Loose snake

Question
Our pet corn snake is loose.  Do you have any suggestions on how to catch it? Please let me know asap our son is heart broken (although it was not him who left the cage open) and I am a little jumpy knowing there is a loose snake slithering around our house.  
Thank you!
Heather  

Answer
Hi Heather -

This is not really my area of expertise but try the following :

- Put flour around the walls and doorways that is where they generally stay, you will be able to follow the trail.

- Put a heating pad on the floor with a food prey near heating pad and a hiding spot close by.

- Look up, he may have climbed up a plant or top of bookshelves, behind knick knacks or in between books.

- Get a hand mirror and a powerful flashlight, and look under and behind everything: bookcases, kitchen appliances, chairs and couches. If your chairs and couches (and box spring mattresses) are upholstered, check underneath them to see if there are any rips in the fabric that the snake could get into. Check between all of the cushions, along the gap between the mattresses of the bed, and put your hands down between the sides and backs and bottoms of the upholstered furniture.

- Got any boxes (even Kleenex boxes, file folder boxes, anything which would form a nice snug cave), wastebaskets, boots or shoes, bags? If they are out in the open, check them all.

- Check inside of cabinets in bath and kitchen and laundry area. If you see any holes leading into the walls, or into the cabinet from holes down near the floor, make a note of them and come back after you find the AWOL critter and duct-tape them over. Get down on the floor and look UP at the underneath of your cabinets, stove and dishwasher and look for openings; tape or have steel plates fabricated to block any openings once you find your critter. A snake is not very likely to go down the toilet - not when its more fun to squoosh in between the toilet tank and the wall - be sure to check there.

- Lay some sound traps along the walls. The crinkly-sound-making plastic bags from the grocery store are great. Kind of crumple them up and put them on the floor, at least one on each exposed wall. Do the same in any nooks and crannies (spaces between furniture and walls, for example). About 9-10 PM, when it is completely dark, turn off all the lights, turn off the TV, stereo, make it as quiet as possible. Then, with a flashlight turned off but close at hand, just sit. And listen. Give it a half hour or so for the snake to become convinced that it's safe to move. Once it hits one of the bags (or any other crinkly or other noise making sound traps you've put out), you'll hear it. It is just a matter of figuring out where the noise came from, getting over there quickly without causing a great deal of vibrations through the floor (you don't want to overly alert them to your coming), turn the flashlight on and hopefully you have him.

- Put a nice warm mouse (dead is fine) in an empty liter soda bottle. Poke a few holes in it to let as much odor out as possible. Place it someplace on the warm side (again, get those odors out there), disappear yourself, and wait. The snake may come out for a snack, and stay (the black bottoms of some of the bottles makes a nice cave-y feeling place) after its eaten. Or, put some prey in a cage; many a snake has wormed its way between the bars, scarfed up all the prey, and was then too fat to fit back through. If this happens in the soda bottle, you can always cut it open, or just put the bottled snake back into its enclosure, and it will come out on its own.


Some snakes go missing for months and just turn up when you least expect.

***When you do find it make sure that the tank is secure as they can remember how they got out and they can do it 10 times faster.

I hope this helps you and good luck.

If you would like information on natural and herbal remedies for human and animal concerns please contact me at wintersaurora@yahoo.com and I will be happy to assist you. I also offer a catalog of specially formulated herbal remedies which I can send you as well. My products are also available online at www.localharvest.org.

Thank you and best wishes!

Sincerely,
Sharon Hubbs, AHG
Certified Natural Health Consultant & Herbalist