Least smelly snake breeds (Are Colubrids off the table?)

Good feedback so far guys. Here are my notes and obviously this is very subjective:

- Colubrids do in fact tend to poo more, have strong smelling poop

- Ball pythons seem to be the least smelly

- Coconut husk or other absorbent substrate seem to make the difference instead of paper towels

Anyone have feedback on MBKs?

Any advice on not getting your snake to poo on you or poo outside of cage? The first one seems to be when you get it as a baby, don't just put it down or put it back in it's cage when it poos. Then it becomes learned behavior.

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Originally Posted by silentchief

Good feedback so far guys. Here are my notes and obviously this is very subjective:

- Colubrids do in fact tend to poo more, have strong smelling poop

- Ball pythons seem to be the least smelly

- Coconut husk or other absorbent substrate seem to make the difference instead of paper towels

Anyone have feedback on MBKs?

Any advice on not getting your snake to poo on you or poo outside of cage? The first one seems to be when you get it as a baby, don't just put it down or put it back in it's cage when it poos. Then it becomes learned behavior.

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- Saying colubrids poop more often is definitely subjective and will vary from species to species. Hognose have an EXTREMELY high metabolism, so yes poop often. Kings have a higher metabolism than BPs, so poop more frequently than BPs.

- BPs are FAR more smelly than Kings in my years of keeping both. Hognose are no doubt the smelliest I've ever kept.

- Coco husk, repti bark, etc... are no doubt more absorbent than paper when it comes to odor.

- MBKs, no, but Cal Kings I have years of experience keeping.

- My only snake who has ever pooped on me is my BP, Tyson. And he's done it 3 times. My King, Django has pooped on my bed once. Other than that, they poop when they poop and there is no learned behavior with them when it comes to pooping. They go when they go. There is absolutely no way to get them to learn when or where to go.

"Any advice on not getting your snake to poo on you or poo outside of cage?"

I don't think they have a "learned behavior" as far as defecating.

Just pay attention to when you feed them, and how long it typically takes them to defecate after the feed. If you know your snake typically "goes" 7 days after you feed.....then just be aware that if you hold it on day 7 or after, you may be in the "danger" zone.


I'm wondering why you are so concerned about it however?....this is an animal you could potentially have for 20+ years. So you better get used to being pooped on occasionally if you want one.....

Same as a dog or anything else.


"they poop when they poop and there is no learned behavior with them when it comes to pooping. They go when they go. There is absolutely no way to get them to learn when or where to go"

+1

MBK is as bad as any other king snake, and since they have high metabolisms they go often. My BRB's don't go often but when one does I know it as soon as I walk in the room.

My boas are pretty non-stinky simply because they only go once every few weeks. They usually are pretty tidy about it - they go in one corner then move to the opposite corner and stare at you with this "Slave... clean that up now" look.

Retics are really bad because they poop in their water bowl, bathe in it, and then dump the poop soup so it gets absorbed into all the substrate.

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Yeah, this varies drastically by species and other variables.

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What I meant was that they don’t usually go every single day. Compared to other animals (like pet mice for example, who poop at least ten times in ten minutes) they go very little [emoji23]

Most of my balls, when they are not on a food strike, go once a week. The smell of the urate is usually far worse than the actual poop. I use paper substrate and like Zina said, it does stink up pretty quick, however I do not miss anything unusual in the defecation using paper and I know I am not leaving anything behind when I clean.

I've never thought my corn snakes poo smelled any different or worse than any of the other snake species I keep. I keep my corns and my king snake on aspen.

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Originally Posted by Joci

What I meant was that they don’t usually go every single day. Compared to other animals (like pet mice for example, who poop at least ten times in ten minutes) they go very little [emoji23]

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Gotcha, definitely true :D

Smelliest snake in our house is the Stinking Goddess. :) AKA King Rat Snake (old world species). Very sharp odor, similar to the hoggie, but more so. Next worst is whoever last didn’t eat *and* hid their rodent.

The kings, corns, Beeps, KSBs, and Morelia are all about the same as each other, IMO. Although just-deposited corn snake is pretty bad, and Henry, the long-term boarder, has a talent for going on his owner so that we don’t forget that, it dissipates pretty quickly.


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Corns and Colubrids in general have always seemed like they are much worse to me....

BUT....there's a lot of different opinions here so.....


Really, the only way to settle this at this point is to have an old fashioned "Poo Off".

Someone will have to compare each freshly produced sample.

I for one, am out. Any volunteers?