Lost my stimsons python last night :(

[lithopian]

Ok guys. I’ve done the unthinkable and lots my 9mth old stimsons Python. I was feeding him in his tub on the kitchen bench and was on the phone at the same time- went to do something and got distracted and forgot about him, came back 15 minutes later and what do you know, he’s gone. I feel like a complete idiot and can't believe I’ve done this. I searched until about midnight (2 hours) and then every hour after that went out in the dark with the torch and searched all the same places again. Tonight I'm going home to do a MASSIVE clean and get everything up off the floor and put some dead mice around for him. I have a horrible suspicion he may have gotten behind the washing machine and into a wall cavity- but I can't reach it to check him. So far I have blocked the front of the washing machine with a towel and plan to check everywhere else and if all else fails, ill unblock it, pull the washing machine out and leave a dead brained mouse out for him, and hope he smells it and comes out, if that’s where he is.

I’ve spent all morning online reading other peoples’ lost posts and plan to try the flour trick, and I’ll continue to search with the torch after dark, being sure to keep quiet. I might just sit on the couch and go on the laptop and hope to see him if he comes out. I did only feed him one pinky last night, and he normally has 3, so I'm hoping he’ll be hungry again soon. He can't reach his enclosure because its high up on a cabinet with his other stimmy friend in it. I might set up the spare heat mat with his favourite hide on it and put a pinky on a papertowel near it and see if that fares any.

Luckily in Perth its been over 30 degrees everyday so I know he shouldn’t get too cold and go into hibernation somewhere, and he can't get outside, so I’m hoping he will show up. Although people’s stories about them being away weeks or months is a little disconcerting :/ And I’m worried about that hole in the wall L I hope that tonight fares me good luck and I can write and tell you all tomorrow about the silly place he’s crawled into L.

If anyone has any suggestions- I read someone put live mice in a secured container with hides all around it and on top of it and it lured the snake out.. I guess that’s an idea. But I was just going to leave pinkies in open areas and wait :/

 

[Jay84]

Good luck

 

[pythrulz]

Well most of us loose snakes went to feed my coastal and he was gone after a lot of searching found him under the bathroom sink in the dark on top of a bucket they never travel more than a few metres away from there enclosers mostly there are lots of threads on here about finding mising snakes good luck

 

[Pythoninfinite]

This can happen to anyone! My bet is that he'll turn up after dark somewhere in the house, if you go around with a torch 30 mins after lights out. In my experience they rarely get into the worst places you can imagine, they'll be somewhere close by - behind books, under a fridge (warm), in a shoe, but your best bet is to look. Remember, if you feed him, he might just disappear for days when he goes off to digest. Better to leave the food thing and keep him hungry... and active enough to come out looking for food (you can enclose the food item so he can't eat it).

You've had some really warm weather in Perth, 37 yesterday and 39 today, he's not going to go into hibernation for another 5 months, regardless of where he is.

Good luck, Jamie

 

[lithopian]

thanks for the kind words guys.. i'll be sure never to do it again that's for sure. So frustrating because i was so careful in choosing a safe enclosure to make sure this never happened at least the other stimmy will be safe.

I didnt think about that with the food Jamie, good idea. I might try the live mice idea in a cage near where he went missing, try to draw him out. I'll put hides around it and a heat mat next to it. See what happens. I hope to god he's not inside the wall.

 

[Opalsdad]

Good Luck, I hope you find it. I would try the flour trick near the hole in the wall so you can stop yourself thinking the worst. Like everyone says it can happen to us all

 

[snakelover33]

Well, my chances are that it will come after a while but it might be gone now but best of luck

 

[dickyknee]

Well, my chances are that it will come after a while but it might be gone now but best of luck

Great advice there ......


If you are going to leave food out I would suggest you only leave it in the tub it normally lives in , it may stay on the heat in there if it does eat.
Just leave small gap for it to get in.

 

[Kristy_07]

Great advice there ......


If you are going to leave food out I would suggest you only leave it in the tub it normally lives in , it may stay on the heat in there if it does eat.
Just leave small gap for it to get in.

Dicky, I think he said (twice, actually) it lives in an enclosure with another stimmy, so he can't leave the door open, can he?

Look close by, mate. It's unlikely he's travelled far in less than 24hrs... you could always leave food out sealed in chinese containers with some holes in them. If he comes looking for food, but can't eat it, he'll stay hungry (like Jamie said), and if you're sitting up watching for him, you'll see him trying to get to the food. Flour around the containers might give you a clue as to whether he's coming out at night , too... good luck

 

[dickyknee]

Dicky, I think he said (twice, actually) it lives in an enclosure with another stimmy, so he can't leave the door open, can he?

So sorry , I did read the first part where he said "I was feeding him in his tub on the kitchen bench and was on the phone at the same time" so you may see where i assumed it was in a single tub on its own , i did re read the post and managed to see where he mentions it lives with a clutch mate once , not twice , but thanks for pointing it out

Any way , use a spare tub if you cant use the cage it currently lives.

 

[reptilife]

I lost my very first Spotted, and after hours of searching the house I found him curled up on top of my 3-bank enclosure, so he hadn't gone far! Good luck and don't give up!

 

[lithopian]

i wont give up!! I'm going home to sort out the house, repair a little of the damage i did last night and remove any things he may try to hide in.

I'll let you all know in the morning what i find/ dont find

 

[Amature]

hey mate ull find him stay postive i lost my childrens python for 2 and a bit weeks and i went searching at 1 in the morning i found him beside the wall and laundry sink only bout 2-3 cm gap so look everywhere like under ur fridge and in all ur kitchen cupboards under the kitchen sink he/she will show up just gotta be in the rite spot at the rite time good luck

 

[andrew_p]

try under your fridge and near the motor of the fridge they make a tiny bit of heat and vibrate also hot water system i lost my stimmy for 4 weeks and found him at 3 in the morning when i was going to the toilet he was behind the bowl..the hot water system was in the same room
hope this helps

 

[Gusbus]

one of mine got out found it behind the tv.

 

[Bushman]

Donks just found it in the adjacent thread! :- http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/australian-snakes-37/look-found-g-strings-148420/

 

[Smithers]

Good luck mate hope he pops out sooner than later,...

 

[snakelover33]

Guud luuck, i hopee i dont loose my snake when i get it tommorow

 

[Snowman]

I had a stimi get out not long ago. We had some visitors and I have a feeling one of the kids moved the glass enough for an escape to occur. There were two in that enclosure. Found one in on my wife’s side of the bed under the top cover the next night. (of course innuendo’s ensued about it not being the first time she has found a python in her bed).
The other turned up about 4 days later at the very top of the linen cupboard, in the sliding door rail. I was paranoid it had gone out side or into the wall cavity and I’d never see it again.
Keep looking. Especially after sunset when our stimi’s like to go for a stroll.

 

[lithopian]

i found him guys!!! I went home after work on friday and began cleaning up the kitchen where he went missing.. took 3 hours of cleaning and i'd had enough, i was exhausted. So i decided to pull out the washing machine and the fridge and do the old powder trick to check for tracks later on. Pulled out the washing machine, and there was little sampson, curled on the top of it. No idea how he got up it to sit there! But he had been in the wall cavity.. he was covered in slime and dust and cobwebs and he'd also managed to procure a meal for himself in there that's got me a little worried, dont know what he found- hopefully some kind of unpoisoned rodent. He mustve travelled a fair way though, he was starving when i found him, and pretty dehydrated too- probably from the 40 degree days in perth we've had. Gave him a quick bath in the humidity box and he had a good long drink, did a circle of the enclosure and then curled up on top of his sister in her hide. I was very relieved to have him back and kept a close eye on him all weekend. He's passed whatever he ate now, and it looked the same as his other scats so im not too worried. SO glad to get him back though- who wouldve thought hed come out of that bloody wall cavity. The washing machine wasnt even warm!

Thanks for all the help and support guys! And like everyone said.. he was only 2m from where he disappeared (minus his wall cavity adventure!)