Hex, a Lavender Banded California Kingsnake at Petland in the south of Regina, escaped his enclosure last winter, and ended up stuck in a glue trap under a sink.
Marki Coca, a stock manager at Petland, shares that in the middle of a cold winter on Dec. 15, 2025, Hex found a way to escape after being transferred to a larger enclosure.
Staff at the pet store searched cameras, cages, and all corners to find Hex. But after months of searching, all hope to find him was lost.
Then, on March 31 of this year, Marki Coca was cleaning fish decor at the sink at Petland and found Hex stuck to a glue trap under the sink.
The snake appeared to be dead, but Coca gave him a nudge.
“Hex is alive,” Coca shouted to their manager, Hayley.
They immediately acted on figuring out how to get him out the glue trap and searched online for ways to get him out unharmed.
After researching and confirming with Petlands Animal Warranty Manager, they find that olive oil is their safest option.
Hayley runs to the nearby dollar store to get olive oil.
They carefully poured olive oil over Hex and allowed him to take his time instead of pulling him out to avoid causing harm.
It took Hex an hour to wiggle his way out.
Coca explains Hex’s reaction and says, “He wanted nothing to do with this situation; he was furious.”
He used all his strength and was finally free. Coca then put him in a container of warm water and held his head as his weak body wasn’t able to support his head.
“I watched this snake, normally vibrant and angry, rest his little head against the palm of my hand with not even a shimmy from his tail. I knew in my heart right there that I had to have him,” Coca said.
After work, Coca spoke with their partner about adopting Hex. They agreed to adopt him once they moved to a home that allows pets.
Four and a half months later, after he was rescued, on Aug. 15, the couple had already moved to a new home and received a call that made their hearts sink; a family wants to adopt Hex.
They couldn’t risk losing Hex, so the couple immediately drove to Petland. With only half an hour until closing, they picked out an enclosure, decor, food and finally signed the adoption papers.
Coca’s co-workers knew Coca was planning to adopt Hex and convince the family to adopt another snake.
Coca’s childhood in Ridgecrest, California, near the Mojave Desert gave them an understanding of the environment Hex’s species is native to.
At 1.5 years old, Hex has become relaxed, active and is eating a variety of prey and no longer strikes at the feeding tongs. He now lives in a wide 20-gallon tank with topsoil and rocky orange sand, along with a heat bulb, LED lighting, and UVB to feel like his natural environment.
