Can I scream now?!

I go out to check on the snakes and mice before getting the riding mower out to go mow before it "might" rain in the next few days.

As I look everyone over, I don't see a couple of snakes where I usually see them. I lift up the Sterlites and no snake..so I de-lid the two and rummage through the aspen...no snakes!

So now since moving in at the beginning of May...I've lost a total of 4 snakes. Four. That's more than I lost in 4 years of living at our other house.

The latest two MIA are: my 04 male anery het snow Kenyan sand boa and an 04 albino het butter female corn.

I could just sit down and cry right now. I'm beginning to think the structural integrity of the Sterilite's when it gets hot out are the problem. I think it gets hot and the lids buckle more than they normally would and allow escape routes out. I wonder if Sterilite would pay me for the snakes I've lost....

Right now I'd be willing to pay for a plane ticket and room and board for anyone who's carpentry minded to come to my house and build me some good sturdy melamine racks with heat tape. I called a local carpenter and I said I wanted it built out of melamine, and he's like "what's that?".

*sigh* Murphy can sit on it and spin for all I'm concerned.

Dang Misty, I am so sorry to hear about all the loss you have had. Wish I had a quick answer to your problem but right now I'm at a loss. I can say I don't think I'll ever have another rack made out of melamine thought...talk about heavy! I've now been spoiled by Barr's racks, I can move them around all by my little self. If any bright ideas come to this head of mine I'll let you know. Hang in there girl, we'll get something figured out. *hugs*

The Sterlites are good but a determined small corn can manage miracles. I've used the black binder clips with great success on "occassional" overflows that I have when the racks are full. Unfortunately, that little lesson cost me a Butter Mot and a prized Cream so I feel your pain. Good luck!

Wow Misty you are having a bad stroke of luck lately. Sorry to hear about losing your snakes, then having one eat your feeders. I hope things get better for you. I feel for you and your loss.

Wow, talk about bad luck. Sorry to hear all this. But it has to get better soon, right? You can't have ALL bad luck.

You're also starting to worry me about using Sterilite. That's what I'm planning to use for all my babies when they hatch later this year, now I'm not so sure about using them.

Do you just have the sterilites sitting out without anything ontop of the boxes to weigh the lids down?

So far I have 2 snakes in Sterilites and they haven't got out, but I'm using binder clips on them as CAV mentioned. Sigh...I may have to stock up on more binder clips for the baby's cages.

All of the snakes I've lost thus far have been in Sterilites when their cage was on the bottom of a stack. So I'm guessing with the heat and the weight on top, it's bowing the lids out just enough to give a gap for a snake.

Like I said, everytime I go check I un-snap the lids on both ends, so they were fastened on pretty good. I've used these same Sterilites for over a year now and no problems. But then again, they were in an air conditioned home at that time.

I'm really thinking of using the Rubbermaid CD/Picture boxes. They're completely clear and don't come in the wide range of sizes..and they have little rows sticking up in the bottom, but the lid physically fits down on the lip and securely snaps at both ends. I tested the holdfastness of the locks by tossing an empty box around the yard and compared it with a Sterilite when dropped. The Rubbermaid CD box never unlocked and opened...the Sterilite opened on the first fall. I was just merely checking to see if they would hold if dropped or knocked off.

But I can see I'm going to have to come up with something different before I lose something entirely more valuable...like my hypo lavender or pewter.

Very sad!!!
Do you think there is a chance you can find them!?

I've already lost one of my corn, but i didn't know he was escaped since my boyfriend go to the bathroom and find him crawling on the floor!! I think i have been very lucky this time!!

I hope you will be as lucky as me!! :wavey:

I used to use Sterilite for all my snakes, but over the past year, their quality (in the sizes for adult corns) has decreased...and it's mostly the lids. They just don't seem to fit very well. Some wouldn't close at all. I noticed the Rubbermaid containers with the snap and lock lids and have been using them ever since. The lids close securely and they are much more sturdy when stacked. I don't notice any buckling in them at all. The snap and lock lids are becoming available in the smaller containers as well, so from now on, it's Rubbermaid all the way for me.

Keep looking for your excapees. I've had missing snakes turn up weeks to months later, and often in the most unusual places. Especially look in dark, "tight" and warm places. I've found hatchlings under the hot water heater, inside the sofabed, under the washer and dryer, and even inside a dresser drawer!

Update:

While moving some miscellaneous crap from a corner in the polebarn to put an old fridge/freezer I found my male Anery het Snow Kenyan Sand Boa that escaped nearly a week ago. I'm really glad I found him. He wouldn't survive very long on his own I don't think, especially with the unseasonably cool weather we've been having with record lows at night.

3 more snakes to go..

I am terribly sorry to hear about all of the bad luck you've been having! I've not had much time to get on the forums lately, and I just now found this thread...

I hope you find more of your MIA snakes! I am glad you found the sand boa since he would be the one who would not be able to survive a winter in Indiana...

Good luck, and I hope things start going better for you!

Misty,
Have you got snakes traps set to catch your missing mates? (Apart from your Drive Thru Mouse Snack Restaraunt of course LOL) good luck.

No. No traps set. However I did see a sticky-trap at Wal-mart for catching vermin (snakes were included on that list). But I thought the strength of the adhesive would be a bit more harsh than I was looking for and would more than likely do damage to the snake rather than just merely catch it.

There is a couple of areas that are left to thoroughly look through. The previous owners left a pile of odd and ends pieces of wood and boards in one corner. I've seen several wild mice in the vicinity of that area, however I've been reluctant to make more of a mess in the polebarn than there already is by moving the wood elsewhere. But I guess it'll have to be moved sooner or later, so I might as well start early.

The owners also left a couple old rolls of carpet (thank God it still wasn't in the house, as it's butt ugly carpeting) so I'll have to get those out and unroll them in the driveway to look for snakes as well.

Other than those two places I've searched everywhere else. Since it worked on a wild snake the last time, I've left the rabbit-wire lid on the mouse cage and set the cage on the floor in a dark corner. I left a couple of young small adult feeders in there for a potential meal. I know my creamsicle is a slithering stomach, and that may be the way I catch her, who knows.

Misty, you may want to make some bottle traps to set around, also. Do you know how to make them?

As for the glue traps...I have seen several dead snakes at work because people thought it was OK to use them to try to catch their missing snakes. They are not safe to use!