Guess which WWW page to look at?
        <http://fovea.retina.net/~gecko/herps/misc/lost.html>
contains the Finding Lost Herps FAQ.  It is a collection of comments from
various individuals; no guarantees are made that these comments will be
consistent with one another.

Fortunately, most escapes can be stopped before they happen with some
attention to the enclosure of the animal in question.  Use common sense:
Don't leave snake-sized openings in the lid of your snake's tank.  Don't
leave the lid off while you wander away to get a food item (for the herp or
yourself).  Don't take small, quick-moving animals out to play on the lawn.
As a general rule, assume that your herp can levitate, walk through walls,
cloud your mind so that you cannot see it, pass through the holes in pegboard,
and gravitate unerringly to the most inaccessible spot in your home.  Design
enclosures and herp rooms accordingly.