Help! Lost Olive Python

[sneakypete]

Hi
I am desperate, I stupidly let my largish Olive roam free around what I thought was my escape proof unit on the top floor of a 13 unit block. Last I saw him disappear behind the kitchen cupboards and have worked out that he has gone up in the duct next to the sewer pipe and into the roof space. I have be3en up into the roof but cant get access to the whole roof. I have cut holes in the ceiling but can only see so far, he could go anywhere once he's up in the roof as there are cavities going down to each unit. What a nhightmare!

I am hoping he will stay in the roof then I might have a chance of finding him....eventually. Becaure it is the warmest part of the unit block.

If anyone has any tips on how to entice him back or find him I would greatly appreciate it.

Signed
Stupidgoose

 

[anntay]

wow ya might get a call from one of the ppl next door or a few doors up screaming snake snake snake run and get him. other then that try a rat in a humaine rat trap put water and food in there with the rat.
if your lucky your petshop might give you the rat and return it when the snake returns. this usually works withing 12 hours. good luck

 

[Frustration]

wow... sounds like quite the predicament...
well i think because it has such a vast area it will be very hard to find... but generally they wont roam to far, so there is always a chance...
the first thing you could try is putting a nice warm hide somewhere in the roof, and see if that draws it closer, and the second thing is to heat up some food and just leave it and see if it gets taken and if it does you know it is still around and then you need to find a way of drawing it out with food or a heat source ...
im sure you have probably heard all these ideas before... but the best idea is to try these and keep searching... but most importantly DONT be destructive when you are searching because you will just scare it further away and make it even harder...
hope this helps, and i hope your find your snake....

 

[Sel]

Oh Dear... maybe you should warn your neighbours

Hope you find him before someone else does!

 

[sneakypete]

wow ya might get a call from one of the ppl next door or a few doors up screaming snake snake snake run and get him. other then that try a rat in a humaine rat trap put water and food in there with the rat.
if your lucky your petshop might give you the rat and return it when the snake returns. this usually works withing 12 hours. good luck

Ok so the trap with the rat in it, i guess put it up in the ceiling. Excuse my ignorance, but what happens to my Olive is he supposed to go into the rat trap and eat the rat or wont he be able to get in?

 

[schizmz]

some form of bottle perhaps with a feed inside,making sure the enterance hole is small enough so once hes eaten he cant get out?..at least up in the cavity if you leave a rat i assume the scent would be strong in such a confined space.. hope it works out.

 

[sneakypete]

wow... sounds like quite the predicament...
well i think because it has such a vast area it will be very hard to find... but generally they wont roam to far, so there is always a chance...
the first thing you could try is putting a nice warm hide somewhere in the roof, and see if that draws it closer, and the second thing is to heat up some food and just leave it and see if it gets taken and if it does you know it is still around and then you need to find a way of drawing it out with food or a heat source ...
im sure you have probably heard all these ideas before... but the best idea is to try these and keep searching... but most importantly DONT be destructive when you are searching because you will just scare it further away and make it even harder...
hope this helps, and i hope your find your snake....

I dont know about "he wont roam far". He is so gentle and inquisitive and he loves to explore, and wide open spaces dont seem to scare him. I wouldnt be surprised if he is at the other end of the unit block by now. The hardest part is that I had a hold of the end of his tail as he was disappearing up the duct, but it was impossible to hold him..too strong. Gosh I am stupid. Of my four snakes (3xJungles, 1xOlive) he was my favourite to handle.

Thanks all for the advise, have already put a heat mat, water, his hide up in the celing and am now warming a rat. Hope this works, but am prepared to get the live rat trap going if this fails.

Thanks again for the help. Will keep you posted

 

[fabregasreptiles]

keep us posted and i hope you find him

 

[Slats]

some form of bottle perhaps with a feed inside,making sure the enterance hole is small enough so once hes eaten he cant get out?..at least up in the cavity if you leave a rat i assume the scent would be strong in such a confined space.. hope it works out.

lol he said largish olive.

 

[schizmz]

lol he said largish olive.

Get a largish bottle? i dunno lol

 

[Slats]

Get a largish bottle? i dunno lol

HAHA like one of the water chiller bottles.

 

[sneakypete]

Found!

Well I am pleased to report that my Olive made his way home at around 3am this morning and announced himself with a loud crash. Before I went to bed at around midnight (worried sick) I placed a heat mat and his hide and water bowl and a rat up in the ceiling space and hung a rat up there, I did the whole sprinkle the flour thing around the gyprock in case he was elusive. As it turned out he took the rat but didn't eat it (prob cos it was cold, and didnt put up a "fight" as per usual) and then he "Climbed" down the ladder that I left under the hole (see photos). I woke suddenly at 3am and ran downstairs to find him wrapped aroud the handle of the fridge door (he must have wanted a beer after his little adventure) and the magnetic thing that holds my car keys to the fridge door had fallen to the floor raising the alarm! He was sitting there with this stupid grin on his face.lol Do you think I could be mad at him? No just look at his face, I put him to bed in his enclosure and then took myself to bed...Happy. Then got up this morning and surveyed the damage (see photos) so now the repairs begin!

There is a lesson to be learned here peoples, NEVER take your eyes off a free roaming snake. They will find the smallest gap and disappear. Also NO place is escape proof!

I had visions of losing this Olive forever or spending many afternoons hunting for him in the roof space. I think I was lucky, thanks to some help from you guys. He made a speedy return.

Thanks heap
sneakypete

 

[AM Pythons]

happy that ended good for you..

 

[sneakypete]

happy that ended good for you..

Thanks

 

[shellfisch]

Man, you are SO SO lucky.
I see so many threads on here about lost/escaped snakes that don't end well.
I am glad you got him back

 

[sneakypete]

Man, you are SO SO lucky.
I see so many threads on here about lost/escaped snakes that don't end well.
I am glad you got him back

Yeah Thanks Michelle, I think I got lucky. Or maybe he just knows where I am and missed my cuddles.lol
I didn't expect him back so soon. Lesson Learnt!

 

[Origamislice]

congrats! so glad you found him. Good looking olive to

 

[Jewly]

God, you are so lucky to have gotten him back so soon.

Mind you, I lost a Stimmie the other night but I found her the next door curled up on my bookcase.

 

[Frustration]

Congrats, you must be so relieved...
hope repairing your apartment goes well
stunning snake by the way...
how old is it?

 

[sneakypete]

Congrats, you must be so relieved...
hope repairing your apartment goes well
stunning snake by the way...
how old is it?

Yes very relieved, he is a great snake with a great temperament, very gentle. He is just over two years old, so will prob get bigger still. Dont know whether you have any Olives but If you have the opportunity to get one, dont hesitate.