Royal Python has escaped!

[Belvedeer]

My daughter’s royal python escaped on New Year’s Eve and is still missing. I followed tips online to search room by room and then sealing the door off if she’s not in there but can’t find her anywhere! I’ve literally ransacked the place, every piece of clothing has been removed and checked even the hanging clothes, every drawer has been removed, I even pulled the fridge freezer out and took the plinths off in the kitchen! We’ve left her viv door open with a mouse inside, tried leaving a hot water bottle with hide on the top next to a mouse at night but still no sign. Does anyone have any other tips of what we can do? I have a distraught 8 year old on my hands!

@Wardrobes123

My husband and kids have a major fascination with random facts just like I do and were often end up talking about very unusual things while eating at the table. The last time we ate out was around 18 months ago and we were at a chain all sat around the table having a carvery at 3 on a Sunday. Suddenly we became very aware that the tables around us had gone silent ..... we were talking about homosexuality within the animal kingdom and how gay penguins have hatched and raised abandoned eggs and how in some species of primates they use cross generational sex as a bonding tool .

We don't eat out any more and even avoid taking on planes as our subject knowledge is very specific and not always for polite conversation. But even so, we don't discourage any topics at home, even very controversial ones. As a result my kids can hold their own with pretty much any subject and any age group . Adults HATE that 😬

Inside any chairs/couches?? They are usually hollow, and have zips underneath.

Snakes can undo zips?!

oh my god I'm crying with laughter (first time in a while!) @FraggleShingleBellRock

I want to hear more about gay penguins and cross generational sex as a bonding tool. This is the stuff Attenborough doesn't teach you!

I would love to be sat near your family when out dining. I think I would come away far more knowledgeable!

@kitkat463

Be careful of your radiator temperatures. Our Royal escaped by pressing the glass hard again the vivarium lock so it cracked, then slid the door open ( we watched her slide door open at a later date hence we know how she did it!) she went between the coils of the radiator and got burnt! Ps you said you were off to get a heat mat, apologies if I'm wrong but did that mean you dunt have a great mat in the viv? Pythons need a heat source at one end of their enclosure in u. K( apologies if you know this but just in case anyone else reading is thinking they don't need heat)

We have a heat lamp with guard, I read that as they get bigger the heat mat isn’t good for them, temp has been fine in there and she’s usually warm when we get her out. Haven’t been able to use the new heat mat as forgot how much of a pain it was to get the thermostat through the hole and screw it down so have been turning heating off at night and leaving her viv door open.

@FraggleShingleBellRock AKA "Alternative Attenborough"

www.bbc.co.uk/earth/story/20160317-do-bonobos-really-spend-all-their-time-having-sex

www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/animal-emotions/201609/bonobo-females-form-tight-alliances-and-use-french-ticklers

www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-49318080

www.livescience.com/gay-penguins-steal-egg.html

I did to attach more links but it wouldn't let me. Google cross generation sex in bonobos and learn ash about how the females band together across the generations and even use french ticklers.

When our corn snake escaped it was inside the settee among the springs. We turned it upside down so no one sat on it until we could tempt it out.

just read that. how unlucky do you have to be to get bitten on the peen twice...?! HAHA!

Twice? To Misquote Wilde, ‘To be bitten on the penis once may be regarded as a misfortune, twice looks like carelessness.’

May I recommend Snake Discovery on YouTube for the curious. It's really interesting.

No disrespect to the OP but PLEASE could @FraggleShingleBellRock start a new thread full of animal advice you don't see on TV

I'm out tonight but will happily start one tomorrow if you really think it would be worth it. I'm not convinced but I'm often wrong 🤷🏼‍♀️

Scared just reading this. I hope not in West Midlands.

@FraggleShingleBellRock How do you entice a stallion to mount the fake horse?!?

@FraggleShingleBellRock

All the people horrified about having to puncture the cranium of a dead rat and give it a wash and blow dry 😂

Ten years ago or so I used to breed total amongst other reptiles . They really are a gateway pet. Anyway, somebody dumped a very large but sadly burned, 6ft 4kg female royal python and it was breeding/egg laying season. The burn on her neck was easy to treat but she refused every single god source apart from day old chicks. There is not enough calcium in chicks to sustain egg production and plus she would need 10+ chicks every few days. So I had to cut the Chick open from its groin to its chest and basically sew it like a hat onto a medium size rat. She would take 2 a feed and we were increasing her feed to help her heal. Within 3-4 weeks I had her taking a an adult Guinea pig with a chick hat and after egg laying she went straight into the biggest rats. The scar healed beautifully and she laid 10 fertile eggs that showed some calcium deficiency. 9 eggs hatched in as variety of colours / patterns.

Please do an AMA These are some of funniest and yet most horrifying posts I've ever read on MN

Well. 10 years on MN and finally a thread about artificial horse vaginas. Gives new meaning to the fanny gallops.

Fanny gallops 😂😂😂

Always wanted a snake! We currently have a bearded dragon but he is ancient. He was a rescue who had a shitty start. I hope you find him op!

[quote MaggieFS]@FraggleShingleBellRock How do you entice a stallion to mount the fake horse?!?[/quote]
I wanted to know this too!

My cat is sat on the back of the sofa beside me and every time his tail flicks against the back of my neck I jump a mile thinking there’s a snake in my sofa

Best thread I’ve read in yonks.

Not sure why I read it. Morbid fascination? Given that I’m terrified of snakes Think it must have been to check proximity to me... I’m now convinced that I MUST have snake owners living near me and henceforth will add checking under my mattress/behind my radiators/IN MY SOFA etc. (to my already quite lengthy bedtime spider check list )

I do hope you find the little bugger though OP far far away from my house Am very intrigued to find out where/how it turns up now and whether hairdryers or pins will be involved. And of course hope that it is ok.

Also - Fraggle - pretty, pretty please do start a thread. I am hanging on your every word. About to show my DD the one about the horse penis black eye as she’s been discussing equine studies with a pal recently

Since we're sharing snake pics

Here's my adorable boy Naga. He's my favourite creature in the house right now. Doesn't speak, doesn't make mess, doesn't care if I don't pay him attention for a day and requires nothing more from me than a defrosted rat once a week. I love my boy.

I read that snakes are incapable of love. They will tolerate being handled by humans but don't enjoy it as such. For some reason that makes me love him more!

So many questions! Seeing the comment about snakes not making a mess - how & where do they wee or poo? Actually how do all non-mammals do this? OMG do spiders poo!

I've no idea about wee, but mine poos about once a week. A neat and tidy little round turd that can be scooped out and disposed of.

I had no idea how loud snake farts were until my boy trumped in my lap 😂

Snakes fart??!

I love this thread.

[quote MaggieFS]@FraggleShingleBellRock How do you entice a stallion to mount the fake horse?!?[/quote]
When I’ve seen it done before (only once 😬), they brought out a mare in season and paraded her about a bit and then stood her next to the artificial horse. He obviously knew that one was a real horse and one wasn’t, but I guess once the sexy horse hormones were in the air it didn’t really matter?

He was a bit of a pro though, it might be more complex than that normally!

[quote blazinglightonthehill]@FraggleShingleBellRock do you want to be my friend IRL? Please

[/quote]
I'm beginning to think she may be one of my real life friends. There can't be two people in the world like this 🤣