My garter got out!

[Dracaena828]

I made a grave mistake when cleaning out her tank earlier this evening and forgot to place the lightfixture that I use as a weight back on Azuli's tank lid. I was out at a movie when I got a frantic call from my mom who was picking up some stuff from my apartment that she had seen my new snake crawling under the futon in my living room. The futon was spread out like a bed and had tons of lumber underneath it for a tortoise tank project, so she couldn't see the snake once it went under. She kept an eye on the bed until I got home, but I don't think she watched it close enough because after carefully removing the wood piece by piece Azuli was not there. My sister and I went over every inch of this place and even moved all the books off my shelves and carefully leaned back each shelf to see if she was hiding in the gap underneath. This snake is no where to be found.... What do I do? Are there any tips to try and catch her, or lure her out of hiding? I have no idea where she could be.
She just shed last night and hasn't eaten for several days so she is quite hungry. I've had snakes escape before, but usually ones with much slower metabolisms, and never a gravid one. This escape worries me much more. Plus I have two ferrets and I am afraid to let them out of their cage until I find her. Please, any suggestions??
Angela

[Stefan-A]

Search the futon, look inside furniture (sofas, beds etc). Look in warm and humid places (bath room, kitchen). Look under clothes, carpets and in shoes. If you have the opportunity, isolate the room where it was last seen as quickly as possible, to make sure it doesn't escape. Put food, water and a hide with a heating mat beneath it somewhere in the house. Spread flour in the doorways and along walls. If it moves around, it will leave tracks and will tell you where it has been.

[Odie]

Dang, check everthing 18 times, lay out some food maybe

[mikm]

Hey Angela ... I am absolutely no good at finding lost snakes but I have read success stories . If you suspect 'under the futon' you might try putting a few plastic bags under there or abouts. The kind of bags you would typically get from a grocery store. The idea being that if the snake slithers near/across/in one of them the bag would make alot of noise hopefully alerting you.

best of luck ...

[adamanteus]

I think other people have said it all Angela. Hope you find her soon. Good luck.

[GarterGuy]

Sorry to hear this, I also haven't had much luck in finding missing snakes (lost 3 Sonora sp. in my apartment that I never found), but the suggestions everyone's made here sound good. Good luck.
Roy

[garterman07]

i hope you find her. i personally never have lost a snake and i never want too but i lost a tarantula once...i lured her out with a fresh mouse traped in a feeder box by here cage, she was missing 3 days and then i found her munching down the feeder mouse. but best of luck mate, put food out in other locations not just one area but multiple areas leave out water dishes like large pans or bowls it could get into because if its like mine it will love water.

[stonyloam]

I posted this once before, it may be of some help. Good luck.
I found this in the web, Google search “nuisance snakes NY”.


Direct capture methods and live traps for non-venomous snakes:

1. Pick them up, wearing heavy leather gloves for protection. Support the snake's entire body to keep it calm. Hold snakes behind the head, to keep them from biting you.
2. With care, snakes can also be captured with a "snake stick," which is a catchpole modified for snakes. A forked stick can also be used (carefully!) to pin down a snake.
3. They can be scooped into a garbage can using a scoop or shovel.
4. To live trap water snakes, add a brick-sized piece of Styrofoam to a minnow trap (so the trap will float, allowing the snake to surface for air). Bait with about a half-dozen minnows. Attach a rope to the trap for easy retrieval, then float it in near the shoreline.
5. If the snakes can't be found, you can lure them to a spot where they can be easily captured. Place piles of damp towels or burlap sacks on the floor, near the walls. Cover the pile with a dry burlap bag to keep it moist. In a few days, return to the pile during the middle of the day, when the snakes are most likely to be there. Scoop up the pile with a large shovel, put it into a large garbage can, and carry it outside.
6. Several variations on the above technique: Use a board or a piece of plywood instead of the pile of towels or burlap sacks. Place some decomposing grass clippings on top of the board, which should be 1" off the ground. Dead mice or mouse droppings placed underneath the board will help to attract snakes. Check every few days. This technique works well with garter snakes and black rat snakes, but is not as effective with water snakes.
7. Create a reptile tube trap, based on a technique suggested by HSUS animal capture consultant, Dave Pauli. Inside this trap, the temperature should be just right for the snake—more appealing than the surrounding area. The trap is a piece of thin-walled PVC tubing that's 2–3 ft. long. Drill a few 1/8" air holes along the length of the tube. Cap one end. In cold weather, place a disposable hand warmer, battery-operated electric sock, or heating pad in the far end of the tube, along with some soft cotton rags. If you have fresh rodent droppings, you may want to toss a few in there, too. (In hot weather, substitute an ice pack or cold, wet rag for the heat source.) Then drill a 1" hole into a cap and use it to cover the other end of the tube. Although the snakes can leave the trap, they usually stay inside because it's more comfortable for them. You can install a one- way valve by affixing a 1 1/2" stiff plastic circle over the inside of the cap. The snake can push its way in, but can't leave easily. (This trap also works with other reptiles, such as lizards.)

[mikm]

So Terry ... Any plans on amending that document to ad an option 8 ?? You know if all of the above fails put up a basking lamp, water dish, and offer pieces of trout or worms, preferably offering food by hand ...

[stonyloam]

Hmmmmm….. I think I am being teased a little, but it might just work. A basking lamp, comfortable mat, shallow water bowl maybe a little food in a quiet place along a wall. Leave the lamp on all night and check it every now and then. I found my snakes would hang around far into the night if I left the light on. They roamed from one end of the room to the other, always seeming to be next to a wall. Good luck.