| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| n/a |
Posted - 03/07/2010 : 21:12:36
Hi, all!
A snake has appeared in my garden shed, what with this hot weather and all. I think that it is one of your corn snake chappies, about 4 foot long and 2 inches wide.
This evening I have been going around neighbours asking after its owner but had no luck.
Question: how far might a healthy, inquisitive escapee range from its home? Terrain is Suffolk countryside.
I have put out a bowl of water but I'm not planning on securing a supply of mice 
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| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| joetheimpaler |
Posted - 26/07/2010 : 15:29:53
u should call it viola |
| kdlang |
Posted - 26/07/2010 : 11:35:24
Oh wow, I can't believe I missed this thread and missed all the fun. Fantastic news that you have managed to catch him/her. Are you keeping it yourself or have you found a home for it?
As regards how far snakes range I really couldn't say. I'm not sure if any studies have been done. I'm off to investigate when I have finished on here. My corn Izzy escaped and was found 2 days later about a meter away from his viv the lazy git. |
| col654 |
Posted - 25/07/2010 : 23:35:41
O M G what a post your one lucky snake Keeper now there like a drug you will be in rehab soon lol.
Good luck :-} |
| princessbroxy |
Posted - 25/07/2010 : 19:21:03
this thread is better than an episode of eastenders pmsl...well done on the catch and welcome to the forum...and welcome to the world of keeping snakes xx |
| Tiffany-x |
Posted - 25/07/2010 : 17:41:15
Totally INSANE! :P
Tiffany-x |
| mikeyd_26 |
Posted - 25/07/2010 : 17:07:16
ahh gud 2 know the snakies safe n sound now |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 25/07/2010 : 15:55:45
Awww you caught him? That's awesome :3 are going going to take him to a vets soon or put him in a sterile environent to check for nasties? |
| n/a |
Posted - 25/07/2010 : 15:43:20
Update at D+24;
"VIOLA!"*
Now en route to new home.
* or "voila" for those who prefer attention to detail :-)
Snake is one irritated snake and I am one happy bunny. All happened far too quickly for a photo opp. but I do want to post some pics soon.
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| Kellog |
Posted - 16/07/2010 : 20:45:23
quote:
Originally posted by HappyCrane
Thanks for advice on catching, it seems to fall into 2 schools, the "lie in wait and outfox" and the "bring on the confrontation" school. I think we will be going for the confrontation. I like the inverted pillowcase advice, Laura Ashley print design hidden has got to be a less threatening situation. And there just aren't enough opportunities in life to shout "Voila!", it's a clincher!
........ I had been asking around neighbours for Snake's owner and imagined that I was looking for his "radius of straying" from his home. I should instead be thinking of how long has he been out and how often does he relocate.
It is great you are putting so much thought and planning in to this HappyCrane. I am not too sure about your final choice of capture, purely because using the inverted pillowcase to capture it will reduce grip and vision....I would have thought it better to take the hands-on approach rather than the pillowcase-on approach  !
As for how far they can go and for how long, I know of a few snakes that have survived a number of months and even years and survived....but they have all been found within the direct area of where they escaped - within the house, the flat downstairs, in the garden. I havent heard of any cases of a corn travelling particularly far....but that doesnt mean it doesnt happen.
xxx
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| n/a |
Posted - 16/07/2010 : 19:03:25
the best topic i have ever read |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 16/07/2010 : 11:31:55
I've heard of a snake that went missing and they found it 12 years later, all well. It lived or had made some tunnels around near the house and under it.
As long as the area is warm, and has food I would imagine that they would stay there for a while. |
| inkiepixie |
Posted - 16/07/2010 : 10:54:23
Well in my case Bella got out of her viv in the kitchen and turned up under the front doormat 2.5 months later - about 10 metres all in all. I suspect that's not much help to you though |
| n/a |
Posted - 15/07/2010 : 21:11:45
Setting up living quarters has not quite come together. Not yet.
Thanks for advice on catching, it seems to fall into 2 schools, the "lie in wait and outfox" and the "bring on the confrontation" school. I think we will be going for the confrontation. I like the inverted pillowcase advice, Laura Ashley print design hidden has got to be a less threatening situation. And there just aren't enough opportunities in life to shout "Voila!", it's a clincher!
Thanks also to Lowestoft offer, but we are actually down South on the Essex border. Don't get me started on attitudes between the "South folk" and the "East Saxons" but I'm just thinking that there could be difficulties if it turns out that Snake hisses with an Essex accent.
While we are marking time, I would like to come back to my original question "How far do they range?". My circumstances have moved on but it may yet prove important, and the topic has attracted plenty of readers so it is of interest to others. (Thanks to Moderators for choosing a moment to reclassify the topic) The petshop mentioned that Snake is non-territorial and then I noticed how that affects my question. I had been asking around neighbours for Snake's owner and imagined that I was looking for his "radius of straying" from his home. I should instead be thinking of how long has he been out and how often does he relocate.
So, owners, who can own up to stories of snakes escaping, how long were they AWOL (Absent Without Leave) and how far away were they recovered? Stories of them returning of their own accord can't count because I am not taking the snake's word for how far they travelled, they could have just faked the breakout as an exercise in attention seeking.
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| Kellog |
Posted - 15/07/2010 : 05:56:08
I am so glad Sta~ple asked who BJ was!! I thought I was having a serious brain fog moment  !!
I am certainly impressed with the response you got from the RSPCA, it is nice to hear a positive report about them. I know what an unbelievable work load they are under and unfortunately they often get such bad press. I bet your RSPCA man was as surprised by the speed of your corn as you were....whereas we arent , we know all to well how fast they can go.
So BJ is the driving force behind keeping your corn then....are you coming round to the idea or do just not have a choice in the matter  ?!
I think both options given for trying to catch your corn are good ones, as they should be coming from experts like Mike and Eeji. Personally I would try the bottle trap first as that way you may have more chance of catching your corn without the risk of scaring it away or getting bitten (although as Mike has said, if it does tag you it is not exactly a serious thing to worry about....supposedly you are not a 'proper' snake owner until you have been tagged!)
Have you tried feeding it again recently? If not then try the bottle trap. Dont leave the mouse in the bottle trap for more than 24hrs...throw it away. Wait a few days and then try again.
If that doesnt work then try the pillow case technique as Mike has described it. The trick to it will be moving quietly, calmly and then grab at it confidently....dont worry about hurting it, they are sturdy animals and can be held quite firmly. I wouldnt risk catching it using the pillow case inside out as that will restrict your field of view and BJ needs to see what he is doing. Can I suggest that instead of going for neck and middle, BJ tries to go for one third down from the head and one third up from the tail....know that is sometimes hard to judge depending on how they are lying, but the neck will be hard to hold on to and corns can slip backwards out of your hands as fast as they can slip forwards.
So, when does 'Operation Catch Your Snake' commence?
xxx
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| sullysteve |
Posted - 12/07/2010 : 23:13:35
OMFG...you could write a book by the end of this.....what a topic!! i can see it now... "BJ and the Corn" |
| mikeyd_26 |
Posted - 12/07/2010 : 22:38:06
catch it - keep it! I promise you wont regret it!!! (especialy with these guys guiding you) you could try a pillow case turned inside out and pick up the snake turning it the rite way back and voila! snake in a bag? |
| elament |
Posted - 12/07/2010 : 19:25:00
Whereabouts in suffolk are you? I am in lowestoft if i can be of any service just let me know.
Cheers
Steve
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| eeji |
Posted - 12/07/2010 : 18:19:48
he's a healthy looking fella! because he's already taking mice from you I think the best bet for catching him is to use a bottle trap in the last place you fed him.
Theres a thread here that shows how to make a trap: http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=1759
In addition to the instructions in the above link, attach a bag to the neck of the bottle so it goes inside the body of the bottle when you assemble it. This helps to stop the snake getting back out of the hole he came in through ;)
**edit** If you are successful in capturing him with this method, be extremely careful when opening the trap that the snake can't get caught on any of the tape - its nasty stuff if it gets stuck on them. |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 12/07/2010 : 15:50:44
Who's BJ *_*
It's a lovely looking snake, your very lucky! I would try and catch it as soon as possible or he maybe a meal or toy for a cat or bird.
Mike, there's wild corns in the UK??? That's amazing! I'm guessing they are pets that have escaped or have been released. |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 12/07/2010 : 14:12:31
Just grab it, move slow, then go for it, it will most likely try and bite, but its really not gonna be something to cry about.
A pillow case is great, it will worka treat. As for mites, you will see them, they are little black dots wandering about on the snake, and specifically underneath the scales, you can see if you look from the tail to the head of the snake.
Was the rspca guy called keith?
Where abouts are you exactly, there is a known colony of corns wild up your way somewhere, but i forget where. |
