A pet ball python that vanished inside her owner's home for two months finally reappeared after the first cold snap of the season sent heat through the house. For the relieved owner, seeing the snake back in the open ended a long, stressful search.
Here's what to know
In a Reddit post, the owner shared a photo of the snake after finding her again at home following her two-month disappearance.
Before that, the family had already gone through the house extensively, even dismantling furniture while looking for her. She came back out once the heaters were on, suggesting the change in indoor temperature may have lured her out of hiding.
In a reply to another user, the original poster described how far the search went. "We tore apart our entire house; I ripped through everything. Even took apart my couch and chair," the original poster wrote.
The poster said the search continued throughout the full two months she was gone. "I've been searching for her the entire time. I sat out water for her, changed it daily, and tried everything else I could to find her but wasn't able to until she finally showed up," the original poster wrote.
More background
One commenter responded in disbelief: "TWO MONTHS??? Did she get in the crawl space or into the walls?"
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Other commenters shared similar stories of snakes disappearing indoors for days or even months, underscoring how difficult reptiles can be to locate in cluttered homes with fluctuating temperatures.
The emotional toll can include fear that the animal may be cold, trapped, or dehydrated, along with the stress of turning an entire house upside down in hopes of finding it.
What can be done?
Owners often rely on persistence and environmental clues when a reptile disappears indoors.
Here, the original poster said they kept putting out fresh water each day while continuing the search, a simple step that may have helped the missing snake stay alive long enough to reappear.
Among those measures, the owner said they dismantled household items, including a couch and chair, once the snake went missing, and others in the thread described similarly exhaustive searches.
During one 10-day search for an escaped snake, a commenter said they used "cameras in chairs and couches" and eventually tracked it after spotting objects knocked over on a basement workbench.
Another commenter said they had "sealed every corner" of their room with filter foam in case a gecko got out.
Where can I learn more?
Escaped pet pythons can turn up in surprising places. Recent stories have tracked them to gardens, neighborhoods, hospital rooms, and even a returned moving truck.
• In England, a neighbor found a missing pet python curled up in a rose bush.
• In Earlsfield, residents were absolutely losing it after a python escaped near Wandsworth prison.
• In Kawasaki City, police scoured the neighborhood after two 6-foot pythons slipped out.
• At an Indiana hospital, staff scrambled when a ball python got loose in the ER.
• In California, a worker found a pet ball python left behind in a returned U-Haul.
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