Very Lucky Corn Owner

[Maligator]

So today was feeding day for six out of our eight snakes. Sheldon got started on thawing out rodents and we got to work. I pulled Scarlett, our hypo corn out of her viv while Sheldon rooted around for Sven, our Okeetee. Sven is nowhere to be found. Not only is he missing from his 10 gallon viv, the clamps were NOT on his tank.

Then we discoverd The Hole. A puncture in the metal screen. My heart dropped out of my chest. Somewhere, in our three bedroom house, was a minuscule Okeetee who had, hopefully dodged the dogs, the roommates and the cold.

Needless to say, the two of us were frantic. We have a bookcase right next to the shelf his tank was on, so our first idea was to look under it. We moved all the books off the case to easier move it when... There was little Sven, curled up behind some books not a foot from his viv. SO LUCKY. We're fairly certain one of the dogs got too curious and pawed at the top, which would explain the puncture; so Sven is now way higher than he originally was, but holy cow, he gave us a scare!

 

[Emily1188]

Ahhhhh! I just had a similar scare with my anery right after Christmas... nothing like that to make you feel lucky!

Glad you found the little guy quickly.

 

[jlindp]

Yay! So glad to hear you found your baby quickly and that he was safe. Escapes can be such a scary experience.

 

[Maligator]

Ahhhhh! I just had a similar scare with my anery right after Christmas... nothing like that to make you feel lucky!

Glad you found the little guy quickly.

I know it and thank you! You found yours, too?

Yay! So glad to hear you found your baby quickly and that he was safe. Escapes can be such a scary experience.

This was our first escapee. The worst part was the dread when we discovered The Hole. He was no worse for wear, though and had a HUGE appetite.

 

[Emily1188]

I know it and thank you! You found yours, too?
.

Yes, in my laptop bag. LOL. Weird little thing. She's very mellow, so when I picked her up screaming, she was like, "What the hell is wrong with you, lady?! I'm taking a nap!"

 

[Tavia]

Congrats on finding him so quickly! Just a few weeks after I got my two phantoms, I went looking for the female & couldn't find her. Those first few moments when you think they are gone ages you a few years! With the phantom, I eventually found her in the cage, she was just so tiny & in shed, so she was coiled in a little ball under the aspen & I slid her around a few times without her moving. Did have my classic get out this last July while I was away. I was on the phone with my mom while she was checking on the snakes & discovered her missing. I think the only thing worse then checking a cage & having one be gone, is to be in another state when that happens & not being able to look for it yourself. Anyway, glad you found him so fast & unharmed!

 

[Maligator]

Congrats on finding him so quickly! Just a few weeks after I got my two phantoms, I went looking for the female & couldn't find her. Those first few moments when you think they are gone ages you a few years! With the phantom, I eventually found her in the cage, she was just so tiny & in shed, so she was coiled in a little ball under the aspen & I slid her around a few times without her moving. Did have my classic get out this last July while I was away. I was on the phone with my mom while she was checking on the snakes & discovered her missing. I think the only thing worse then checking a cage & having one be gone, is to be in another state when that happens & not being able to look for it yourself. Anyway, glad you found him so fast & unharmed!

You're definitely right! I think I'd be having a panic attack at that point. Was she found?

It's funny, up until now, I had mixed feelings about my little hateling. He hates being held, bites every chance he gets and is so flighty it's hard to enjoy handling him. But as soon as we realized he was loose, all I could think about was how much I'd miss the little challenge that he is.

 

[Tavia]

Yes, thankfully. She had found her way to the basement. The next day my mom had a load of laundry in her arms & was on the phone to my grandma going downstairs, when she saw her out in the open at the bottom of the stairs. She dropped everything & ran down & caught her. I've already said I have the best mom & this also proves it, 'cause the snake, Tavi, struck at her but she didn't let go. My mom doesn't like snakes, BTW. Tavi has a long scratch on her, probably from squeezing through the hole in the screen lid. But it's getting fainter with every shed, so hopefully it will be totally gone in a few more sheds.

 

[Maligator]

So good to hear Tavi was found! We checked Sven over and he didn't have any scratches or tears so we're doubly lucky. I think he was a little overwhelmed when we found him, though. Once he was back in his viv, he curled in his favorite mossy corner and hasn't moved a whole bunch other than to get a drink of water and investigate the new setup (after we shifted all of his hides and climbing sticks, it was hard to get them back in the same places ).

 

[Hypancistrus]

Very lucky. We lost our male and female cresties a few months ago and only ever found the female. At this point I think the male is probably toast. Glad your story ended better than ours.

 

[Maligator]

Very lucky. We lost our male and female cresties a few months ago and only ever found the female. At this point I think the male is probably toast. Glad your story ended better than ours.

Thank you! I'm sorry to hear about your male crested. We've taken extra precautions to make sure he isn't able to get out again and his tank isn't anywhere near where the dogs can stand up to have a look.