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Do snakes have a scent

Cindy

Cindy

Cornographer
what I mean is do they smell of anything? I have done a full bleaching and cleaning of the tank today, with a complte replacement of substraites, washing of all plants, dishes and branches. six hours later and that Viv smells just as it did before... not really unpleaseant but sort of sharp... do snakes musk their terriotry?
 
Hi Cindy. My snake definitely musks. He usually does it when I first take him out to handle, but it goes away. I do usually have to wash my hands real well to get the scent off. I don't know if they do it to mark territory but I believe they do do it to ward off predators or when nervous/frightened. I think it is possible your snake may have musked the tank again at some point if it still carries the scent.
 
Seriously?

I think the stuff in my vivs smell like snakes to. Especially the fake fine there in very often. It wears off a bit when i wash it, but a lot stays on. Even the hides do keep that smell. It's not a nasty stench. Just an odd snake smell.
But well, snakes don't sweat. Can't be much else then musk now i think about it.

Now that i do think about it.... EWWWWW. Did i touch that???
 
Thought I've heard plastics can permanently absorb odors. maybe some plastics are more prone to absorption than others.
:shrugs:
 
i never smelled my...

snake, i've stuck my head in the viv and inhaled though, it just smells like dirt, lol. snakes at petco smell though! i held one last week, it smelled REALLY foul. that thing needs a bath. that was the key reason i didn't purchase it. j/k. i'd NEVER buy a reptile from petco.
 
why not purchase a reptile from PetCo? I have 2 that I have rescued from there...one is my Male snow who is now 3 years old and a very good breeder, and my male Anery is a year old and in perfect health.

I would rather take the snakes from places like petco than let them keep em.
 
the thought has...

crossed my mind, but right now i have to be a little more picky and buy snakes from breeders i trust as i can not afford the risk of having a snake bite the dust because he was neglected while in store. i almost bought that stanky king snake because i felt bad for it, but at that time i was saving up to buy a snake at the philly show. when i'm rich and famous i will buy out petco every chance i get :)
 
sumguy said:
Thought I've heard plastics can permanently absorb odors. maybe some plastics are more prone to absorption than others.
:shrugs:
Click to expand...
Think about coffee mugs (like the plastic ones you get at Dunkin Donughts). Some plastics are treated to keep smells out, but it never really seems to work.
 
Problem is when people starting to buy from PetCo, they just keep more snakes for breeding. Probably keep more snakes in a store, and more stores stock them. Breeders and hobbyists will sell less due to that people can get neglected snakes in Petco for much less.
Not to mention many petstores neglect their animals on purpose to try and make people feel sorry for them and purchase them.

Please consider that before you advertise people to buy from such places...
 
i think a lot...

of first time reptile owners are unaware of where to look for their pet outside a big chain store like PETCO or a smaller pet shop. i bought my first two snakes from a small shop in my neighborhood. my first snake, a ribbon died within two months, my second, norbert is doing quite well, perhaps because i got him as a hatchling and he was in the store no more than half a week. i've gone back to get supplies and to look at the snakes on sale...an adult creamsicle that was given away to the store by it's previous owner. i'm guessing it wouldn't breed or it was infertile. it was a beautiful snake, i held it and was amazed by how friendly such an unwanted creature could be. they wanted $150 for it! the tag in the tank said $70, but i was told that was the price for the previous inhabitant of that terrarium. i would've bought that snake because i felt very bad for it, but not at the price they were asking when they seemed to change the price right before my eyes. i would've felt ripped off. a smaller albino had mites. now that i know there's some really solid, great breeders out there i will not purchase a snake from a store again. i feel bad that the animals are neglected, but there's only so much i can do about that right now. i'm glad i got norbert when i did, he's a healthy little guy, but when i brought him back to be checked for an infection one of the employees told me she remembered a corn having mites and nothing being done about it and she was pretty sure it was mine...i was kinda erked, not so mildly, but he is/was mite free. a lot of petstores that sell multiple types of animals don't give a crud about the reptiles...or any of the pets for that matter. i've seen puppies and kittens in pet stores that look malnourished and weak!
 
Jicin said:
Problem is when people starting to buy from PetCo, they just keep more snakes for breeding. Probably keep more snakes in a store, and more stores stock them. Breeders and hobbyists will sell less due to that people can get neglected snakes in Petco for much less.
Not to mention many petstores neglect their animals on purpose to try and make people feel sorry for them and purchase them.

Please consider that before you advertise people to buy from such places...
Click to expand...

I didn't tell someone to buy from them. All I was asking was why they didn't so that I could get their opinion on it. Maybe you don't know, but when large breeders sell off bulk quantities of snakes to whole salers, most of those snakes end up in pet stores like PetCo, PetSmart, and what have you. So, if you do buy from a pet store, it isn't the pet store that breeds the snakes, it is the breeders that we can go to ourselves. Although we as consumers won't know the lineage/bloodline of the snakes that we buy from a pet store, it is a cheaper way to purchase them.

And, not all stores neglect their reptiles. There are quite a few reptile speciality stores, and a few other Pet stores that also deal in exotics, that know what they are doing with snakes and other reptiles. So please, before you go bashing all petstores as a whole, remember that some do know what they are doing.
 
from what i have...

seen, snakes tend to be less expensive when you go to a breeder than when you go to a pet shop. i can buy an albino snow for about $40 on several of the sites i've visited, i paid $89 in the pet shop. i assumed the price i paid was the typical amount for an amelanistic hatcling. i think $150 is VERY steep for a creamsicle corn that was clearly not cared for by it's previous owner. as a hobbyist it wouldn't concern me at this point whether or not that snake had failed to reproduce, but i have reason to believe it was unhealthy and probably croaked it before it was given the chance to become someone's new pet. it was also kept in a ten gallon tank and was sitting it in its own waste, the terrarium that it was in had a large crack that was taped poorly and there was no source of heat for this animal, no hides either and the water dish was empty. this is the type of thing i see at several pet stores in my area, i am turned off. i'm not gonna waste my time looking for a good store to buy snakes.

i would probably buy a snake from a store that specializes in reptiles, but most petstores have everything from fish to rodents to puppies and kittens to snakes and arachnids. you are right, it's not all pet stores, but a good many of them suck and i have found that the best option is to purchase directly from a breeder.
 
I understand what you mean. When I got my first snake, the Male Snow listed in my sig, I bought him from PetCo. I paid $52.00 for him including tax about 3 years ago. Just 6 months ago, I bought the Male Anery, Also listed in my sig, from the same PetCo, for $55.00. Now, I know that I can get prices like that or even chaper from a breeder, but I can't get the package deal that I did with these snakes from a breeder. Both of these snakes I bought from PetCo, and at the time of buying them, PetCo had a special going on. When you bought any snake or lizard, you get a free 25 gal long tank, UTH, Heat Lamp, Bulb, and ReptiBark Substrate for free. I couldn't beat that, so I got them. And, I am glad that I did. Both are wonderful feeders, never have refused a meal or regurged. Both shed completely every time. I have never seen a mite on either one of them, even in the store (Although I treated both when I got home just as a precaution). Now, the snow is 3 years old, and has bred for the last 2 years, and the Anery is close to a year and a half and will offered the opportunity to breed this year.
 
a deal like that...

is definitely nice because supplies add up quick and before you know it you got an empty wallet. i'd make an exception after handling and examining the snake i was considering purchasing.
 
Cindy - corns definitely can musk. They just don't do it as readily as some other species. I have one corn that musks me almost every time I touch him, but almost none of the others have ever musked me. I have a milk snake that always musks me too. It is different with each animal as to how easily they are irritated/aggravated.
 
I haven't commented on the actual topic of this thread, so I will now. I agree that corns can and will musk. I have had the rare ocasion to be musked on by my Female Okeetee a couple of times. She has a very flighty atitude at times, and when you bother her when she doesn't want to be bothered, she whips her tail around and the musk comes out. If she hasn't pooed yet, then that comes out also.

I have heard that Males musk their teritory to mark is...similar to dogs and cats marking their teritory. And, a female will leave scent in the area during mating season.

Also, Plastics, even those treated not to absorb scent, do and will absorb any sent that they come into contact with. Also, if you have any wooden branches/hides, the pours in the wood will absorb the scent too. Even if you boil the wood, it will still hold the scent.
 
The only way that I have ever been able to tell is the vent opens slightly. But if you can see this, then it is already too late. the tail doesn't have to be raised as the musk is just a small amount of fluid that is usually rubbed off on something or someone.
 
Ohhh. So *that* is what i noticed with my bloodred a few weeks ago. The bastard! Missed me though. hehehe.
 
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