Escaped snake - in roof space?

[deafiant]

Some may read this thread just to wonder at my stupidity. But for me, this is a reptile related nightmare!

I have had a coastal carpet python, female since the start of December. I don't know how old she is but she is about 6 feet long. Her enclosure is in the garage. (Wife first thought OK to keep inside but changed mind because of interest from the cat.) The garage has a washing line that she likes to climb around on. Usually I am watching and everything is fine. She like her enclosure and will come back, no worries. Last week i was going to clean her enclosure and feed her but her eyes were cloudy. So I left her alone. She shed sometime yesterday.

This weekend I have nephews visiting who wanted to see the snake. I go her out and after a while she headed for the clothes line. Great, I thought, I can clean her enclosure. Well you can guess what happened when my back was turned. She found a gap between the iron and the bricks. It's alright, I thought, I'll just get her off the garage roof. When I got the ladder up, I saw the last of her disappearing into a gap between the garage bricks and the house bricks. I had the last part of her but didn't want to pull too hard as I didn't want to hurt her. Now, she is in the roof space somewhere.

I have taken up tiles and done some "renovation" of the cupboard in the corner she disappeared. I have been up in the roof and under the house. I can't find her and feeling very, very bad indeed. I have read through "FAQ: My snake has escaped, how do I find it?" and left her rat in the enclosure. I'll watch out tonight and probably try the talc powder trick. Any other advice?

I'm hoping it will have a good outcome. No tree branches are close to the house so hopefully she will stay close. She is overdue for a feed and I have never seen a mouse or rat on the property. It is very warm here today - about 35 degrees - and is forecast to only get down to 20 tonight. But Monday will be cold 18 and showers. If she is hasn't left the area, maybe she will come back then.

I have learnt a lot from reading the threads here, usually in a positive way. Thanks to all contributors. Maybe this post will help someone learn what not to do.

 

[garthy]

Good luck, I know how stressful an escaped is. I hope you find it soon.

 

[Jungletrans]

Her size will help , harder to hide and escape . Once in the roof it will be hard to find as she can get down into the walls from there . Do you have a hot water system in the roof ? She will head for heat at night . You will have to attract her with warmth and / or food . l have lost 2, years ago never to be found but l have recovered some as well . Goodluck and dont give up .

 

[anntay]

i know how you feel. what i did was i got a humain mouse trap and put a life mouse in it with some water.
this worked for me.
good luck hope you find her.

 

[ozziepythons]

Get up into the roof and look as hard as you can, and best to do it at night when the specimen will be active. The more time that passes the more likely it may leave the property and disappear. Also check the garage top to bottom, as the python is just as likely to head back out of the same hole it slithered into, back into the garage.

 

[geckoman1985]

mate keep an eye out when it gets dark it may be out travling about people have found lost pythons some time arfter thay got out as it is big it will be easy to find

 

[Bez84]

This is what i used to catch my escaped diamond when it went into the roof.
I used one of those green fold up opera crab/fish traps you get from bcf and just put it up against a wall in the roof space and ran a trail of used sawdust rat bedding along the wall and into the trap.
Caught it the next night, have used similar method in past with success, although used beddin is alot better then a live rat in little wire cage inside trap lol.
Hope this helps.
If you have a heat mat put it under trap the heat and smell with cause the snake to home in on it like a missle lol.
p.s you want the traps with the slit entrance that the snake has to push through and not the ones with the round holes.

 

[deafiant]

Thanks for your suggestions and kind thoughts. No positive news yet. Some more things to try tomorrow plus it will be colder so maybe...

 

[python78]

Any news? I hope she comes back to you really soon. I will keep my fingers crossed.

 

[deafiant]

FOUND! Escaped snake - in roof space?

I am very, VERY pleased (and even that doesn't reflect how I am feeling) to say that my coastal is back! I cannot believe how lucky I am.

I had bought a heat mat and borrowed some mice from my pet shop. I also bought the fish trap from BCF. (Apparently it is now illegal to sell the slit entrance ones, only the round hole ones). Spread around flour and mouse litter but no sign. I should explain that the mice were in an enclosure safe from the snake.

We were away for 3 weeks over Easter. Early last week, I went up to look around and turn on the central heating unit located in the roof. Still no sign. My wife encouraged me to have another go with mice so again borrowed some from the pet shop last Thursday. Last night went up and was looking around under central heating unit and the hide over the heat map, etc. Nothing. I was heading down to get more water for the mice when I saw her. She was wrapped around a rafter hanging down in the striking position. I was dumb-founded, gob-smacked! I didn't realise what I was looking at, at first, and then it hit me and I almost fell through the access hole.

So this story has a happy ending after all. She looks fine, maybe a bit thinner and felt a bit cool but better this morning after some warmth from her enclosure. I know I am extremely lucky and I have learnt a big lesson. Thanks again for all the advice and kind words.

 

[Slats]

Congrats mate. You're a lucky man!!

 

[bob360]

Seal up that hole!

 

[GTsteve]

Woohoo! Thats brilliant. Very pleased is quite the understatemnt eh?!

 

[hoppyone]

Go and buy a scratchy you lucky bugger??

 

[deafiant]

Seal up that hole!

Yep, one of the jobs to do. I have dropped off some choccies to the pet shop and I am about to start building a larger enclosure so she can get better exercise without having to leave it.

Go and buy a scratchy you lucky bugger??

I think I have used my luck up! Don't want to push it.

Actually, I think this is better than a scratchy win. Hope it helps others to keep trying - warmth and food are the key. But the main thing is don't allow them out without making sure there are no escape routes and never take your eye off them.

 

[Megzz]

Glad to hear you got her back!