Smelly snake

[Billy305]

I got a male bumble bee rescue form a friend of mine and am trying to get it back to a healthy weight. When I first got the snake it smelled bad. Not specifically like pee or poop, just bad. It wasn't the cage but the actual snake it self. I thought that maybe after it shed a time or two and with some cage cleaning it would not be so bad, but this guy still smells. I dont know if hes crawling around in his own pee non stop or if there is something else going on with him.

He was 400 grams when I got him (3 foot snake) and is nearing 600 now so hes making progress. What could be the reasons for the smell?

[Slim]

Snakes don't inheriently smell bad unless they musk for self defense...not something you'll see from a ball python.

Given that, I would suspect the cause is something that your snake is crawling through.

How often are you cleaning his enclosure? What are you using for substrate? Why would he have a lot of oppurtunity of crawl around in his own pee if you’re keeping up with his husbandry?

Have you tired cleaning him with unscented baby wipes. They work wonders for cleaning off anything he may have crawled through.

[Billy305]

Havn't tried baby wipes and I clean his cage when ever he goes to the bathroom. He didnt smell as bad last night as he had previously.

[enchantress62]

Maybe he has some kind of intestinal infection? If his cage is clean and he's clean maybe it's time to have a vet check him out.

[LLLReptile]

Can you post pics of him/ his set up? It's unusual for a ball python to have an odor.

-Jen