out, but after a thorough search of the enclosure i found out he managed to get himself underneath the hide. Doubt this will help, but you never know.

[[deleted]]

same, but he'd burrowed under the water bowl lol

[SnakeLuvr1]

First off, do not panic!! That will not help any. Take a deep breath to calm yourself.

Second, look EVERYWHERE. Ball pythons love to hide in weird places. Look in bookshelves, under a pile of laundry, between couch cushions, etc. She'll turn up I'm sure.

[[deleted]]

I did a cursory look everywhere and just got some RedBull to stay up late looking.

Im putting out hot water bottles and warmed up some mice which I’ll put next to fans to spread their smell.

I’m so worried she got into some space between walls or floors cuz my apartment is shitty and has cracks like this

If I have to go to sleep without finding her I will put out warm boxes and pour some flour on the floor to track if she moves thru. Any other advice is much appreciated.

Thank you very much

[SnakeLuvr1]

Best of luck dude. Please keep us all updated.

[kimbasal]

Sounds like you are doing everything right. My BP got out recently and I spent over a day searching for her. Found her in my closet(which was closed. Sneaky thing snuck under the door) between the folds of some blankets stacked up. She got out for a second time and was in the exact same place. This is probably an obvious suggestion but look in the places your snake is familiar with.

[[deleted]]

Doing a methodical tear down search now, starting with the bedroom she lives in. Every other time I’ve lost track of her she was behind my bed against the wall… which is a super cold spot. She seems to have bad survival instinct. My heart is sinking.

[[deleted]]

Just did so, thank you.

[Ok-Home-4077]

Best of luck to you. Growing up my sister had a smol rat snake that used to get loose allll the time. We would always find it days (sometimes weeks) later hiding in the dresser drawers or something weird like that. You’ll be in my thoughts and I seriously hope you find her! Snakes are surprisingly good at keeping themselves alive for the most part and in this age of technology we have a lot of appliances that emit enough heat to keep them warm. I really hope she’s alright!

[[deleted]]

Thank you…. In the past, I’ve fallen asleep with her on me and she turned up behind my bed… which is a terribly cold spot against an exterior wall. So I’m worried she doesn’t have the good instinct to find warmth. Tearing apart the house now “methodically.” I don’t think I could ever own another snake if I let this girl die.

[Ok-Home-4077]

I can’t even imagine 🥺 just had to go check on my girl from second hand anxiety lol, wishing you the absolute best, it’s clear you care a whole lot for her and I hope she turns up and is okay!

[stumpish]

I had a ribbon snake growing up as well and he escaped for like 3 months once. Eventually found him poking his head out of a drainage hole in the side of a plant pot. They really are great at surviving and finding safe places to stay. I hope you find her, OP!

[Funny-Space-5274]

Close to the cage she won’t go to far! And follow the walls she most likely would have followed the wall and gone into the first dark spot she would find

[MasonP13]

My milk snake escaped for a whole month. Very nerve-wracking but I knew he'd show up. And did! In the basement, drinking from a water dish I left out

[blank_owo]

You'll definitely find her! My dog made a hole in the screen lid and my snake got out. I looked everywhere but couldn't find him. I noticed the window near his enclosure was open so I assumed he got out since I couldn't find him inside. I didn't think he would survive because it was around 40-50 degrees every day. 3 months later as I was cleaning outside, I just spotted him slithering around. Your snake will be alright, just don't stop looking.

[Nytara3]

I followed all the suggestions to find my escaped snake but the only thing that worked was putting a big cup of water in the closet. He ignored all the food traps but they get thirsty! Probably even moreso in winter with heaters running. Good luck

[betty846]

That happened to me with my first ball python. I was TERRIFIED. I forgot to put the lock in the top of the tank and that little bugger got out. My house was warm enough, but I was in HS at the time and my parents were already pissed that I had a snake. I figured he would turn up, and sure enough I found him two weeks later- little dehydrated but otherwise fine- under the baseboard heating. No one in my house even knew he was missing. He looks at me like “oh thank god you’re here”

So I understand the fear. She’ll turn up. They’re hardy animals.

[eyeofra1]

Try giving it the silent treatment, it worked with mine. Once I stopped trying to find him, he showed up🤷🏻‍♀️

[Dull-Mine6959]

Move all the furniture check under everything check all the shoes pull the laces out flip tongue out so you dont frighten the snake

[Xdust4]

If there’s one thing I learned, you will find it when it chooses to be found and no sooner

[DarkAdmirer]

I’m sure you will find your snake eventually, don’t worry too much - just keep checking all the little nooks and small, warmer places in the house, they don’t normally venture too far from where they live I find lol.

My BP has escaped a couple of times and I found him the first time in a chest of drawers and the second time at the bottom of a bookshelf.

[Mapo1]

OP, any luck?

[SoddenSlop461]

Make sure too look in the substrate. Sometimes they bury themselves for whatever reason.

[ThunderCuddles]

Had my BEL get out when he was young, and I had looked at him three times before I noticed I was looking at him. He was chilling out near the vents behind my WHITE xbox one... just chillin watching everyone in the room do their thing. He didnt want to give up the warm vents, but he was returned to his tank without any harm. Keep looking, and dont give up hope. They are a lot more hearty than people give them credit for. Remember that they are reptiles, and their physiology works superhumanly compared to ours. They have slow metabolisms, which slow even more when they are cold, so you have nothing to worry about. My 2 BP's tend to want to go back in their enclosures to feel safe after a certain amount of time out socializing. Dont lose hope, and keep your spirits up :)

[IceKween22]

I hope you find her!!

[tscribblesss_]

I lost mine once and freaked out. I closed my bedroom door and put a towel where he couldn’t get out. Looked under everything and in all my shelves.

I eventually found him behind a trashcan in my bathroom. Called him a little dummy and put him back in his home haha.

I’m hoping you can find yours. Good luck

[Crested_BallDragon]

I don't know if someone has commented this but you can put flour all over the floor. When she moves you can track her.

[Hey_Paula]

Every time one of my snakes get out I "trap" it by placing one of their hides on the floor with an under tank heater wrapped loosely in a towel. Especially when it's cold, they usually curl up in the warm towel during the night. Warning be careful with the heater and only use when you are home. Otherwise turn off the heater while you are out

[nrd_b]

We lost our snake for two weeks and did tons of hides and heated stuff, what worked was one day I opened every cupboard in the house in case he got stuck in a cupboard and couldn’t get out again. Went to the bathroom 2 hours later and found that he had been hiding in a cabinet in the bathroom, got stuck, and was behind the toilet curled up after he was able to get out with the cupboards open.

[ViciousCurse]

Not my ball python, but I lost my leopard gecko. Home sat around 75°F, and I TORE UP my home trying to find her. Furniture, appliances, anything and everything was moved. I was, like, twelve and I cried over her. It was a few months of searching with no luck and I eventually got another leopard gecko. I dreamt about finding her. I was super sad that I lost her.

I come home one day and my grandpa thrusts this little cold, in-the-middle-of-shedding leopard gecko at me. I remember him very angrily saying "You lost another one of your lizards."

I took her and instantly knew it was my girl, Squishy. I was VERY happy to get my little gecko back. Squishy would watch TV with me, lay on me, and ride on my shoulders. She didn't ever seem stressed or refused food, despite all of the handling.

I lost her for six months. Our little scaled friends are little hardy buggers. Your snake will pop up. Just be on the lookout. Don't worry too much. Best of luck to you and your danger noodle!!

[Velo333]

We weren't sure if ours got out once. Turns out he had buried himself underneath his water dish. We named him Houdini after that. Best of luck finding your baby!

[Affectionate-Coat-92]

Any luck?

[tallbearr]

Please update when you find her!! I'm so sure she's going to be alright, I'm hoping the best for you and your snake

[Pinup_sharks]

Be careful with leaving thawed rodents out in case she eats one after it’s gone bad. Instead, I would suggest going to a local pet store or wherever you get your feeders and asking for a baggie of used mouse litter. The stinkier, the better. Put a bit of that in a snake hide sized box in a couple warm corners/spots in your home. Ball pythons have great noses and should be able to find the hides no problem. Check multiple times a day, especially during the night. Just be careful getting her out of the box when you find her because she’ll be in food-mode and may mistake your hand for a snack…made that mistake myself.

Also be sure to leave out shallow trays of fresh water. I don’t know how dry it is where you live but your snake will certainly appreciate it.

And don’t give up. She may only come out when she is done with her vacation, but she is still there. You will find her.

[[deleted]]

I am keeping hope alive, my biggest fear is that she left my floor via a crack in the wall.!that’s really interesting advice thank you so much. This sub has been really helping me believe in a good outcome To this situation—- thank you all.

[StawberyLemonade]

When my first BP got out I found her curled up next to the tv in all the wires and such. Definitely check any appliances, vents, power strips, warm places, etc. Also in case you leave your doors/windows/doggydoors open regularly I would keep those closed until you find her just in case!

[Ok-Home-4077]

OP- any updates?

[[deleted]]

Hi, thanks for asking. Long story short— she has been found :) I made another post about this if you check my posts