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Husbandry and Basic Care General stuff about keeping and maintaining cornsnakes in captivity.

Baby snake lost in a house with dogs and cats
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Old 03-23-2015, 02:06 PM   #1
compasslogic
Unhappy Baby snake lost in a house with dogs and cats

I just got a baby snake two days ago, on Saturday, at a reptile show. This is my first corn snake or reptile of any kind, ever. I asked the breeder if a 20 gallon long tank would be too big for the little snake, who is about 4 months old and is tiny tiny tiny. The breeder said it would be no problem, but now I'm thinking it really was too much. I had a screen cover on it that I used to use for my pet gerbils, and I bought two screen clips to add to the top. They were sold in packs of two and my snake is so little I thought it couldn't be that strong, so I stuck with two. Now I feel like I need 4. Or 6. Or 6000 all around the lid

So now my little boy is gone. I didn't even get a chance to give the guy a name yet. I can't find him in the tank, though I did put in some decor that I found on sale, and two pieces of the decor are hollow, so I am still holding out hope that he is stuck up in the decor and not actually escaped yet. The holes are bendy so I can't see into them with a light. They are a hard plastic that I cannot bend, and I don't have anything firm or long enough that also bends to try to stick down the holes to see if he's in there. I tried with a chopstick and a small wire, but the chopstick can't bend around the corners, of course, and the wire bends too easily and won't poke all the way down the holes. I need a thick pipe cleaner or something.

But the little guy could have also gotten out. I just fed him yesterday for the first time, so I know he wants to hide somewhere warm to digest. His tank is on top of the island counter in my kitchen, so my first thought is that he is behind the fridge, which makes heat. However, dang the fridge is heavy and really stuck in there. I managed to pull it out a bit only to discover that the back coils are covered over with cardboard with screws in it (I'm renting a house, and never looked behind the appliances before). I can see into all of the front bits of it, but the coils and such go so far back into the machine and the little snake is so so small and I just feel like if he wanted to be hidden in there there is nothing I can do to find him. Plus it's a kitchen. There are cabinets everywhere. And I live in Florida so the whole house is hot so it's not like it would be very hard for him to find someplace that's 80 degrees to hang out in, the whole house is practically 80 degrees.

So here's the bigger problem. I've been reading about how to catch the snake if you can't find it just by a search. I have two cats and two dogs. The two cats are great hunters. They are indoor-only cats, so they have never caught anything outside, but they are great at catching bugs and one even caught a wild bat while it was flying mid-air in the house. I know if one of these cats got a hold of that baby snake they would play with it way too roughly, and it would not stand a chance. They wouldn't eat it, but they would kill it so easily.

Next problem, one of my dogs is a young husky who is a crazy spaz and makes it impossible for me to lay traps. There is no way I can line any of the floor with flour to see trails, my dog would lick all of that up instantly; like the second I got it out of the bag. If I put out a bottle with a pinky in it, as I've read to do, the dog would think that was an awesome chew toy and would tear that thing apart. I can't place the tank on the floor for the snake to come back, because the dog would definitely not be able to leave it alone. Even with the top on she would knock it off and take out the decor for chew toys and dig in all the substrate or something. And I can't leave little water bowls everywhere like I've been told to do since snakes dehydrate easily, because the dogs would drink them dry in a second, and then probably proceed to step all over them and knock them over. Oh and I can't leave crumpled paper around baseboards, cause the dog would shred those for sure. Or the cats would play with them. Same for plastic bags, the cats would be all over those, they love crinkly toys and will always get into shopping bags left unattended.

So... advice? Should I try to get the back cover off of the fridge? Do I need to try to pull out the oven too? Are there any ideas for traps that all my crazy pets won't mess up?
 
Old 03-23-2015, 02:47 PM   #2
Chip
I wouldn't pull out the fridge or oven. That would just be a shot in the dark, and if he's under them, could end very badly. Shine a flashlight under them, though. Also, a 20 gallon isn't "too large" from the snake's standpoint. Millions hatch under the sky outdoors every year. I'm not sure where the "snakes get stressed in large cages" wive's tale came from, probably someone who had a snake that adjusted poorly to being moved.

The hollow logs are a very real possibility. Search for "log of horrors" here. Also if/when you do find him, get those things out! Not until you're sure he isn't in there, of course. Anything the snake can get into that you can't easily get it out of (or see it in) is a terrible idea for a snake enclosure.

It doesn't sound like you have a good house for typical snake traps with your furry pets. I'd stick to just physically looking for him, sounds like your cats would likely find him before you could if he was stuck on tape. Hopefully he's in one of your logs, and this can be remedied easily. I wish you luck. If it eases your mind any, I've had one out for 14 months and found him not only safe, but as big as if I'd still been feeding him weekly!
 
Old 03-23-2015, 03:14 PM   #3
Christaberk
I lost my first snake the very same day I got her. My cat found her a week and a half later. Watch the cats. They will find the snake.
 
Old 03-23-2015, 03:16 PM   #4
compasslogic
I have read through the hollow log of horrors thread. One of my two pieces of decor definitely fits the description. I'm still really hoping he's just holed up in there.
 
Old 03-23-2015, 05:34 PM   #5
hypnoctopus
He may very well be up inside one of the hides. They can fit in very small spaces. I also do not trust those tank lid clips, so if and when you find him, I'd really recommend switching to a sliding locking screen lid with no holes. For now, I would just hope he's up in one of the hides and leave his tank completely closed and secure. The pattern I've noticed after feeding is that usually baby corns will be very active right after eating for a few hours, but once they don't find anything else to eat, then they will hide for several days. So probably the only time he would have escaped, if he did at all, would have been fairly immediately after eating.

I would not worry about laying any traps down. Just continue searching under things. Corn snakes don't like to be out in the open, so he will usually move along the walls and find places to hide.

If it makes you feel any better, I just recently lost a baby who made it from literally one end of the house to the other over the course of one week without being detected by any of my five dogs or three cats. She eventually was found at the patio door, right before she would have escaped outside.

Good luck!
 
Old 03-23-2015, 05:59 PM   #6
compasslogic
Update: I found him! Kind of! He is stuck in one of the hides! I found that there are little holes in the hides so I started shining light in them and one hole reflected back some orange. I poked the orange with a pencil and it moved, so it's him! So now I need more help. How do I get him out?

The log is made of ceramic. How can I get him out of here without hurting him? I've attached pics below showing you where he is in the log. I do own a little hand saw. Also the thing is made of ceramic, so it's fake wood. I've attached pics showing where he is in the log.
 
Old 03-23-2015, 06:01 PM   #7
hypnoctopus
He will probably be able to come out on his own. I would give him a few days and see if he comes out on his own.
 
Old 03-23-2015, 06:05 PM   #8
compasslogic
Quote:
Originally Posted by hypnoctopus View Post
He will probably be able to come out on his own. I would give him a few days and see if he comes out on his own.
Really? A few days sounds like such a long time to me, but I have to get used to thinking in terms of snake time, I guess.
 
Old 03-23-2015, 06:07 PM   #9
hypnoctopus
If he is capable of getting out on his own, he will. But especially since he just ate, he may take several days before he decides to venture out. Just try not to panic and keep a close eye on his enclosure so you can catch him when he comes out and then take the hide away.
 
Old 03-23-2015, 06:08 PM   #10
compasslogic
Quote:
Originally Posted by hypnoctopus View Post
If he is capable of getting out on his own, he will. But especially since he just ate, he may take several days before he decides to venture out. Just try not to panic and keep a close eye on his enclosure so you can catch him when he comes out and then take the hide away.
Ok, sounds like a plan. Thank you! If he comes out I'll let you guys know.
 

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