Musking

[Pixie]

I've read many posts referring to colubrids musking and aren't too sure exactly what it means! So if anyone would be so kind as to clarify it for me it would be greatly appreciated! My best guess is it is the snake "urinating" on you.

I have a Pueblan milk snake and every single time I pick him up, he pees on me! It's a bit frustrating but I'm hoping he will outgrow this eventually. Is he musking me?

[Big Mike]

As far as I know...musking is a defensive response that snakes use on predators. It's a stinky, bad tasting fluid that is supposed to give the impression that the snake is bad tasting and not worth hunting/eating.

I think that musk is different from pee. Musk smells worse than pee.

I would think that your snake is musking you. I have heard that most snakes will outgrow this urge to musk when they no longer think of you as a threat. I've heard that some snakes will musk on you their whole life and some never will.

My Cal King used to musk every time I picked him up...now he does it very rarely. I keep a towel handy when I pic him up so I can clean up and continue handling him when he musks so that he does not learn that musking means he is put back down.

[honduranfreekk]

I dont think it could be explaned any better than that Big Mike :) :)

[Lisa]

I'm just thankful it's not as strong as a skunk. We have a king that likes to musk too. Every other king has grown out of it, but this is a ltc so i don't expect her to do that

[Andy_G]

Musk can sometimes look like pee. When you are musked make sure that you do not put the snake down because this will train it to musk you every time you pick it up. Handle it for at least five minutes after it musks on you. I have had my king for about a month, she is 6 months of age and musks me a LOT less then she did before.

[eyespy]

Musk doesn't tend to dry into chalky looking stuff like pee does, has a more yellow-brown color to it. Otherwise it's sometimes hard to tell.

My Mexican black king both musks and flashes his 'penes at me whenever I pick him up. I just laugh at him and grab a tissue. ;)