Lost reptiles

What to do if you lost a turtle, a lizard or a snake.

Lost a turtle, a snake, a gecko, a chameleon or an iguana? Do not panic and follow our advices to find the reptile as quickly as possible, because the missing reptile may be dangerous to others (if, for example, a venomous snake has escaped or a crocodile or a large iguana has disappeared), and at the same time it could be in danger too due to its cold-blooded nature. Such pets, depending on the environmental conditions, may develop hypothermia, which is lethal for them.

If you have lost a turtle, a snake or a lizard within a living area, for example, because of an unlocked cage or terrarium - nothing terrible will happen as long as the reptile is inside an apartment or a house.

• The first thing to remember - move gently and carefully watch your steps. Open and close the doors and move the furniture very carefully while looking for a reptile, because, for example, lizards can climb onto the doorjamb or hide between furniture and there is a possibility of crushing them with careless movements.
• Thus, when stepping very carefully, close all exits from the room so that the search area is localized within the acceptable limits.
• Then, if there are other animals or children in the house, keep them under full control or ask relatives or friends about it. In such a situation, depending on the type of a lost reptile, children or other pets may be dangerous for it, or the pet might be dangerous for them.
• Again, because of the cold blood, the most probable spots that the reptile will sooner or later seek for are any heat emitters, such as radiators, ovens and stoves, fridge compressors, bright lamps, etc.
• Experts recommend placing thermal or edible bait in each room. Heaters or table lamps can be used as heat baits. You may also make a good bait from favorite foods of the lost reptile, such as fruits or fodder insects or animals placed in ventilated containers. Regularly, at least once an hour, check all your baits and remember their condition.
• Some reptile species are very sensitive to the light. For example, if a gecko is missing, try not to turn a bright light on, as this can cause the lizard to get deeper into a dark shelter. Use night vision mode on your camera or special lamps to search for the missing lizard.

If, for instance, a reptile, such as a snake, has been lost outside of a house - finding it will be much more difficult.

• First of all, you need to let as many people as possible to know about the loss of the reptile. Map-based online pet search services, such as Petrieve, are a really good fit for this task. With our help you can not only submit an absolutely free classified about the lost reptile, indicating all its traits and the place where you've lost the pet. Moreover, you can use your pet's profile to share it on social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and print a flyer about the missing reptile. Additionally, you can receive notifications if someone has found a reptile that is similar to yours. In addition to online services, consider to use television and newspapers.
• Let neighbors and passers-by know about your lost pet and ask for permission to inspect their territory and buildings. Talk to the dog and cat owners - maybe when they were walking they saw the lost reptile in the neighborhood.
• Sometimes it would be reasonable to report to local law enforcement offices, animal shelters or pounds, veterinary clinics, pet shops and other organisations of this kind. Here you will also need some flyers and posters to hand them out.

If you are looking for a missing reptile - for your convenience use our map of found pets. Find the place where the reptile disappeared, look at the marks on the map near this place (click them to get additional info) - maybe your turtle, snake or lizard has been found and it is already waiting for you!

Below you may find a list of countries where lost reptiles have been registered on Petrieve: