Every reptile keeper knows the feeling—that pit in your stomach when you check on your reptile only to find that the enclosure door is cracked, the screen top has a hole in it, or the sliding doors are not the way you left them. Many times, the animal inside was just doing a bit of investigating before giving up. But in some cases, you might have a reptile that’s escaped.
At this point, it’s easy for panic to set in. But there’s good news! It’s possible to find your reptile, even if you’re not sure when they escaped or where they went next. Start acting quickly as soon as you notice your missing tenant for the best chance of success.
Step 1: Secure the Area
Immediately upon suspecting that your reptile is no longer in their enclosure, the first step is to secure the area. Clear out other pets, such as cats and dogs, that could harm the animal. If you have pest traps in the house such as glue traps or ant bait, pick them up to prevent your exotic from coming into contact with them.
It’s smart to block off rooms so that your animal can’t get far. Close the doors to all rooms so that your pet can’t continually move large distances or reach the outside. Access to the whole house can make tracking their movements harder.
Step 2: Confirm the Escape
Once the area is locked down and immediate threats dealt with, it’s a good time to make sure your animal has actually escaped. Burrowing lizards, small snakes, and most arboreal reptiles are good hiders! Carefully go through the enclosure to make sure this was an actual escape and not just a case of an extra sneaky specimen.
Step 3: Check Key Locations
As cold-blooded animals, most reptiles will choose a few select places to hide that should always be a keeper’s first few stops after an escape:
- Around (and especially under) warm appliances like refrigerators, game consoles, computers, or furnace vents
- Behind (or inside…) furniture
- In tight spaces such as corners and windowsills; check your shoes!
The layout and décor of your room will influence where your pet could be hiding—but remember that they are probably hiding. Think tight spaces with minimal traffic. It can be helpful to lie on the ground and look around so you can see the world from their perspective. This might point out great hiding places you wouldn’t have recognized from above.
Step 4: Set Lures, Traps, and Alerts
If you haven’t located your pet by now, it’s time to start setting lures for them. The right lure for your animal will depend on their species.
Food
Carnivores and omnivorous reptiles could benefit from a frozen-thawed prey item or Reptilink being scrubbed into the floor so it leaves a scent trail to a target location. Reptilinks also has scent juices that could catch their attention!
Herbivores can be trickier—but they also tend to need food more often, so they’re more likely to prowl for forage. Entice them with heavily scented food items such as berries and bananas. Check whether food has been taken after a few hours.
Plastic Bags
With these lures set, it’s time to create a warning system to indicate when your pet may be on the move. Plastic bags are a great tool for this because it’s almost impossible to touch them without making noise. Place lightly packed plastic bags against the baseboards or anywhere else you suspect the animal might be hiding. If they move and touch the bag, the crinkling will help you identify their location!
Heat Lures
It's also smart to create a heat source in an accessible location. Even something as simple as a shoe box with a hole in it underneath a makeshift heat lamp can draw a reptile that is craving warmth. Just be sure your setup is not a hazard to your home!
The Flour Trick
If your suspect is located in a room with a hard floor (or, at least, you think they are), lightly sprinkle some flour on the floor. The reptile will make tracks through it if they move, and it’s easy to vacuum later. If you’re in a carpeted area, placing down a line of coins provides an alternative means of seeing when the reptile displaces them and which direction it’s going.
Ideally, implement all these tools at once to give yourself the best chance of success.
Step 5: Alert Others
If you have your escapee secured to one area of the house, do your best to keep the area closed. If you’re not sure where the animal is, however, it’s important to acknowledge that they may have found a route outside. Alert your neighbors of your missing reptile and show them a picture. This way, they can identify your pet if it ends up on their property—and they’re less likely to respond negatively if they see it. Give them a way to contact you so you can respond quickly to any sightings.
Step 6: Wait
Once you’ve completed the first five steps, you’ve done just about everything you can to root out your pet. At this point, it’s time to play the waiting game. Your reptile needs time to notice the lures or set off the alert systems, so be patient. Try to keep ambient noise in the house to a minimum so you can hear unusual behavior. Keep the animal’s original enclosure open, and check it often—some are very good at locating their home and returning to their captive environment after they’ve had their fill of exploration. (This is also a great time to figure out how they got out in the first place and fix the problem!)
Always remember that these animals are a lot smaller than you! Even if you’ve somehow lost a six-foot monitor lizard in your home, they still have sensitive parts like tails and fingers that can be harmed by an accidental footstep onto them. Tread carefully, and try not to use movable items like doors, chairs with stowable footrests, or drawers without carefully checking first. Your animal could be inside or near the hinges and get pinched!
Hopefully you’ve found your pet, but if you haven’t, stay calm. It can take multiple days for a reptile to leave the new hiding spot it’s found. In many cases, reptiles can survive for weeks with little issue, so stay vigilant and ready to act as soon as you see signs of your pet!