# Site General > General Herp >  Python Smell

## BlueSilver

I've been trying to convince my wife to let me get a Ball Python.  She refuses to allow it becuase she says that they smell bad.  I know that leaving a cage unkept can result in bad smells, but do Ball Pythons really have much odor?
Are there ways to combat this?  How can I talk the old lady into this?


: :Confused: 

Thanks!

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## Freakie_frog

I have 50+ balls and unless there is poo or pee in the tank there's no smell

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## herpguy311

The only time I have observed a smell is if there is urates or feces, but other than that, no worries on the smell :Good Job:

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## chimpkin

One or two isn't bad. You can keep the odor down, low but once you get a room full it can have a certain funk. I usually prepare people by saying it smells a little "earthy" in there.

A single ball python won't have much smell at all.

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## Inknsteel

I don't have the number of snakes that others on this site do, but I echo the frog... As long as you keep the enclosure clean, there is no smell...

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## RobbinRN

Same here!  Very clean animals  :Smile: 

Robbin

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## mischevious21

Yea, as long as you spot clean when needed and do your regular cleaning too, they wont smell. My snakes don't smell at all and never have, and I have 8. She's probably thinking of like the kind of musky smell gardner (sp?) snakes have.. Yea, not too pleasant. But Those are in the wild- not domesticated where they have a controlled enviorment and such.

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## chimpkin

I guess what I notice more than anything is the smell of the bedding. Cypress smells a little like dirt. Thats why I call it an earthy smell.

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## RoyalGuardian

Unless your wifey has the sniffer of a bloodhound then I think that you'll be good. Ball Pythons do smell but I don't think they smell bad. They smell like reptiles and to actually smell them you have to put your nose to their scales. As for like a smell that radiates their urates and poo can smell kinda funky but its never like IN YOUR FACE  smell. Urates( pee) smell alot like ammonia and poo... well it smells like digested mouse... But as for odor they are WONDERFUL! They smell better in every aspect than any animal I have ever owned! they are docile and gentle and as a snake they only poo once ever 1-2 weeks! They are such great pets I cannot begin to explain the joy it is be a ball python owner! I know! Take your wife to a pet store and have her get a wiff of how they smell. take that and put it into account that there wont be 5 snakes in your enclosure and you'll see that even with 5 snakes it isn't bad at all! unless they don't take care of their ball pythons at all...... But I assure her that  Ball Pythons do not smell bad! they smell as someone else put "Earthy".

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## anendeloflorien

Agreed, I have my BP rack just a couple feet away from my bed and I can't smell anything from them except when the cage needs to be spot-cleaned. Now colubrids (corn snakes, kings etc...) are a different story all together as anyone on here who owns them can tell you  :Dancin' Banana:

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## Colin Vestrand

it's been said plenty of times, but because i get this question all the time i gotta say, mammals smell way more than reptiles do.

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## BlueSilver

Cool.  Thanks guys.  I'm glad to hear the one person say they have it right next to thier bed becuase I already had a spot next to my wifes side of the bed picked out for its cage.

Just had to throw that out there becuase I'm linking her to this thread.

It will probably be a couple months before I'm ready for one, so I have some time to work her over.

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## BlueSilver

> it's been said plenty of times, but because i get this question all the time i gotta say, mammals smell way more than reptiles do.



Yeah, our daughter has a large pet rat.
It smelled quite a bit until we found a bedding that seems to absorb all the smell.  I'd imagine a snake would be the same (as far as finding a neutralizing bedding).

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## mooingtricycle

Clean enclosure. No smell.

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## blfresh

> Cool.  Thanks guys.  I'm glad to hear the one person say they have it right next to thier bed becuase I already had a spot next to my wifes side of the bed picked out for its cage.
> 
> Just had to throw that out there becuase I'm linking her to this thread.
> 
> It will probably be a couple months before I'm ready for one, so I have some time to work her over.


My wife has been more than gracious with my hobby but she drew the line on a boa in the bedroom with her. She really wasn't ugly about it - just put her foot down.  :Wag of the finger:  Hope you have better luck!  :Smile:

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## Muze

> Cool.  Thanks guys.  I'm glad to hear the one person say they have it right next to thier bed becuase I already had a spot next to my wifes side of the bed picked out for its cage.
> 
> Just had to throw that out there becuase I'm linking her to this thread.
> 
> It will probably be a couple months before I'm ready for one, so I have some time to work her over.


I have 15 in my bedroom.  No smells.  Unless they have soiled their tubs.  Then I get up at all hours of the morning to clean them up.

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## SlitherinSisters

If the cages are clean they don't really have a smell. However, I do think that when you heat the room up to 80 degrees you emphasize the smell.

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## SlitherinSisters

> Cool.  Thanks guys.  I'm glad to hear the one person say they have it right next to thier bed becuase I already had a spot next to my wifes side of the bed picked out for its cage.


Being a woman and thinking about it as his hobby and not mine. I would DEFINITELY say no if he was planning to put it on MY side of the bed. No way.... 

I think you should re think where you want to put the cage, ESPECIALLY if you really want your wife to say yes.

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## Colin Vestrand

> Yeah, our daughter has a large pet rat.
> It smelled quite a bit until we found a bedding that seems to absorb all the smell.  I'd imagine a snake would be the same (as far as finding a neutralizing bedding).


i use newspaper.  then all you have to do is take the paper out, wipe it down with a little disinfectant, and you're good to go.

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## scotty99

I keep mine on newspaper, and i put a sheet of plain white paper on that so i can see when the snake has "gone to the toilet" pretty much straight away, and clean it out. I'd say Royal pythons make very clean pets, now my corn, he's mr stinky lol..well he was until he escaped

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