• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Lost hatchling, please help!

B

bkborden

New member
Hi all! :) I'm brand new to this forum (more honestly, I've never been on any forum ever before :eatpointe), so please let me know if I should be posting this elsewhere haha. I came across this forum from this post, by the way: http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127433.

I lost my new 4 month old hatchling corn this past Tuesday night (less than 48 hours ago); she seemingly slithered out of a sturdy 20 gallon long aquarium tank with a reptile center by using water for adhesion. Unfortunately, she hasn't been found yet, despite: inverted bottle traps with brained pinkies, double-sided scotch tape, putting her heated tank on the floor, water bowls, leaving out my laundry to tempt her out, crinkly bags, etc. I have tried everything I can think of/have read about (including articles like this one and Corn Snakes: The Comprehensive Owner's Guide by Kathy Love) and looked absolutely everywhere! She is a freaking ninja.

The only hints I have of her presence in my room are that yesterday, the water I keep putting out keeps getting drunk, and sometimes she even bathes in it (possibly shedding?) because I put a plastic plate underneath to catch the water if it spilled. And for whatever reason, THAT worked, because I saw that she spilled a lot of the water I left out for her and saw a little indicative tail mark. I also saw some of the scotch tape in a curled position, meaning she slithered by that place. I also got a door draft cover to stop her from moving outside my room, so I'm almost certain she's in my room since there aren't any other exits (I've checked thoroughly; the only other exit is on the ceiling...).

Anyhow, I was wondering if anyone could answer just a few quick questions. For starters, how high can a baby corn snake climb (they can't cling to the ceiling, right?!?!)? Are they likely to climb down carpeted stairs? How long can a hatchling corn live without eating (since she hasn't eaten since last Friday)? Also, since it is really hot in California, which is where I'm from, is it troubling that the normal temperature in my house is around 80 degrees WITH the air conditioning on? I've left out a bunch of tiny bowls with purified water for her in various places around and near my room, but should I turn up the humidity as well, even though it may cause respiratory problems if the humidity is too high?

Anyways, the search continues. Please let me know if you have any experience catching a lost baby corn snake and any other possible tips. :) Thanks!
 
I had one escape from my first ever clutch and she was missing for a month yes they can climb down stairs, ceilings no and put a video camera on pointing in the direction of the water bowl before you go to sleep, be VERY careful where you tread they are not easy to catch and they are easy to squish good luck
 
Turn the camera off when you wake up check the room very carefully go to nearly the end of the footage and then see where she went last
 
That sounds like a great idea, but I don't have any night-proof cameras to record with and she doesn't seem to like the light all that much...? Also, since I have a crazy loud dog, is it even likely she'd go downstairs? I highly doubt my dog would intentionally hurt her, but squish her is a definite possibility. :( I have African dwarf frogs as well, but they are way out of her reach.
 
At four months, I would expect she's got enough weight on her to go for a while without eating. But If its been about a week since her last feed, in a day or three might be a good time to try putting a pinky in a trap again.
 
Okay, I'll try that, thanks! I put out two mice last night, but she didn't take the bait. I'll wait three days and see what happens.
 
For the tape traps, use blue painters tape, not scotch tape. And leave big coils of it all along the walls.

I would look underneath everything in the room. And I'd leave down stuff for her to go under- a T-shirt, a little stack of magazines, etc. I'd put those along the walls, also.

I'd do spot checks for her after dusk- pop into the room and turn the lights on and look for her.
 
Yup, did the masking tape thing last night. Also I used to pop in on her several times a night to try and find her, but she probably feels the vibrations and goes to hide or smells me. Not a trace of her.

I'm starting to get worried because it doesn't look like she even touched any of the water bowls on plates sprinkled with flour (to track her; we have carpet) that I left for her last night. How long can they live without water? Also, weirdly enough, I found a tiny baby alligator lizard in my house on the couch downstairs... could that be tied to her, since I know that they do eat baby lizards? So strange that I can find a tiny baby lizard but not my larger yet still a baby corn... :(
 
I haven't found her, but I'm almost certain she's in my room! I put out warm towels wrapped in aluminum foil (like little burritos) in addition to the water bowls on plates filled with flour, and she shed in one of them a little bit. HUZZAH SHE IS ALIVE AND NOT SQUISHED!

Also, I kept reading articles and articles from all over the internet and found that supposedly baby corn snakes can only climb about 3-4 feet, that they can climb stairs but typically don't, and can live without water for only a couple of days.

Sorry for all the questions that have been asked a billion times that are answered differently all over the internet; after this, I'll try to make a comprehensive post about all the various techniques and I've read about and what should be done right away. But I guess most of this is just common sense. Thanks so much for taking the time to give your advice CornSnameGirl, XenDrgn, and Nanci!

The search continues, but with renewed hope. :)
 
As long as she has water, she can be out a long time. Do you have your room sealed off? You can put plastic mesh over any AC vents, and tape them down. You can roll a towel up and stuff it under your door.
 
Yup, that's one of the first things I did- seal off my door. I bought draft guards to make sure she couldn't escape. The only AC vent I have is on the ceiling, so my room is pretty warm (80s) most of the time. Also, there aren't any holes in my walls that I have found, and I checked EVERYWHERE. I'm much less worried now I've seen her shed though. I'll definitely update if I find her!
 
SHE HAS BEEN FOUND!!!

Thank you all so much for all your help, again!

My brother found her slithering downstairs in the kitchen tonight while I was away. She ended up getting under our defunct dishwasher, where apparently a bunch of spiders and crickets were hanging out. He coaxed her out with two defrosted mice and had to take apart the bottom of the dishwasher (bless him), but fed her on the aspen bedding which can cause impaction so I'll be on the lookout for regurgitation and won't handle her too much for at least three days.

So... I'm in the market for a new, escape-proof tank. Will search the forum for more advice. I know tank clips are a smart option, but maybe I'll find a 10 gallon for her right now that is better for her size (since she is still so tiny).

But the relief of finding a lost snake is indescribable. HALLELUJAH! :cheers:
And to all those who have lost their snake, good luck finding them. Don't give up!
 
Definitely what Nanci said, but if you do go the tank clip route, I know from experience they do work, as long as you use a good amount (I use 6 now but when my snake was a hatchling I only used 2) and double check them every time!

I'm so happy to hear that you found your snakey though! Congrats!
 
I bought four cage clips, and they seem to have worked, as she has not escaped. Once is quite enough. Thank you both for the advice, Nanci and jagodzinski!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top