NOOOO I've LOST Squiggles

[Lori P]

Guys-- I am LOOSING MY MIND--- my ball python Squiggles is GONE. Gone, vanished. The last time I know I saw her was Wed or Thurs... I saw her lying under her log, while Fluffy was still under her fav. hide. I never looked for Squiggles later on after I saw she wasn't under the log, I assumed she'd gone back to Fluffy as the two are almost always together.

I went to get her a few hours ago to take her out to feed and found her gone... Fluffy is there under her normal hide. I don't look at them everyday because they don't DO ANYTHING.

Their tank is a 55 gallon with a wire top. The top fits very snug and there were two lamps on it, but nothing else to hold it down... because they never go up to the top... they never tried to push it up... I have lots of things to climb on in there, that's the tank we glued the pieces of cholla wood to the back wall. So while Squiggles would climb those, she never tried to push at the top. It is quite a tight fit, but I can push it up in the corner with one finger if I try hard.

The top was not moved or crooked.

Fluffy would NOT have eaten her... would she?? She wouldn't, right?? They've been together since last summer.... Fluffy is bigger but not by that terribly much. Did Squiggles suddenly start pushing at the top?? I supposed if she nudged a corner up and got out, it would have fallen back down hard enough to secure back in place...

I am SICK. We've been pouring over the house but omg, there are a million places to hide... I can't believe this has happened!!!!!!!! I am worried sick for her... I know I should have looked at her every day but I got complacent with the balls because everytime you look they are wrapped up together under the hide. They don't MOVE!!!!! But obviously Squiggles DID move... right on out...

Unless... should I have Fluffy x rayed?? She WOULDN'T HAVE... would she?????????? :(:(:(

[Snake lover 3-25]

oh no!!!!!! :(:(:(but i bet if she did get out you'll find her.... people (me) find their snakes all the time days.... even weeks...... after thay escape...... and she's much bigger and easier to find than the snakes people usuallyt lose.............. you'll find her!!!!!!:D:D:D

[drache]

oh no, Lori, that's awful
and you have a lot of animals around the house too, right?
I wouldn't think a snake would want to come out very much
I bet Squiggles hasn't gone very far, but it's still like looking for a needle in a haystack, because their hiding options are endless
how big is she now?

[Lori P]

We keep thinking that she wouldn't wander this house much... we have so many dogs and cats. At night, they sleep soundly but I would think she'd eventually have caught someone's attention and they would have reacted to her. (Or still might, of course.)

This is an old house with so many options to escape... we keep coming up with new places to look, but have concentrated most heavily in the room with the tank. I just put some used mouse shavings in a box on the floor... maybe she'll come to the smell and stay in the box. This is the worst feeling. :-( :-(

[Lori P]

Sorry, she is about 2.5 feet long and pretty thick.

[Zephyr]

I too have lost a snake Lori. One of my new red-sideds, who's gotten out 2 times already, is missing. I checked all over my room, but nothing yet. D:
The first two times he was in my closet. Best of luck to you also!

[enigma200316]

sorry to hear Lori, as for the eating, I doubt it, I mean its possible, but one you'd notice the diff size, and two its highly unlikely, I have kept six balls together before of varing size and never had a problem even at feeding times.....the best places to look are closets, dresser draws, and furniture and then other place from there, make no mistake they maybe bigger but are very good hiders......also try appliances like stove and what not and do that asap cause they can die quickly in them, keep looking and I'm sure you'll find'em but check everywhere........good luck keep us posted.........

[enigma200316]

I too have lost a snake Lori. One of my new red-sideds, who's gotten out 2 times already, is missing. I checked all over my room, but nothing yet. D:
The first two times he was in my closet. Best of luck to you also!


good luck to you also Kyle...........

[dashnu]

Ohhh man!! Sorry Lori!! Check behind your fridge! The day I bought mine I lost her, she was taking in the heat from the back of the fridge..

You will find her!

/me crosses fingers

[drache]

shucks
I was hoping for better news by now

[gregmonsta]

Fingers crossed for you .... I lost my Squiggles at christmas .... :mad: damn escape artist!!!

[ssssnakeluvr]

that sucks! start checking warmer areas in the house...like behind the fridge... good luck, hope you find her!

[Sid]

Sorry to hear the bad news, Lori. Hope Squiggles turns up real soon.

[drache]

no news yet, huh?
oh man . . .

[Lori P]

We've looked under and in all the appliances, including inside the backs... turned the sofa over... searched closets... no sign yet. I'm taking a break before going to pull out more drawers. Of course, I keep thinking, while we're searching one spot she's sliding behind our backs to another.

Thanks guys, I'll keep looking. Jamie thinks we'll find her around one of the mouse tanks soon. I hope so.

:-(

[jeanette]

im sorry :(
check in small dark warm areas, places like behind your fridge, hot water pipes and even in the boiler cupboard. they will wrap them selves around pipes and can get burnt from it and the squeeze themselves into places you may not obviously think of.

[adamanteus]

Sorry to hear this, Lori. Good luck finding her.

[drache]

any sign of Squiggles yet, Lori?

[Lori P]

Nothing. This will drive me insane. I am sooooooo worried for her. I don't want her hurt or frightened...

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

be sure to check the cage again...

I am sure you would have seen her in there by now but I have done this twice now. I get so frantic upon discovering a snake is missing, I tear apart first the snake room and then the kitchen and the dining room.. only to go back to the cage and see that the snake is actually still in it. Once, it was my grayband, she was curled up in her water dish and the cage was up high so i couldnt see in it!!

I hope things turn out okay for you. For a little support, I will say that in our old house(a solid stone and plaster house over 200 years old that was once a schoolroom before it was added onto and became a gigantic house) , my uncles BABY ball python went missing for an entire three months... and then my german shepherd found her somehere and gently carried the balled up little snake down to us and put her on the carpet. And would you beleive that little snake was fatter than ever! Must have We did have some mice in the attic and in the walls and such. The cats would occasionally bring us one.

Don't get too worried, you call can go a substantial time without any sustenance... just keep calm and don't think about it all the time... you will most likely find her when you are not looking!!!

[Loren]

Hi Lori- hope you find your snake. My ball python got out in the reptile room one time, I found him across the isle on the very top shelf of aquariums(6 feet high)- so in other words, dont forget to look up in your searches.
Up high in a decently warm, dark closet is where I would go if I were a ball.

My ball was given to me by a school teacher, who had it go missing in a school for several weeks till a janitor found it.
I dont trust any petstore-type add-on screen lids farther than I can see them (other than sliding top ones that are built on). Too often they just dont fit securely enough, or even if clips are installed, they might be able to flex in a spot. I had a 3 foot cal king escape through one that was "properly installed".
When in doubt- extra bricks and encyclopedias do well. lift at the lids at every inch of the perimeter and make sure there are no spots that can be lifted reasonably easy.

I have never heard of one ball eating another, but anythings possible, though I would think the other snake would be obviously very fat.

As Shannon said, make darn sure its not just wedged tightly inside some piece of decor in the cage, or elsewhere in the cage.

Let the house go nice and dark and quiet at night, and then look around with a flashlight. When it gets hungry, thats when it will likely come out looking for food.

Good luck. Hopefully none of your other farm animals in the house would harm it if they found it.
:)

[Charlet_2007]

do you have bedding in the cage? if so check every bit of it.. my snakes LOVE to dig a tunnel and hide from me.. hope this helps.. Good luck finding her..

[infernalis]

I have lost and found more than one. Best of luck to you.

Look in places you would never think of. My Pueblan Milk Snake went missing once, Searched forever, under things, emptied out laundry baskets, unbagged storage, everything!

Then I found him coiled up an a bookshelf, 5 feet up looking down at the silly people tearing the house apart.

Places I have found missing snakes, Under the big screen TV, on the same table as the cage, right next to it! (under some mail) behind the PC, up on a shelf and scurrying along the floor. (And once Sky was still in the aquarium, hiding on the sill just below the screen frame, however this was a small male Puget sound and not a fat BP)

Hope you find squiggles.

Kind regards,
Wayne A. Harvey

[anji1971]

Just getting to this thread...............Lori, I hope you find Squiggles. What a worry.......I'll keep my fingers crossed for a safe return!

[drache]

any news about squiggles?
any word from Lori at all?

[adamanteus]

Lori hasn't been on for the past four days.... I've been watching for her.

[drache]

yeah - me too

[Snake lover 3-25]

oh no!!!!! well... it's pron. best that she spends all her free time looking.....:(:(:(

[drache]

she's supposed to keep us posted though

[anji1971]

I'm sure Lori's a busy gal! Maybe something came up with her animal rescue, that's kept her hopping. I'm confident she'll be back with info as soon as she can.
We'll just have to all keep our fingers crossed for Squiggles.

[Lori P]

Guys, you noticed I was missing! Awww.... I feel all loved.... group hug!!!!

No sign of Squiggles... that girl has either found some spot that we've never dreamed of looking, or she got outside, which I don't even want to think about. I'm not giving up hope but I find myself not searching all the time either... more kind of waiting now. I do have loads of little cardboard boxes placed all over the place, with used mouse shavings inside, hoping to entice her in and have her curl up to stay once inside. Pretty soon I'll be spending all my time just checking boxes if I don't stop putting them out!

Thanks guys. Will keep you posted!!

[Snake lover 3-25]

awww i hope you find her soon!!!!!!:D:D:D:D

[LyrisFlame]

Hi Lori! I just lost and found my garter, so I can definitely relate. Losing a Ball Python would make me frantic!

That's a neat idea leaving the boxes around. Maybe with heating pads underneath to make them extra appealing? That might even help to spread the rodent scent a bit, if you can stand it.

Good luck! I hope you find Squiggles soon.

[Jenlang_79]

I'm soo sorry!! I really hope you find squiggles!! I will keep you and squiggles in my thoughts..like snakelovenbabe said..you'll probably find him when your not looking.

[KITKAT]

Have you looked INSIDE your furniture?

I have heard of people losing Balls in apartments that were furnished, and the new renter moves in several months later, and out comes the snake!

We will all be pulling for you and Squiggles to be reunited!