Neighbors Say Dubuque Home Smells Like a Zoo

Originally Posted by reptile.woman

I'm a sanitizing/clean freak and they just flat out stink. You have to really love reptiles to deal with the ordor. Even the food they eat stinks. There's nothing you can do about that.

...

They don't shed individual skin cells as dander, they don't ooze skin oils, they don't leave hair or feathers or anything else that produces odors, other than their feces, which are fairly inert most the time, as smells go... Some species can musk and anything that regurges or drops oviviparous offspring reeks, but those are unusual circumstances. There's no scent rubbing or territory marking with urine...

What is this smell you're going on about? They're about as odorless as anything made of matter can get.

[quote=Clay Davenport]

There are several larger breeders in the hobby who maintain over 1000 snakes in their collections. Are you suggesting that the facilities of the Barkers, the Sutherlands, our webmaster here Rich, all stick to high heaven permeating their stench throughout the neighborhood?
If this was what was required to do this for a living, I seriously doubt many would want to spend 10 or 12 hours a day every day in that environment.


I've been to the Barkers reptile facility and it was not like a faint scent of aspen bedding. They take excellent care of their reptiles, they keep a clean facility, they are great people, awesome reptile breeders, and fantastic parents..... BUT..... their facility still stinks of reptiles!!! Reptiles just flat out stink no matter what cleaning procedures you use. You shouldn't be able to smell the stench through the neighborhood, but you can't avoid the natural stench of reptiles inside any large breeders facility. However, you can keep the foul stench from becoming overwhelming.

Karen.. I just want to throw out.. You mentioned that.. even snake food smells. I have kept snakes for about 6 years (which is nothing in the snake world :P) And I have never had a rat smell.. why? I do frozen/thawed. Many people do.. there is no smell .. since there is no feces and urine.

although I only have 11 snakes.. I do agree with the others that have multiple snakes, that if you stay on top of cleaning.. there is no smell.. provided you clean the sheds/feces etc, and then remove the trash from the house. My husband would never let me keep them if they smelled. HA HA HA


Just my personal thoughts. ^_^

I used to clean cages and feed hundreds of reptiles on a daily basis and I believe that it was the feces that caused most of the odor. Every cage was cleaned out daily. I disliked the odor so much that many cages were thoroughly cleaned out twice a day. If my face wasnt so close to the nasty stench that the snakes released, maybe I'd feel differently. I'd sooner stick my head in a cat litter box.

When people came over they'd claim they couldn't smell reptiles, but then they also couldn't smell the several cats that I had at the time either!!! I'm so happy not to care for reptiles for a living anymore. I have a few for pets (and spoil them well), but caring for hundreds of reptiles is just nasty!!!

These threads are addicting huh???? lol Well... I see what everyone else is saying and as I said in my last thread, it was the snake feces, but what can I say.... I cleaned it all day!!!!

Can we get an IP check between Rattlesnake and Reptile.woman ?

Some definate trolling going on, not someone brand new to the forum.

The IP doesn't match Rattlesnake, but I think it warrants further investigation.

I'm a little busy at the moment so will comment on the subject matter later.

Originally Posted by reptile.woman

I used to clean cages and feed hundreds of reptiles on a daily basis and I believe that it was the feces that caused most of the odor. Every cage was cleaned out daily. I disliked the odor so much that many cages were thoroughly cleaned out twice a day. If my face wasnt so close to the nasty stench that the snakes released, maybe I'd feel differently. I'd sooner stick my head in a cat litter box.

When people came over they'd claim they couldn't smell reptiles, but then they also couldn't smell the several cats that I had at the time either!!! I'm so happy not to care for reptiles for a living anymore. I have a few for pets (and spoil them well), but caring for hundreds of reptiles is just nasty!!!

Twice a day eh?


Im going to say. BS. Whos animals did you take care of? have any proof. otherwise, see ya troll!

Originally Posted by reptile.woman

If you can keep a house that's filled with reptiles in perfectly clean living conditions, I would really like to know what product you use. If you could tell me, I would be a loyal customer of that product for life. I'd also like to know what zoo you have been to that has such great cleaning procedures that cover the stink of repitles. I want to go there!!!

I use either Chlorhexidine or Heathy Habitat cleaner, depending on the situation, and most are kept on paper towel or newpaper, with a few display cages using aspen for a substrate. Water dishes and cage furniture are washed as needed in hot dishsoapy water, rinsed, then sprayed with chlorhexidine and rerinsed. I have roughly 70 snakes, 8 Bearded dragons, 10 Leopard geckos, and an assortment of other odds and ends reptiles in my house.....and nope, there is no odor, except when feces are present. Clean them up, and the odor is gone. There is no need to "cover up" the smell of the reptiles, because they have no body odor. If the feces are removed and the cage is properly cleaned, there simply is nothing to smell. If in a humid environment, the aspen does have a slight scent, but it is not an objectionable smell.

I have one housecat, and his litterbox, gives off more odor than all of my reptiles.

Their "food", the live rodent kind anyway, are not kept in my house, so they do not contribute to any odor either. When they are brought in to be fed off, they aren't around long enough to make an odor.

But then, I'm guessing you really weren't wanting to know what products I use anyway.