Mine are not gaged any bigger than a 14 gage but I do know that a piercing of any gage can smell pretty funky if its not cleaned very well every day. Its just the skin oils being concentrated in an enclosed area. Like the how the folds of a chubby baby can be stinky and need to be cleaned all the time. (my tall skinny son was a roley poley baby lol)

I imagine it might smell tasty to a snake. Just wipe around your piercing with a gauze of rubbing alcohol before you handle him if you think it might become a habit.