Please help me: Desperately Seeking Zeek (off topic)

[SailleSkinklover]

HI guys, I don't know where else to turn. . . I really really need some help. My leopard gecko Zeek is still missing, I am devestated, can anybody please direct me to any forums, suggestions for help on capturing a leopard gecko that seems to have wholly disappeared from the face of this dimension?
I am more and more convinced that lizards can walk thru walls. . .

I put her cage on the floor on its side with the heat lamp on top to warm it up, with a KK with live crix in there hoping to lure her in. Nothing.
I've torn the house apart looking in the sofa, under and behind shelves, in drawers, and Nothing.
tried turning the heat down to lure her to the warm spots. Nothing.
Now I'm scared she's gonna brumate wherever she is, ( and not come out till who knows when) because it is below freezing at night now.
I've put down crackly plastic bags all over the floor to try and hear her at night. (not sleeping anyways) Nothing.
Should I "Borrow" a male to try and lure her out with scent?
Is there anybody who has any clue about a decent Leo forum where anybody could maybe help me?
I'm calling my vet tomorrow to see what they suggest. . . This sux, I can't sleep, I just want to feed Zeek her cockroaches. . .

[Celeste]

Well, if you keep the house warm, she'll be out hunting at night. Someone else suggested sprinkling flour or baby powder near doorways to try to catch some tracks. Leopard geckos aren't really known as climbers, so I'd be looking on the floor somewhere. (You don't have a cat, do you?) Try leaving multiple plates of water out and sprinkling flour or powder around them to see if you get any sign of her. (At least one in each room, maybe multiple ones in some rooms).

They can go for a long time without food or water, so you have a very good chance that she will turn up eventually, and be just fine. So don't give up hope.

-- Celeste

[PsyKoViggy]

When my friend lost his gecko, he gave up on trying to find her after a week, then one day he was watching TV and looked down at his PS2 and there she was, sitting on the PS2 watching the TV. Bless her.

Under or behind fridges seem to be where most lost animals turn up too..

Hope you find her soon!

[zakkhogan]

I would def agree with Celeste, put out water bowls for drink and put out flour/sand or just any from of powder just to see if you get tracks and try and locate zeek that way..


place the flour in place's where zeek can hide, like low hidout type places ie under sofas/cupbords etc..

best of luck

[The Londoner]

Hi don't have any suggestions for you but just wanted to say good luck hope you find your geko soon.

[rachel]

I'm sorry i have no constructive input..but Saille- you have all my sympathy and good finding vibes are coming your way *hugs*

[gloom_kitty]

reptileforums.co.uk is good but id say do the flour and also try turning the lights on in the middle of the night. see if she is out hunting. if yours is anything like my place there will be plenty of wild crix so try where they are first. good luck

[aggiegirl]

I will post on my local forum as we have lots of leopard gecko folks. I would also recommend checking out all spaces under/behind items that make white noise (computers, refrigerators, etc.) or generate some heat (aquariums, lights, etc.) Good luck and I'll PM you if I find anything out.

[Dragontears]

I don't really have any advice other than what's already been said, but I wish you luck in finding her.

[Tattoo]

Saille ... sorry to hear that your wayward Zeek is still among the missing. I think all the previously supplied options (water, food, light, dusting the floor) are well founded. I wish I could offer more help. Maybe a breeder would be able to offer advice? I will keep my thinking cap on and keep my fingers crossed.

[SailleSkinklover]

Thanks guys. . .I really do appreciate the kind thoughts and suggestions.
The bummer is, my place is mostly carpeted with the kind of big lumpy kind of carpet, so the flour thing would work maybe with paper on the floor.
I tried the sand thing with her cage and the crix in the KK, and there were no prints at all. I'll try the water thing, and maybe put a bunch of empty papertowel tubes around the place for hides.
I've got all the possible bookcases blocked off and flush with the walls, so I know she's not in or behind those. I pulled the stove out and nothing.
I haven't had the guts to try pulling the fridge out yet.
I guess its a game of cat and mouse, I'll just have to be patient. Maybe I'll hook up the Wii and see if she comes out for some bowling. . .
(that PS2 story made me smile, thank you PsyKoViggy!)

Celeste, nope, no cat. (love them, just don't have one at the 'mo)
I like the multiple water bowl and doorway flour idea though. What I am thinking is, this might be an excuse to purchase a male and see if that lures her out of hiding. . .

I need a Shingleback, they're too big to get lost!

[Shadowfax]

I feel for you, I lost my crestie once, and they change colour and climb!! I started picking things up very carefully (they're so little and squishy -- and I do have two cats who would happily eat him who were thankfully locked out of his "room") and found him hiding in a pile of rope. It wasn't even warm, he'd just climbed up the stool it was on and crawled in. I'd try the flour or sand on the carpet anyway -- don't leos drag their tails when they walk? It would still make a track maybe?

[Celeste]

Keep your hopes up! It seems that most lost reptiles (and invertebrates!) turn up eventually -- sometimes even *months* after they originally went missing. I just read a post by a guy on a bug site I'm a member of who found a lost tarantula FOUR MONTHS after it escaped -- and he, too, had turned his place upside down looking for it when it originally escaped.

But if you're not busy, *do* check all the warm spots around your house (like under the 'fridge, behind the clothes dryer, near the hot water heater, etc.). And since they are nocturnal, *do* walk into dark rooms and turn on the lights at night just to have a look around (but otherwise keep the lights off so he/she will come out). Maybe do a quick circuit of the house and check every room before you go to bed each night.

-- Celeste

[Riven]

Do you have a large mixing bowl? Make sure it big enough to keep her from escaping. Put some mealworms or crickets with thier back legs removed in it and ramps on the side. She'll go after the food and won't be able to get out. I have heard of others doing this to catch lost animals.

Scott

[aggiegirl]

My local forum suggested putting up heat lamps to attract him. Thankfully, you don't have cats---or small children as I recall. Please don't use this advice and catch the house on fire. I'll tell you if they come up with any new ideas. They echoed the flour, checking behind heat-generating appliances, etc. so it sounds like you've covered most bases. My kids and I will pray for your little guy tonight. We know how worried you must be.

[truelovesk8]

Def. check under the fridge and other warm appliances. I had 2 of my Tokays get out once and they hid under the baseboard heaters even though they werent on, I think it was just a tight space thing. I have heard of the deep bowl with food in it working, I just havent tried it myself

[Fatal_S]

I just got this suggestion for finding my snake. Tonight, at the time when Zeek is normally most active, take a flashlight and wander around, looking with the light. You should be able to see a reflection in the eyes, and a lot of people seem to have good luck with this method. Everything else has already been said.

Cow's still missing too. I'm just not going to panic, and she'll turn up sometime. Try to do the same for Zeek. Good luck!

[Lisa]

Only thing I can add is to put towels or sandsnakes under the doors so that if she (or Cow) are in a room, that they stay in there, or don't go in there. Then you can systematically search each room and either rule it out or hopefully fine them.

Good luck both of you!

[Fatal_S]

You say sandsnakes and I'm thinking Kenyan Sand Boa... Well it's an amusing thought at least

[Lisa]

You say sandsnakes and I'm thinking Kenyan Sand Boa... Well it's an amusing thought at least

I didn't know what to call them, I just call them snakes usually! I'm guessing the proper name is draught (ie draft) excluder or something, but then that always reminds me of a line in my fav movie Shaun of the Dead. You know what I'm talking about but, yeah? Those tubes of fabric that have sand in them and you put them under doors? Well, they used to come with sand but they now come filled with stuffing and they're crap at keeping draughts out.