I was reading another thread about a kingsnake who's good at getting out and it reminded me of a story.

Most of us who have kept a number of snakes over a long period of time has had an escape or two. Or 17. LOL! We try to be careful, we do what we can. But somehow they get out. Luckily we usually find them. But not this time. Well, not exactly.

When I was a young buck I worked in a pet shop. Back then my collection was erratic. A lot of onesies. I wasnt into breeding anything yet I was basically just collecting whatever struck my fancy or came my way. Plus being at the pet shop was a great spot to find unwanted reptiles or just really good deals.

A call came in one day from a guy who had a yellow ratsnake who didnt want it since it was mean. I asked my boss if he wanted the snake and he said no. The yellow rats really didnt sell well at all and this one was 4' and nasty. So he took a pass. Back then I couldnt resist a free snake especially one I didnt have so I told the guy I would take him. Went over to his place and picked him up. It was owned by a nice young couple who just couldnt deal with him. They had him in a cage with bricks on the top they were so scared. They wouldnt touch him so I went in there and bagged him up. He was mean as a junkyard dog.

I took him home and set him up. He was a fantastic feeder. And always out and about. I liked him. Well, long story shorter one day he got out. I tore the house apart looking for him to no avail. Weeks go by, then months and I figure he's good and gone. I figured in that length of time hes probably made it out of the house and is ghost. Or maybe he got into something and died. But either way hes history.

This was summer time BTW I should mention that.

A few months later a couple guys walk into the pet shop with a box. It seems they had just found a snake and wanted to know what it was and how to take care of it. This happened now and then so I didnt think anything of it. When they opened the box well looky loo its my yellow ratsnake! No kidding. I could tell right away since yellow rats arent native to NY there arent all that many of them scampering around, lol. The snake was wild caught and had a noticeable scar on the side of his face running down his neck about 3". And there was the scar. Only change was he was much fatter and quite a bit longer! He must have been eating good!

I asked the guys where they found him and they told me the golf course. Ah, that made perfect sense. My house was about two blocks from the course. It was very woodsy with plenty of water. Beyond that was a resovoir. Even more woodsy with tons of critters. Birds, squirrels,field mice, a ratsnake feast.

So I told the guys what it was and set them up with what they needed to take care of him. And off they went on their merry way.

When I told one of my co-workers the story he asked why I didnt tell them it was my snake and claim it. Ehhhh. I didnt want to start a problem. I mean I got the snake for free so I wasnt concerned about money. Yellow rats were a dime a dozen and if I wanted I could have as many captive bred babes as I could handle for around $5 bucks a piece. I liked him, but I had a lot of other snakes and these guys were really excited about it so let them have some fun. Also, what am I gonna do? Tell them its MY snake give it back! I cant prove that. And I didnt wanna start a ruckus at my job.

So thats my story. The one that got away. And came back. And got away again. Ratsnakes, you just cant shake'em

:)

Good story, ya ol' softy:wamma:

Good story, ya ol' softy:wamma:

Ya got me pegged. If someone really seems to like an animal, even if I have dibs on it, Ill let it go. Guilty as charged. :yessir:

This is the last place mine escaped from. Been gone a month now.

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff315/QuigsPlace/Picture027-1.jpg

Hrrmm a month. Thats a pretty long time.

But dont give up hope, he still might turn up.

Did you check the vent? :)

She's been gone before and each time I find her taking a drink from the toilet LOL. But she's not been gone more than two weeks till now. The only place I think she might be is in the cold air return. The gaps in that vent are wide enough for her to get through. I've searched and researched every place else. My biggest concern with her is that she hasn't held down a meal in the four months I've had her. She's regurged everything I've fed her till the meal just before she got away this last time. It was only a 17 gram rat fuzzy.

I had a grey rat escape. He was missing for two weeks. I did the whole painters tape on the wall bit to no avail. Found him after I had given up looking when I went to get the mail. It was so funny I ran and got the camera before I put him back in his cage. As you can see, he did find some of the tape (which came off without any issues)

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b214/FloridaHogs/Rat%20snakes/100_4857b.jpg

tape has worked for me too.
gotta love it !
ck

V
you big 'ol mush-bucket-brotha you...
great story.
i had a boomerang yellow myself.
set up a chick i was seein' once with one.( also in the nineteen eighties )
even built her a nice tank for it.(hey, i was seein' her)
months after we split up i get the call (not the "please reconsider call" , the "please get this snake outta here" call ! )
damn boomerang snakes...
ck

Great story! That is hilarious! :rockon:

Good one V. My daughter let go about 100 baby corns one time before a show...... had corns coming out of every place you can imagine for about 4 months...... Wife was NOT happy....

She's been gone before and each time I find her taking a drink from the toilet LOL. But she's not been gone more than two weeks till now. The only place I think she might be is in the cold air return. The gaps in that vent are wide enough for her to get through. I've searched and researched every place else. My biggest concern with her is that she hasn't held down a meal in the four months I've had her. She's regurged everything I've fed her till the meal just before she got away this last time. It was only a 17 gram rat fuzzy.

i have one thats been gone for 2 months now but the good thing is i know were he is, he's under my bath tub playing with my emotions lol. i went out and bought a rigid see snake micro camera just so i could see under my tub and in my walls to find him and sure enough hes under the tub hanging out but wont come out. i guess when he decides he cant hold out any longer he will come out because im not tearing my shower enclosure out in the winter time just to get him. he has heat under there and water, i leave food for him sometimes but mostly in a cage in the room he got away in hoping he will come out to eat. but i have lost some and got them back 4 or 5 months later so dont give up hope, i gave it up then around 5 months later i got her back and to this day i still dont know were she went to but she came back lol

Good one V. My daughter let go about 100 baby corns one time before a show...... had corns coming out of every place you can imagine for about 4 months...... Wife was NOT happy....

how old was your little girl when she did that ?
i could imagine the mother unit hysteria !
ck

i have one thats been gone for 2 months now but the good thing is i know were he is, he's under my bath tub playing with my emotions lol. i went out and bought a rigid see snake micro camera just so i could see under my tub and in my walls to find him and sure enough hes under the tub hanging out but wont come out. i guess when he decides he cant hold out any longer he will come out because im not tearing my shower enclosure out in the winter time just to get him. he has heat under there and water, i leave food for him sometimes but mostly in a cage in the room he got away in hoping he will come out to eat. but i have lost some and got them back 4 or 5 months later so dont give up hope, i gave it up then around 5 months later i got her back and to this day i still dont know were she went to but she came back lol

have you tried accessing the under tub area from the adjacent room ? (assuming it's not an outside wall here) if you have seen him with your see snake before, then you can get another peak at his location, and cut through the sheet rock adjacent to where he is. most tub installations wouldn't have sheetrock going all the way to the floor behind the actual tub, so you would likely only be cutting through the one layer of rock. it would be worth a rock repair to get that sucker outta there, as he may not be able to find his own way out. and, speaking from experience, the ensuing post-partum stench (which lasts about 3-5 days, depending on a few variables )will not likely agree with your lunch.
good luck, if you're not sure how to do this, and if it's plausable, i'm sure i can walk you through it.
here to help,
ck

Yeah I've got a couple of escapees somewhere in the house right now...... Two little baby corns. The first one got out a while ago and I did the whole laying out boxes, tape in the corners and so on and so forth but no dice. Now just the other night I'm checkin on the corn rack and I noticed that one of the tubs is open about an inch and the little bugger that was in there is long gone too. I'm pissed too cuz that was my motley snow male :devil: so now I've got 2 motley snow females, 2 normal motley het snow females and no damn male to go with them. Gotta find that little guy lol.

Yeah I've got a couple of escapees somewhere in the house right now...... Two little baby corns. The first one got out a while ago and I did the whole laying out boxes, tape in the corners and so on and so forth but no dice. Now just the other night I'm checkin on the corn rack and I noticed that one of the tubs is open about an inch and the little bugger that was in there is long gone too. I'm pissed too cuz that was my motley snow male :devil: so now I've got 2 motley snow females, 2 normal motley het snow females and no damn male to go with them. Gotta find that little guy lol.

good luck and God speed in your quest...
ck

good luck and God speed in your quest...
ck

Lol thanks CK, I'll be laying out some painters tape and trying to find the little guy tonight. There's just too many places around that he could have gotten to. He just ate too so he won't be hungry again for a little while but I'm still gonna try laying out a couple pinkies overnight and see if that gets him to come out of hiding.

Goodluck ginding him Adam

Nice ol story there V....

I had a milksnake get out, found it a year later.... had wild mice get into the house over a year ago.... don't have any now.....Hmmmmmmmmmm

how old was your little girl when she did that ?
i could imagine the mother unit hysteria !
ck

She was about 3. I set down my tote with all the corns in it at the top of the basement stairs and went back down to get something else. When I came back, she had corns everywhere..... this was like 4 am. I thought the little stinker was sleeping away....
And mother unit threatened to cut appendages off father unit if he didnt find all those corns...... :nono:

Good one V. My daughter let go about 100 baby corns one time before a show...... had corns coming out of every place you can imagine for about 4 months...... Wife was NOT happy....

Whooo! Thats a good one!

Corns to the left of me, corns to the right of me...

How many did you get back? :lol:

Nice, every time one of my ball pythons get out I look in one of my dresser drawers...for whatever reason I always find them in there if they get out...

Good V! Soft ass mofo..lol

When my little butter het pied got out I covered the snakeroom with ducktape strips turned upside down.. That stuff works wonders but if you don't find them soon after they get stuck boy are they doomed..:(

Good V! Soft ass mofo..lol

When my little butter het pied got out I covered the snakeroom with ducktape strips turned upside down.. That stuff works wonders but if you don't find them soon after they get stuck boy are they doomed..:(

olive oil will get the tape off the animal with no damage.
ck

mineral oil works great too!

Whooo! Thats a good one!

Corns to the left of me, corns to the right of me...

How many did you get back? :lol:

:lol:
About half......

I had a female ball get out about 2 months ago.. Either I didn't slide her tub all the way in or she forced it open just enough to get out.. I stayed up till 2 or 3 every night for a week looking for her.. After that week I just put some tape down in places and hoped she would show up.. Well 3 weeks or so later my wife was getting something out of the bottom of her closet.. I heard the scream and knew right away what she had found!! LOL I ran in to get her and my wife was livid..!! I hadn't told her about the escapee..LOL I politely thanked my wifeee for finding her and then took my ass chewing like a man.. LOL

Alan

I had a female ball get out about 2 months ago.. Either I didn't slide her tub all the way in or she forced it open just enough to get out.. I stayed up till 2 or 3 every night for a week looking for her.. After that week I just put some tape down in places and hoped she would show up.. Well 3 weeks or so later my wife was getting something out of the bottom of her closet.. I heard the scream and knew right away what she had found!! LOL I ran in to get her and my wife was livid..!! I hadn't told her about the escapee..LOL I politely thanked my wifeee for finding her and then took my ass chewing like a man.. LOL

Alan

LMAO...lesson for the day always tell the wife when something is loose in the house.

LMAO...lesson for the day always tell the wife when something is loose in the house.

Very good advice Tama! My ex found an 8 ft pissed off retic in the same manner.... I was happy she let me sleep on the couch that night instead of the porch where she threw my pillow and blanket....

Ahhhhh, eight foot retics. Years ago I stayed with a gal that has one constantly popped the lid off her enclosure. It was nothin' for me to be woken up at three or four AM with this thing crawling across my legs, I slept on the floor. I would grab her up, tell her she was a bad girl and drop her back in the enclosure. Ahh, those were the days LOLOL

I have only had a couple escapes here and only one that we didnt find within 24 hrs.

The funniest one was when our blodd escaped some how "still a mystery" and we found her curled up inside a sock...yes a sock LMAO