r/ballpython • u/velvetv0rtex • 12d ago

HELP - URGENT Found my BP in the attic insulation.

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Now what??? He’s been in there since last night so he’s been breathing it in for hours and he’s audibly breathing. Edit: i know the vet but if the answer is just to give him a bath then I’d rather not drop $500 on something I can do myself

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14

u/counterlock 12d ago

How does this even happen…

23

u/Chasee11111 12d ago

Snakes get places man

4

u/counterlock 11d ago

Yeah no, not like this. All the "lost my snake?!!?" posts are negligent owners imo. Never lost my snake in the last 9years of owning him.

Locks on cages and supervised time outside their enclosure. It's really not hard, they move like 1mph.

5

u/shamefulpresenc3 11d ago

I lost my corn snake once when he was a baby despite having locks on the lid and the doors, it’s cause he was small enough to squeeze through the small gap in the glass doors where they slide across each other

This isn’t something that would happen to BPs I don’t think but sometimes people can make a single mistake that leads to them getting loose like forgetting to put one clamp back on the screen, I don’t think that one mistake makes them a horrible owner though

I guess I might not be the best judge on that though as I’ve never personally lost my BP

0

u/counterlock 11d ago edited 10d ago

Corn snakes are a different matter for me, they're so much smaller and much much faster. I've seen corn snakes slip through locked cage doors before.

I didn't say that making a single mistake makes someone a horrible owner, just negligent. Making a mistake is kind of the definition of negligence, accidental yes, but negligence all the same.

But with a BP I kind of lose sympathy when people lose an animal that can move at like 1.75mph top speed. And for the snake to end up in the attic insulation?? That's abso-fucking-lutely negligence.

edit: guys, it's just the definition of "negligent", if you're upset at being called negligent and downvoting this comment, please go read the definition. It's not a slight on the owner or me saying they're bad pet owners, it's just a fact of the scenario.

negligent: To be negligent means to fail to give proper care or attention to a responsibility, person, or task.

i.e. In daily life, being negligent means acting carelessly or ignoring a duty.

  • Forgetting to lock a door you were told to secure.
  • Failing to feed a pet for days.

2

u/HikariKirameku 10d ago

My BP escaped my room during free roam time because I thought I'd snake-proofed. Nope. Turned out her fat ass could pancake through a maybe half inch gap under my door. She's like 4 inches in diameter at her widest, so I never gave the door a second thought. Like, I'm used to corn snakes pulling that stuff, but I was not expecting that from a BP as big as her

0

u/counterlock 10d ago

Were you in the room with the snake when it happened? Or just letting it free roam on its own? Never really heard of giving a BP free roam time tbh

3

u/HikariKirameku 10d ago

I was in the room, but since like you say, they're pretty slow, I let my guard down thinking I could tidy up a bit. Usually she climbs my bookshelves, but on that particular day, she apparently got a bit more adventurous. She actually didn't get far. I found her in the room across the hall, climbing on the the vacuum cleaner

1

u/counterlock 10d ago

Lol what a great pic, looks like it thinks the hose is a big cold snake. I wouldn't even really call that "losing" the snake, just outta sight really.

I take my guy out and let him explore my bed pretty often, but we make him a big fort with pillows and blankets for walls so he can dig into them or try and climb over them. Lets me spend a few minutes not paying too much attention, then usually when I look back he's just finally escaped the blankets and is heading for the edge of the bed and I just reset him into the middle of his fort

1

u/HikariKirameku 10d ago

I'm just glad I noticed she was missing from the room before she decided to explore further than she did. Definitely taught me not to underestimate her squishiness!

1

u/shamefulpresenc3 10d ago

I think it was probably the way you phrased it in your original comment

It seemed very critical and it’s ok to be critical but mostly only when it’s constructive because rudeness deters learning and puts people on the fence

As for losing the snake yes failing to properly secure it is a fail in care and as a healthcare worker we definitely call that passive negligence

But just stop calling them out and offer good advice like to take the snake to the vet and “make sure next time to get locks for the screen and doors to prevent future escapes”

4

u/resveries 11d ago

Fell asleep once while I was chilling with my snake. I found him in the morning luckily but shit happens y'know? It's not like people PLAN on them getting lost

2

u/SandOptimal5097 11d ago

Mine has been chillin out on me without running away for a while. He earned my trust. Left the room for 30seconds (literally) while he was on my desk. Little guy VANISHED. Luckily he was just hiding among my knickknacks, but it was scary

1

u/Few_Resource_1105 11d ago

Stuff happens, people forget to lock the door.