# My corn snake escaped? Help please!



## Eep Crood

I had a 1 year old corn snake named Cassey. Today her terrarium stunk so I went to clean it. I got out the box to put her in and I went to take her out and put her in the box. I lifted up the water dish she usually hides under, and she wasn't there. I looked under her cave and she wasn't there either. I looked under her plant and her 2 caves and I even did a thorough searching through the wood chis. I still couldn't find her. I looked all through my room and under my bed and behind my dresser and in my closet, ans Cassey was nowhere to be found. I even looked around the electric cords (where she had hidden once before when she had escaped during feeding time). I don't even know how she got out. I always close her lid and put her back in her terrarium when I play with her. I last saw her a few days ago. I took her out to play, and I know I put her back in the terrarium and shut the lid. have no idea how she escaped or where she is.

Cassey means a lot to me and I want to find her as soon as possible. Please let me know if you know how she could have escaped or where I should look or how I can find her. I have 2 cats, btw. I really want to find Cassey... How do I find her?


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## BettaMummy87

My Ophi did this! Right, best method I found was:

1) crumple up some plastic/paper bags and stick them along the center of each wall in the rooms she may be in. They naturally skirt around the walls of the room out of sight, but the rustling as they pass is a giveaway. 
2) Sprinkle flour along the floor where the doors are. Get it all the way across... if/when she crosses this flour line, she will leave a trail in the direction she headed. Do this to all doors. 
3) Lights off. All of them. Make it really, really dark and sit down. Do not move about. Wait about 30mins... she should come out of hiding then. During this time listen for your bag traps. then you can whack the lights on (better if you have a torch, really) and try and catch her before she hides when she hears/feels you coming. 
4) I normally wait until the others have failed. Get a large bottle of coke (2litre jobbies, smaller if your snake is small), poke airholes all over it, and stick a dead mouse in there. She will smell the food, get in, eat it, then will not fit out of the neck of the bottle.  If she falls for this, you simply right the bottle, cut the top of, and fish her out. 
5) Get the vivarium on the floor, make sure there is easy access in, and keep the heat mat on. Normally, as soon as they are out, they try and find a way back in to their warm home. 
6) Check the warm rooms first. 

All cornsnakes escape eventually. They are regular houdinis. Mine managed to get his probe holder off and escape that way. He was in my boys room. Good luck. I found mine pretty fast fortunately, as I was flouring the doors. Move as quietly as you can while laying your snake traps and she is less likely to go into hiding.


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## Eep Crood

Thank you. I will first wait a day to see if she shows up anywhere then I'll look around the house and set up bag traps. I don't think my parents will approve of flouring the doors because it can get messy. How long can she go without food? She is less than a year old and I last fed her one pinky 11 days ago. Should I put out water in case she gets thirsty?


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## BettaMummy87

Eep Crood said:


> Thank you. I will first wait a day to see if she shows up anywhere then I'll look around the house and set up bag traps. I don't think my parents will approve of flouring the doors because it can get messy. How long can she go without food? She is less than a year old and I last fed her one pinky 11 days ago. Should I put out water in case she gets thirsty?



Put water in her tank, if it is on teh floor. If not, maybe pop her heatmat in a box on its side on the floor, and put her water bowl and a cave there if you can. 

Hoover should pick up the flour pretty easy, but if not, get a bin liner, crumple it up slightly, and lay another bag trap across the gap instead.  Maybe leave a bottle with food with the water too.


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## Eep Crood

Her tank is on a dresser, not in the ground. And she has a light, not a heat mat. I will try the mouse thing if I don't find her in another day or two, I'm sure she can fit in a small water bottle, she is only about 1ft long and quite thin.


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## Eep Crood

*No luck... Yet*

Just finished a thorough search of my room. I didn't find Cassey or any signs of her, but I have yet to check under my bed... So much stuff under there (I might hide under there if I were a snake lol) it is so puzzling as to how she managed to escape. She was in her terrarium with the lid on, last time I saw her a few days ago. 

If I have time tomorrow I will put a mouse in a bottle and see if Cassey will come to eat it. How good is a snakes sense of smell? Can they smell a mouse from a few rooms away?

OH, CASSEY, PLEASE COME HOME!!! I MISS YOU SO MUCH!!!!!:BIGweepy:


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## BettaMummy87

Its a fairly good trap, the mouse one. They will roam about the house. How far away will probably depend on the size of the room and the amount of airflow. Should find it in a normal sized house, though.


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## Eep Crood

It's not too big. It has 3 floors (if you include the basement). It's not super tiny but it's not like it's a huge mansion either. Cassey is, or was, on the second floor (or the third if you count the basement as a level). Can snakes climb up/down stairs easily? How far do they usually go from their enclosure when they escape? (I'm not exactly sure how long she's been gone, probably a couple of days). How long can snakes go without water? How far away can they smell a mouse from? (She still eats pinkies).


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## Eep Crood

I put out a bunch of plastic bags and I put a cooked mouse in a water bottle with holes poked in it. She hasn't eaten in almost 2 weeks, so she must be hungry! Hopefully she will smell the mouse and try to get it. 

I also put out her caves her water dish, and her plant, I put them out on the floor and set them up just like they were in her enclosure. I'm hoping she'll go there since it will be familiar to her and there will be quiet, dark places to hide. Will a snake eat a mouse that was cooked a few hours ago? I know it's most useful at night since things are quiet and it's dark, but I cooked the mouse a few hours ago and I wonder if she'll still want it tonight since it won't be warm or fresh anymore.


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## thekinetic

I'm not a snake expert but I've heard that you can make a mouse more appetizing if you split it's skull open and expose the brain. Not sure you would want something like that hanging around though.


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## Eep Crood

Yes that does sound gross but it's worth a try. I'll do anything to get my little girl back home alive:BIGweepy:


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## Eep Crood

And a few more questions: how long can snakes go without water? And can mice be reheated?


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## BettaMummy87

I personally toss out a mouse if, for some reason, it is defrosted longer than 10hours.

Without water, about as long as a human.


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## Eep Crood

As long as a human? That's not good, she's probably been missing for about 6 days, we can only go 3 days without water. I hope she found water. I put some water out for her last night and a lot of it is gone (not sure if Cassey actually drank it or It obsorbed or the cats drank it.) last night I put out the mouse in the bottle and... Nothing. When I woke up the mouse was still in the bottle and there were no signs of Cassey. I miss my little girl and wand her to come home soon :'(


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## Eep Crood

*Cassey is safe!!!!!*

Well, I have some wonderful news to share. Cassey has been found! Alive! I opened the door to my room and there she was. I had checked there before but she obviously found another hiding place, stayed there a few days, and then went behind my door. I am so glad I found my little girl and she's now safe in her terrarium. Thank you all for helping me find her.:lol::thumbsup::cheers::welldone::BIGhappy:


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## BettaMummy87

Thats great news! They rarely stray far for long. The water and warmth, not to mention regilar food deliveries, are too good to pass up.  I am so glad she ia safe and back with you! Silly snakes.


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## thekinetic

Hurray!


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## JustinieBeanie

Awesome news, I'm so glad that you found her. She must have had quite the adventure! Were you able to figure out how she got out?


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## hrutan

Awesome! That's great news!


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## Charc14

Yay! Thats amazing news! I've been watching this thread because, we lost our snake about a month ago. Some how Either he poped open the lid or one of us left it open lol. Sadly no luck. But Who knows? Congrats on getting your little girl back!!! :greenyay: :greenyay: :welldone:


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## DianeA7X

Yay!


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## Crossroads

Glad to hear she's home. I unfortunately always know when my cornsnake Houdinis out. My cat tracks her and growls :roll: but its also hard to miss her she's as long as a 40g breeder tank


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