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Making a new thread from the Wheatley one since she has been found to be female and has been renamed.]

She's getting biiiiiigger.

I took her out last night for some spot cleaning/ heat and humidity checks and an overall wellness check.

(Humidity fluctuates between 40%-70%. I've put a red lamp over a water bowl, a thick cotton shirt to keep the cold out and warmth and moisture in, and I give it a light spray down. If I don't spray it, it will sit at 40-45%. After I spray it, it becomes 70% and slowly decreases on its own.)

And to let her stretch out a bit.

(I noticed a bit of a smell coming from the tank. But it's not snake poo/pee smell. Almost a musk-like scent. It's not disturbing or lip curling. But it is evident. At first, I thought it might be mold. But further inspection has proven otherwise. Also since I'm allergic to mold, I would have had allergy symptoms if mold was truly present in the snake tank. Do snakes even have a natural oder? Off topic question, though...)

She's doing wonderful.


Herp Derp

She may have musked a bit when you took her out of her cage. Snakes musk when they're frightened and in defense mode, so it would be odd for her to musk in her cage, before handling, where she is relatively undisturbed. If it were musk it should be a strong smell though.

What kind of substrate do you use, and how thick do you layer it? Just asking because if the layer is too thick and you spray frequently, the subtrate underneath the top layer will have a hard time drying and may mildew.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Trisnake

She may have musked a bit when you took her out of her cage. Snakes musk when they're frightened and in defense mode, so it would be odd for her to musk in her cage, before handling, where she is relatively undisturbed. If it were musk it should be a strong smell though.

What kind of substrate do you use, and how thick do you layer it? Just asking because if the layer is too thick and you spray frequently, the subtrate underneath the top layer will have a hard time drying and may mildew.

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They do that? Is it a fart or something? Or just a general body oder?

I use Aspen which is layered an inch thick, but there is a paper towel over top that I change frequently. I smelled the hides individually and the smell doesn't seem to be emanating from them. And then I don't smell it any more until I open the tank back up later.


Herp Derp

Yep they do; it's a defense mechanism. They basically blast the "predator" with a super stinky, horribly acrid smell/taste to make them let the snake go... And I say taste because often times the snake is in a predators mouth when it's being attacked. It's kind of like what skunks do with their whole spraying thing, except snakes don't spray and I don't think snake musk can blind like skunk spray does. It's not a fart or anything like that, though I'm not exactly sure where the smell/substance is secreted from.

Sometimes snakes will musk a tiny bit when they're startled or disturbed, not like a full-blast musk. Your substrate sounds fine so I think that's probably what happened. Be happy you haven't experienced the full stench of a musking snake lol:gj:

It's not only used as a defense mechanism, but also as a way for them to mark their territory. It comes out of the cloacal scent gland. Since it comes from the cloaca, it usually is accompanied by pee and poop as well. :)

That being said, I've yet to experience a snake musk.

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