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deleted
7384 Posts |
 Posted - 20/04/2012 : 11:54:30
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Right at the moment I hate, I really hate, traditional viv design, with those sliding glass windows. I've never been able to get to grips with metal locks, so I use those rubber wedges, and sometimes sellotape too. The trouble with wedges is, as you push the wedge home it can sometimes slide the inner glass panel ajar. I'm obsessively vigilant about this, but still I've had three escapes now, so obviously not quite vigilant enough.
The first was a year ago when I noticed Shiloh, then a hatchling, climbing on her window tracking. So? Ah, but she was on the OUTSIDE! The damn window was open a crack - Shiloh had found it and gone walkies by herself, and now the sensible little thing was trying to get back into her nice warm viv. Phew ...lucky escape!
The second was Shahi's famous escapade last Halloween, when I woke up and thought he was a ghost. Now I'm not sure if this was entirely my fault, as those door wedges will yield with a hard push and he was desperate to get to Surahi. When I'd warmed him in bed and put him back in the viv, I taped up his doors as a precaution, fortunately, as he was straight back at them, trying them with his nose.
Last night I noticed Sulah had produced a magnificent mess and wee, so of course I cleaned up. Madam was perched, as always. She never leaves that branch. On my first attempt at armchair walkies with her she clung so tightly to it that I had to give up. Her viv doors are wedged and taped as Molly the new cat spends a lot of time in that room.
This morning at 6, the usual routine. Cats are restless, I stagger out of bed and go into the back bedroom to give them a meal of wet food (biscuits are always on tap.) I say good morning to Sulah, whose viv is in there, and go back to bed.
No Sulah.
Then I saw. That dratted inner door was about a centimetre ajar. I hadn't checked it, as it had been taped, but somehow the tape had stretched or unpeeled or ...well, whatever it had done, the door was open. And Sulah had got out.
Of all the rooms for a snake to escape into, that room's the worst. Countless crannies, bookcases and heavy furniture to hide behind or under, gaps in the floorboards ...I checked and rechecked her viv first of all, and then the surrounding area - desk drawers, piled rubs, back of the freezer where it's warm. I was at it for an hour. Nothing.
It's an appalling feeling, totally devastating, when a snake goes missing, and can be just anywhere. Anywhere in the house for that matter. The door is open - she could have gone anywhere she wanted. And I'd been asleep and unaware ...
I wasn't too worried about the cats for the present. Wherever Sulah was, she would be somewhere obscure, curled up, asleep. She wouldn't come out in the daytime. But she would be cold, though thankfully not as cold as she might have been in winter. The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that she'd gone down a crack in the floorboards and fallen asleep. As long as she didn't get too cold, she would come out at night to look for food. Her appetite is huge and it was nearly her feeding day. She'd be hungry. If there was no sign of her by nightfall then it would be a good idea to put the spare viv on the floor with a heatmat, water, and a mouse in it, doors partially open so that she could get in, and hopefully, full and warm, stay in there. I could shut the cats downstairs, or stay up and watch for her ...
Back to the search. Everywhere. Before I had to face unpacking those dratted bookcases and moving them. Presently I realised I hadn't checked the deep file drawer of the desk, but she wouldn't be in there, surely. Just files of stuff, boxes of disks, and a semi-flattened cardboard box that had held a fishtank heater and which I'd kept as it had the instructions for the heater printed on it.
I picked it up. There was something in it. I dared not hope. It would be some packaging or something. Not Sulah. I was being totally silly to hope. I peered inside ...and there she was!
'You horrible snake!' No, she was a beautiful snake - the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I couldn't believe she was in there! I fished her out of the box and put her back in her warm viv, on her branch. I swear she gave me a rather shamefaced, but smug glance.
So there she is, doors freshly taped, safe and warm again, and the relief is incredible! I feel very conscience-stricken for that stupid mistake in not checking her viv doors last night ...but oh boy, I do wish I was a millionaire who could afford those deluxe US vivs with hinged perspex doors that close securely, or that there was an easily fixable, immovable lock available for those dratted sliding glass viv doors ...
Glad, so glad she's back though!
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Keg
Yearling
United Kingdom
137 Posts |
Posted - 20/04/2012 : 12:13:36
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| Happy ending though :) |
1.0.0 Zak - Doberman
1.0.0 Cecil - Royal Python
1.0.0 Cyril - Hognose |
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austin_89
Fully Grown Royal
United Kingdom
1248 Posts |
Posted - 20/04/2012 : 12:44:27
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Aww im so glad you found her, naughty little snake!
Im so vigilant with checking on the snakes before i go bed and when i wake up in the mornings and come to think of it, every time i go upstairs! Lol |
1.1.0 Normal Royal Pythons... Kane (CF11) + Frankie (CB11)
1.0.0 Spider Royal Python (CB13)
1.0.0 100% het kahl albino boa Dexter (CB13)
1.0.0 Butter Corn...
0.1.0 Snow Corn... Alice
0.1.0 Red Harlequin Crested Gecko... Charlie
0.1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko... Cleo
1.1.0 African Green Mantis
1.0.0 Staffy... Alfie
1.1.0 Cats... Ebony and DK
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n/a
deleted
7384 Posts |
Posted - 20/04/2012 : 12:57:30
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Thanks guys - I'm so thankful I found her! Could really kick myself - after all my fussing and checking, and the one time I don't ...grr!
I will be checking on them all every hour from now on lol! |
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Lotabob
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
5008 Posts |
Posted - 20/04/2012 : 13:09:09
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| I use door locks, they really aren't that bad once you attach them tight enough that they dont slide. They do work loose from time to time but once they are locked it is absolutely impossible to open the doors. |
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deleted
7384 Posts |
Posted - 20/04/2012 : 13:30:02
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| Yeah I have tried them - but it's that grotty little screw that you need to tighten and secure the whole thing - while you're trying to secure that, the damn thing sags because the screw's too tiny and fiddly to bear the weight of the lock. Plus the angle of the bar, I never could work out how to fix that - it just jammed the doors. Grrr! Disaster! Just not Lil-friendly lol. |
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chrisc
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
3326 Posts |
Posted - 20/04/2012 : 13:58:40
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glad you found her.
i use the rubber wedges an usually check the doors 2 or 3 times before i go out/to bed but then im paranoid about security anyway an would not want anyone escaping with 3 dogs in the house |
1.0.0 burmese python,giblet. 1.0.0 BCI, william. 0.1.0 blue tongue skink, 0.1.0 green iguana, jasmin, 1.0.0 cape house snake, 0.1.0 checkered garter snake
my youtube. http://www.youtube.com/user/pegrocks
incubate 2 campaign
https://www.facebook.com/incubate2 |
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n/a
deleted
7384 Posts |
Posted - 20/04/2012 : 15:06:35
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| I thought I was security mad too, because of the cats; luckily nowadays they kip all night and just wake up for breakfast ...been up and down like a yoyo to Sulah and the rest of them today ...she's perched like a chondro with a naughty nose sticking out of her coils. Laughing at me I think ... |
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Escapee!
