Stinky Snake

[TheVoid]

When I started to handle my ball python, I noticed that he smelt a little bad... I always spot clean when I can, and I'm planning to change his substrate soon... is there any way I could give him a bath? I would hate for him to be unhealthy in any way. If so, how should I go about cleaning him?

[EL Ziggy]

I've never given any of my snakes baths. If he got poop on him I guess you could put him in a very shallow tub of lukewarm water. Or just get a damp towel and let him slither through it.

[Tiny Boidae]

My snakes sometimes smell. The rat snake will poop where he's sitting and won't be bothered to move, even though the rest of the enclosure is clean. I tried to bathe him after that once and never again. I just wouldn't bother unless there's feces caked on him.

[sattva]

Ya... My George will pee where he lays and doesn't even both to move... If he stinks too bad, I'll put him in a tube of lukewarm water to soak and that seems to do the trick...

My little Blue Eyed Leucistic Ball Python being all white... She will need a bath once in awhile... I picked up her hide the other day, and she was wrapped around poop like it was a clutch of eggs... Into the tub she goes... I think a little soak is good for them now and then, and they seem to like it once they realize what's going on...

[Magdalen]

I'm fascinated that a snake can be smelly. I'm not sure why other than I've never had a smelly snake. Or maybe my other animals just have worse smells haha

[toddnbecka]

I've soaked a few of my snakes in a tub of lukewarm water when they had dried urates on their skin, aside from being placed into a tub they didn't object, and settled right down for a nice soak.

[SerpentineDream]

Most of my snakes don't smell at all. However the ball pythons for some reason are quite careless about where they put themselves after a poo and will occasionally lie in it. Even if there's no visible poo on them sometimes they stink.

As mentioned above, nothing a lukewarm soak won't fix. Just don't dunk their heads. You don't want them aspirating water.