Ballpython musk?

[AH020387]

Do ball pythons give out 'musk'? becuase my entire room smells becuase of my snake! ive cleaned its cage with bleach and water, and i even rinsed the snake yesterday with water but today it (my entire room) smells really bad and i can tell the smell is from the sanke (cuz its that unique smell)! wat do i do to get rid of the stink? and again do ball pythons give out the odor of 'musk'?

[zina10]

Hm, I think its most likely urates. Some snakes pass urates quite often, and sometimes its hard to see because its mostly liquid and only a tiny bit "urate".

Mine like to wait until I clean the cage and then pass "a little more" so I have to clean all over again

And yup, it smells pretty bad ...

[anatess]

Are you using wood substrate like Aspen? Because, if those get wet, they stink too. I always have to scoop up any substrate that gets wet from my bp dunking himself in the water bowl because it gives out that armpit smell.

[Jeo123]

Out of curiousity, I know a lot of people use newspaper as a substrate. Is there any real difference between newspaper and the cheap sketch paper used by artists?

[Generationshell]

Whew... Urates do smell pretty bad.
However I've never had an issue with it stinking up my entire room.
Have you had the snake for a good while?
Because in the beginning you may be more aware and intune to the new smells. So the smell may seem heightened to you but really its just because your senses arent used to that smell having been there before. So its amplifying the effect. But over time it barely becomes noticeable.

[WingedWolfPsion]

Snake urine can be pretty stinky--maybe your snake needs to go for a swim in some warm water, too. Sounds like he got urine all over him, if he smells that way. (The urate is the chalky white or yellow substance--the liquid part is urine).

[Generationshell]

yea i give my snake baths regularly because they can get urine on themselves which makes them stink. Every time my bp peed on my bed I could smell it and on the bp and then I would frantically look all over my bed and sure enough.... that's why he isn't allowed on my bed anymore.

[dr del]

Hi,

I'm pretty certain BP's can musk - my big normal male and I had a disagreement the day before yesterday about me removing some stuck shed from his neck and head.

The stuff he smeared on my t-shirt smelled way worse than normal poop.


dr del

[JDF]

i just got a 3 month old female bp and haven't held her for about a week after I got her home. Im afraid she will musk on me like she did at the expo where I got her. Is there anything you can do to prevent being musked, peed, or pooped on??? pls let me know im kind of nervous

[Bogertophis]

i just got a 3 month old female bp and haven't held her for about a week after I got her home. Im afraid she will musk on me like she did at the expo where I got her. Is there anything you can do to prevent being musked, peed, or pooped on??? pls let me know im kind of nervous

Snakes often musk when frightened, like at an expo. Also, she may have been sexed (probed for verification) while there or shortly before, & trust me, that too will cause
a normally-calm snake to musk. Musk is typically a self-defense mechanism, to smell un-appealing & to avoid being eaten by a predator. So if you treat your snake kindly
and with empathy, she is unlikely to expel any musk when you handle her. As far as avoiding being "peed or pooped on", a snake will go when it has to go...it's your job
(if you wish to avoid it) to look at their cloacal area when you first pick them up, and if it's bulging above that, you're "asking for it".

Please, for future reference, start a NEW thread for your questions, rather than adding to a thread that's old. This one is 9 years old! O.K.???

And