Most odor absorbent substrate

So my hubby has apparently developed some kind of super smelling abilty. Despite the snakes being housed in a separate room (spare bedroom) with the door always closed (keeps heat in, curious Scotties out) he complained last night that "those snakes freaking stink." I went and checked, and the male normal had urated in his hide, and that was it, I couldn't even smell it until I opened the tub. Every other tub was sparking clean because I am neurotic about clean tubs, they are checked daily and cleaned the moment I see anything marring the pristine white paper (it gives me an outlet for my OCD tendencies). So I guess I'm going to have to change substrates after all, since the reptizorb liners I'm currently using have zero odor absorbing properties (excellent for ease of cleaning though so I'm pretty bummed). Please advise me on your favorite substrate for keeping odors low. I also have a honeywell Air Genius 5 purifier with a VOC pre-filter running in there 24-7, but apparently this is not sufficient, so if you have a better idea for air filtration as well please let me know. Since he's nice enough to limit me only to "as many snakes fit in one room" I want to keep him happy about that number, because you can theoretically fit a lot of racks in a single room. :D

I use aspen and get very little smell. But I also clean it out every week.

Since you have the OCD itch, could consider doing an AM and PM check. Twice a day keeps the odor away.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by John1982

Since you have the OCD itch, could consider doing an AM and PM check. Twice a day keeps the odor away.

---

Lol, I do most of the time anyway. But I think he's aiming for the kind of non-smell level where someone coming into our place for the first time would be surprised we have 2 dogs, let alone a bunch of snakes and dozens of ASFs. I'm not even sure that's possible, but I'm going to give it my best try.

Since you keep the door closed I could see something setup right outside the room working well too. A little side table just outside with aroma candles, scented oils or some incense sitting on it could do the trick. Masking what little odor is getting under the door you probably wouldn't even need to burn anything. They also have those cinnamon brooms you can hang up on the wall, stuff like that.

Back when I used coconut husks I couldn't ever smell anything, but there are obvious downsides to it as well like molding easy and you need to freeze or bake it for possible mites. And even though aspen is winning, I've uses both and smelled less with coconut.

I bet nothing you use will make a difference...Just how some people are...They expect it should smell, so they smell ish that isn't really there...

My BP doesn't smell at all. :/ Granted he's only pooped twice since I've had him, but only one of those smelled. The urates don't smell at all. My cat liter box smells FAR worse. Maybe I'm just lucky thus far? With the snake, not the cat. Lol

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

Get a flat boxed fan and stick a filter on the back of it. It can help to absorb a lot of the smells that may assault your hubby's nostrils.

Repti bark by zoomed cause its absorbent

I love the way my room smells with all new aspen in 100+ tubs. Anything you house more than one or two animals in the same place you're going to get an oder. Heck that's why you clean your house is to keep the smell of people and pets down. LOL I vote aspen.

How about some baking soda to absorb some odors?
I too am trying to figure out a way to make 20+ snakes completely smell free.

The feeder rodents will most likely stink worse than the snakes, as they "go" much more often.

Maybe it's not your stinky balls that smell :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks everyone. I have ASFs only, which are on a thick layer of aspen with zeolite sprinkles and they get a full bedding change every five days, so it's not them. The mazuri has a bit of smell, but there's not much I can do about that.

I guess I'll switch the snakes over to aspen and see how it goes.

Stink is like pain. It lets you know something is wrong. That being said, if at all possible try better ventilation of the room. Have some sort of exhaust blowing out of the room either from a fan in the window or through a vent.

Odor absorbing beads are nice:
http://www.amazon.com/Punati-Chemica.../dp/B004EB8D6Y

It's cheaper in wal-mart, actually. I have one in my room, and the room smells nice.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cecilbturtle

Stink is like pain. It lets you know something is wrong. That being said, if at all possible try better ventilation of the room. Have some sort of exhaust blowing out of the room either from a fan in the window or through a vent.

---

Hubby has already informed me that the vent thing is happening when we buy a new house in a few months (for those who remember my moving sadness, I don't have to move to VA anymore! We're staying in AZ :D) The tricky part is how to vent it in an energy efficient way. It's not a big deal in "winter" (high of 75 out today lol), but since we're in Phoenix I'm loathe to send nice cool air outside during the ten months of the year that the A/C is running. Hopefully this will become a non-issue once they're on aspen, but on the current paper set-up that man can smell a single urate through the door.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by saiyan25

Odor absorbing beads are nice:
http://www.amazon.com/Punati-Chemica.../dp/B004EB8D6Y

It's cheaper in wal-mart, actually. I have one in my room, and the room smells nice.

---

Hmm, I might get some of those for the rest of the house. I've been letting my pups sleep out of their crates and the couch smells like dog* now. :rolleyes:

* I happen to like the way my dogs smell, I wash them with puppy shampoo every week. But hubby has only had one pet in his entire life which was a tiny hamster, so my animal hoarding is a bit overwhelming for him.

saiyan good idea!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Badgemash

Thanks everyone. I have ASFs only, which are on a thick layer of aspen with zeolite sprinkles and they get a full bedding change every five days, so it's not them. The mazuri has a bit of smell, but there's not much I can do about that.

I guess I'll switch the snakes over to aspen and see how it goes.

---

You can use pine for you rodents. Less cost, absorbs odors better, and isn't the evil monster everyone makes it out to be. I even use it on a bunch of my larger snakes.


I like my Dubstep to go Wop Wop Wop Wop

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Expensive hobby

You can use pine for you rodents. Less cost, absorbs odors better, and isn't the evil monster everyone makes it out to be. I even use it on a bunch of my larger snakes.

Oh and if you have a dedicated snake room, why is your door not sealed up?!? Seal that sucker up. It will help with heat retention, smell outside if the room, and VASTLY limits "looking around" space for an escapee. If they get out, no biggie, they are in a warm room, an can't get out into the rest if the house.
I like my Dubstep to go Wop Wop Wop Wop

---

I like my Dubstep to go Wop Wop Wop Wop

Whoops quoted instead of edited lol.


I like my Dubstep to go Wop Wop Wop Wop

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Expensive hobby

You can use pine for you rodents. Less cost, absorbs odors better, and isn't the evil monster everyone makes it out to be. I even use it on a bunch of my larger snakes.

---

I have a reliable source for the huge bags of Harlan Teklad shredded aspen at a fairly reasonable price, but if you can steer me toward a supplier of bulk kiln-dried pine at a better price then I would quite happily switch.

I haven't done anything to the door because we're renting the house (same reason I haven't looked into venting options yet), although I suppose I could try one of those slide on foam thingies.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Badgemash

I have a reliable source for the huge bags of Harlan Teklad shredded aspen at a fairly reasonable price, but if you can steer me toward a supplier of bulk kiln-dried pine at a better price then I would quite happily switch.

I haven't done anything to the door because we're renting the house (same reason I haven't looked into venting options yet), although I suppose I could try one of those slide on foam thingies.

---

I use mallard creek tri mix for my rodents and large snakes. It's like $8 after tax for a 7.5CuFt bale. I don't know what price you get for HT but if it's close to the same price and it's aspen if stick with that. I wish I could find aspen cheaper, but can't, so I use pine for my large enclosures.


I like my Dubstep to go Wop Wop Wop Wop

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Expensive hobby

I use mallard creek tri mix for my rodents and large snakes. It's like $8 after tax for a 7.5CuFt bale. I don't know what price you get for HT but if it's close to the same price and it's aspen if stick with that. I wish I could find aspen cheaper, but can't, so I use pine for my large enclosures.


I like my Dubstep to go Wop Wop Wop Wop

---

My HT is cheap, but not that cheap, and the HT bags are only 4.35 cubic feet. Where can one find this tri mix (I'll google it also, but it never hurts to ask too)?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Badgemash

My HT is cheap, but not that cheap, and the HT bags are only 4.35 cubic feet. Where can one find this tri mix (I'll google it also, but it never hurts to ask too)?

---

As long as they are a distributor any feed store can order it. I don't have "the hook up" on it per say, I just get it for a good price from the feed store I frequent.


I like my Dubstep to go Wop Wop Wop Wop

Whoa whoa whoa...
Maybe im over stepping.. So i apologize

Mayhaps take hubby to a moms n pops pet store, you know the ones, i notice most of those hold more of a odor to them, perhaps let him see how bad the house could be...;)

Other thing is, everything has a natural "odor" about them..

Sorry im not of much help. I like using regular papertowels when i wake i can smell if the cage needs cleaning, but i sleep in the same room.

I know they make bags of lavastone n such that pulls in odors n you can recharge it in the sun, i used it with ferrets, now there is an odor.. Maybe you can stash them around your spare room or rotate them out

Little update for you. Call Mallard Creek up directly. If you wanna buy bulk you can get it through them and the price is the same as I said or less. Dependent on how much you order. I go through about a bale and a half a week mainly because of our rats(changed every 3 days).


I like my Dubstep to go Wop Wop Wop Wop

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by koseckk89

Whoa whoa whoa...
Maybe im over stepping.. So i apologize

Mayhaps take hubby to a moms n pops pet store, you know the ones, i notice most of those hold more of a odor to them, perhaps let him see how bad the house could be...;)

Other thing is, everything has a natural "odor" about them..

---

Not overstepping at all! I think he just has some kind of snake smelling super powers, because I can't tell until I'm at least in the same room with them. He's a good guy though, so I'm willing to put the extra effort into obsessive deodorizing if it keeps him happy.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Expensive hobby

Little update for you. Call Mallard Creek up directly. If you wanna buy bulk you can get it through them and the price is the same as I said or less. Dependent on how much you order. I go through about a bale and a half a week mainly because of our rats(changed every 3 days).


I like my Dubstep to go Wop Wop Wop Wop

---

Thanks for the heads up, I'll give them a call.

Odor Update:
I switched everyone except the breeding girls over to aspen (the boys go into the girls' tubs, so I don't want slivers of aspen near any hemipenes). I also read the NASA study on air filtering plants, it's super convenient that the best air fliterers are some of the harder to kill houseplants, I now have one peace lily for every 100 sq. ft. of space, it's a very tropical vibe here. I also bought a carpet shampooer* which is doing an excellent job of keeping dust levels down (and easing my fears about flame retardants, but that's another story for the off-topic section). Overall it has made a big difference (well according to the hubby it has, I can tell the carpet feels/looks nicer and we have less dust and that's about it), so thanks everyone for the help, I'm going to order another rack soon now that he no longer has smelly snake concerns, yay! :D

* I bought it at Target, they had it marked at $249, but I showed the girl at customer service the same one on sale on Amazon for $170 using my phone, and she price matched it.

Here ya go...

http://pics.livejournal.com/coffeeandcreme/pic/0004dkwr