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Hatchling escape!

legitimatehypnotist

legitimatehypnotist

New member
I recently snatched upt wo young males, a year old caramel and a hatchling Ultramel. I named him Jasper. Today was going to be his big debut, after a week and a half of settling in, I was going to take him out and snap some photos and feed him, and all of a sudden, HE'S NOT THERE!

The lid is made with a plastic rim, which was the problem. It cracked just a bit in the corner, widening the space so he could get out. I was irresponsible to not catch that :(
I'm very concerned that because he's a hatchling, he may have strayed from the room he's in. The issue is, outside the room he's in are 4 cats.

I've already cut a bunch of plastic bags and used painters tape to seal them so I can hear him should he crawl over, light dusting with flour to track his trails, and I'm about to make a shoebox, hook up the UTH to half of it and throw a pinky in there to lure him. OH and not to mention dragging the pinky around the room like a psychopath to get the scent everywhere.

Anything else I should do? Do you guys think he would have gone far? He was definitely there last night at around 2 a.m.
I am so upset that this happened. I love the look of that male and he was eventually going to be a breeder, if all went according to plan. LOL PLANS, RIGHT?!?
Never lost a snake before, help I'm a worried mommy!
 
I want to wish you the best of luck finding your hatchling. I don't even own cats at the moment, and I can't imagine how freaked out I would be if I found my Zanjibil gone. It seems like you are doing all the things people usually suggest when a snake gets lost (I've read a bit about it, just in case, even though it makes me anxious). You almost certainly know this already, but don't people often recommend searching in warm places in the house, like behind the fridge?

Off-topic: I also noticed you are located in Schenectady--that's my home town, though I've been away for awhile. Anyway, hello, and nice to see there are members from my (erstwhile) area.
 
Thanks. No sign of him overnight, not even snakey trails in the flour =[ I'll keep looking at all the warm spots, I'm hoping he didn't crawl into the tv.
 
The Hunter has become the Hunted

I would work by process of elimination.

If you know the room he was in, and you have not seen snake trails, then I suspect he is still in that room.

A hatchling, as you know, can curl up to a super small size, and they can wiggle themselves into just about anything.

Are there any heating or AC ducts he could climb into? If there are, check those. If you're sure he's not there, I would seal them off. Then again, you don't want to seal him in. :eek:

How long is he? They can climb, but be realistic. A 15" isn't going to climb a 30" wall unless he can get a foothold (bad term I know).

So I would check everything, everywhere. Tea pots, book shelves, the books themselves, the couch, garabage cans, corners of the room, picture frames, you name it! If he's like my corns, he probably found a hiding spot and settled in and isn't moving so you'll have to find him, he is not going to find you.

You could try looking at night when he's more likely to be out and about. Use a flashlight and think like a snake. If you were to crawl out of your tub, where would you go? What is within reach or near to the tub. What if he fell, where would he take shelter from there?

A pinkie for bait might help too, maybe even get a live one, one that moves a bit or squeeks. You may not be able to put it in an open part of the room, because I doubt he'll risk exposure to seek it out. Maybe place it near some hiding spots, in a tub so it doesn't wriggle away. Sit and watch it. or continue the hunt. If you check up on it, and its gone, you know a snake in the area. :)

I hope this helps.
 
Thank you. Still no sign of him, and it's getting cold, so I'm wondering, do you guys think if I cut a pinky in half and put it in separate bottle traps, that maybe that would attract him??
More scent, etc.

I'm freaking out, I loved this snake, his genes were VITAL to my breeding project and he;'s so small, he could be anywhere all alone with no warmth or food =[
 
I feel for you. I have a hatchling escape nearly 3 weeks ago and still haven't found her. I've left pinkies out all over the house every Monday night (feeding night) along with hides and still nothing. I had her in a plastic shoe box and she squeezed out of the side of it! I didn't realize how flimsy the sides were. Very important snake for future breeding projects gone! To make matters worse there are a couple of holes in my floor where the cable to my tv used to be. She could have gone down one of them and outside.

Only thing we can do is just keep an eye out for them.
 
Had a hatchling escape 3 weeks ago too. Never found it. It's virtually impossible to find every little place that a hatchling could fit. After days of looking I concluded that if I find her it'll be by luck cause I looked every place I could see.
 
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