Stink!!

[ericson1777]

so today was my first poop!!! so i went and cleaned it up and what not and i guess i dident realize how bad they smelled, i work at a dog boarding place and snakes poo is very distinct smelling compared to anything else i have smelled. but i cleaned it up with paper towels and i noticed he peed also so i cleaned that up but even tho i cleaned it (i soaked up the pee with paper towels and took out soiled chips, and replaced them with new ones), it still smells bad, is there anything i can do to make that smell go away (sprays?) besides taking all the bedding out and cleaning the whole enclosure???


Please help me

[OhBalls]

Personally, i use soft paper towels and anytime they pee or poop, I change them completely.....

I am extremely anal about "stink"....and i swear, I can smell it before it hits the towel...lol...

my advise, switch to something easier to clean.....spot cleaning it not the answer.....it takes two seconds to pull out a stinky paper towel and replace it with a new one........remember to clean the tub/tank fully at least weekly (don't even ask how often I clean them...lol...i use A LOT of paper towels)

good luck

[icygirl]

Personally, i use soft paper towels and anytime they pee or poop, I change them completely.....

I am extremely anal about "stink"....and i swear, I can smell it before it hits the towel...lol...

my advise, switch to something easier to clean.....spot cleaning it not the answer.....it takes two seconds to pull out a stinky paper towel and replace it with a new one........remember to clean the tub/tank fully at least weekly (don't even ask how often I clean them...lol...i use A LOT of paper towels)

good luck

That is exactly how I feel!!

Except I use unprinted newspaper instead of paper towels. You can use regular newspaper too - it's free, and the ink is nontoxic. Very very cheap way to clean tubs... The only reason I use unprinted newspaper is because after awhile you start getting grayish-black stains at the bottom of your water bowls, etc. and I didn't really like that.

As far as cleaning up the smell? I first flush the poo/urates, then I use diluted chlorhexadine in a spray bottle to clean the tub. It is very safe to use around the animals. If the stink is really bad and that doesn't work (e.g... my corn's poop reeks compared to my BP's!), I usually will let the tub and the hides soak in a very diluted bleach solution for around half an hour. I think it's supposed to be around 5%... I just estimate... then I empty it and let everything soak in plain water for another half an hour... and voila smell is GONE...

[OhBalls]

lol....i put my paper towels through the shredder *hangs my head in shame*.....

I would NOT be surprised if I was asked to fluff a pillow.......spoiled snakes....lol

[Ranegyr]

I've always said the mine don't stink and i am usually full of it. But in this case, seriously, my snakes poo doesn't smell. And i smell everything. I can pinpoint dirty socks in the hamper. But snake poo, mild musky and nothing rancid like you all are describing.

What's up with that?

it's the same with all 3 balls.

[DeepSouthSerpents]

yea snake poo smell hits me right when i walk into a room... then it's the hunt to figure out who the culprit is. poo and urates over the heated side smells AWFUL! that constant burning poo smell just carries so far. if you're using bark just try taking a whole chunk out maybe? instead of just the pieces that are visually soiled. sometimes the urine can seep downwards and linger, leaving a smell.

[Slim]

Personally, i use soft paper towels and anytime they pee or poop, I change them completely.....

Couldn't have said it better!

I tried a couple different substrates when I first got started, but nothing stays cleaner than a new sheet of paper in a freshly cleaned tub.

[DutchHerp]

Why would you have to clean paper substrates every week though? I mean, the snakes are bound to piss or poop at least once every two weeks, so why wouldn't that be fine? I doubt much bacterial growth will be happening in a completely dry cage with paper.

[ericson1777]

it sounds like paper towels are my best bet. im the same way i can smell something that smells a mile away. thanks for the advice!

[gp_dragsandballs]

My ball python's poo never stinks but my hypo red tail is another story lol.

In my opinion snake poo isn't half as bad a beardie poo. yuck

It seems no matter how much a particle substrate is spot cleaned over time it will stink.