Describe the smell of garter snake musk? [Archive]

kibakiba

10-25-2010, 04:49 AM

Mink manure. It stinks. Musk is not solid enough to be manure, is it? I mean, my snakes poop is somewhat solid with a till bit of wateriness, their musk, when (if) I get musked, is pure liquid and is clear-ish in colour. Every poop I've seen my ordinoides have... is white and brown, never clear. I've had poop on me enough to know the difference between when they musk or poop. With my concinnus, a certain little girly, who will remain nameless (Snap) musks me sometimes, and its white. Smells a bit less foul than ordinoides.

guidofatherof5

10-25-2010, 05:12 AM

It's a very hard smell to describe but once you smell it you'll always know it.
It is unique and special.

Stefan-A

10-25-2010, 05:15 AM

Mink manure. It stinks.
Manure usually does. But minks, like many other animals, do have anal glands that secrete a foul-smelling liquid.

Musk is not solid enough to be manure, is it?
Nope, liquid.

infernalis

10-25-2010, 07:40 AM

Like musk. It smells like musk. I haven't yet found another source of that smell, except musk.

Could not have said that better.

Once you get used to it, it's not so bad really.

mb90078

10-25-2010, 09:23 AM

Speaking of musk, is it possible for a snake to have defective musk? I'm pretty sure one of my garters musked me once shortly after I acquired them, but there was almost no smell whatsoever, but it definitely left a clear liquid...

Stefan-A

10-25-2010, 09:38 AM

Speaking of musk, is it possible for a snake to have defective musk?
Yes. There's usually more than one ingredient in most secretions and sometimes one is left out for any number of reasons. It can be a temporary or a permanent condition.

zarfytezz

10-25-2010, 01:37 PM

I've never smelled mink poop either, so I don't really have that to compare it to =p.

Mommy2many

10-25-2010, 04:33 PM

All I can say, is ditto Steve. Once you have experienced it, there is no mistaking it for anything else later on:D

Odie

10-25-2010, 09:47 PM

To me it smeels like rotting Alder :o

Tyrel26

10-26-2010, 01:20 PM

Has anyone noticed a difference in smell between species?

Once youve smelled musk it can sometimes help you find garters in the wild, if you get close and you scare one, just follow your nose lol

Stefan-A

10-26-2010, 01:53 PM

Has anyone noticed a difference in smell between species?
Not between garter species, but definitely between Thamnophis and Natrix.

Ameivaboy

10-26-2010, 02:40 PM

I could name something that garter and many other snake musks smells like but I'd likely get banned for doing so lol

Stefan-A

10-26-2010, 02:44 PM

I could name something that garter and many other snake musks smells like but I'd likely get banned for doing so lol
The description would most likely also be inaccurate.

zarfytezz

10-26-2010, 08:20 PM

Surely there's somehting it can be compared to that an average person has smelled though, right? Or is it as hard to explain as skunk is.

kibakiba

10-26-2010, 08:36 PM

It is hard to explain, especially since it probably varies per species. My concinnus (red spotted garter) don't smell that bad. Honestly, it smells like... Almost kind of like slightly old whole milk, which is a bad smell to me. I'm lactose intolerant. ;) It's not that bad though, not enough to make me angry over being musked by my beloved Snapdragon. My ordinoides(northwestern garter) have different smells. The worst is my yearling, Runt. Hers smells like a rotting carcass. Mama musked me once when I first caught her and she smelt like moldy compost. The smells aren't exactly that way, and I'm sure someone would describe them differently if they were to smell my snakes musk. Some snakes are extremely stinky and some don't smell bad at all.

infernalis

10-26-2010, 08:45 PM

PM me your mailing address, I'll spook one of my snakes and mail you some... (J/K)

guidofatherof5

10-26-2010, 08:55 PM

PM me your mailing address, I'll spook one of my snakes and mail you some... (J/K)

No, no Wayne. You might be on to something.
Kind of like the samples of perfume sprayed on the papers at the expensive fragrance counters.
I'd be glad to mail someone that. The garter snake musk that is. I'm not sure it would make it passed the postal inspectors or their dogs.:D

kibakiba

10-26-2010, 08:59 PM

Awww, your poor snakes! :p

The only muskings I get nowadays are from Snap. She hates me more than she hates tilapia. She flung musk at me, spraying it literally all over my arm and on my clothes. Just because I picked her up to get her used to being held and interacted with. I'd like her to calm down because I want to show her to my real mom when I get to see her, but that won't happen :rolleyes:. I'm lucky she doesn't smell bad and she didn't hit my face. Lol.

guidofatherof5

10-26-2010, 09:16 PM

You're in for a real treat when that musk get in your mouth.
I've been nailed twice. The second time was just as bad as the first.:D

kibakiba

10-26-2010, 09:33 PM

I keep my mouth shut around Snap. Though, I cant think of anything that could taste worse than my medicine. Makes me sick the moment I get it anywhere near my mouth. And with any smell, I can sort of taste what I smell, so it doesn't need to be in my mouth to know what it'd taste like... It's always fun to taste the cookies or other good food before it's even near me :D
The only bad thing about it is when things smell bad... Like musk... And wet dog... And other people who don't seem to bathe often :eek:

ConcinusMan

10-27-2010, 11:54 AM

Has anyone noticed a difference in smell between species?

Yes. T. elegans terrestris and T.e. elegans in N. California stink worse than any garter I've ever smelled. It's so dang overpowering you can practically taste it and lingers in your senses for quite some time. Harder to wash off your hands than most garters. I don't know that it smells any different than other garters but it certainly is more potent. Wet dog, mold, a little skunk thrown in for good measure. That's the best I can do to describe it. And those elegans don't stop at musking. They also evacuate the contents of their bowels, making a huge mess!

Once youve smelled musk it can sometimes help you find garters in the wild, if you get close and you scare one, just follow your nose lol

I don't think so, "Tim".:p

Tyrel26

10-27-2010, 08:07 PM

I don't think so, "Tim".:p

Whos Tim?

Actually it does work to some extent. While hiking in alberta we often startled snakes in the grass on the trail side and caused them to musk with out ever seeing them. Its not something thats going to be pin point accurate but it can let you know there is a snake near by. I found my first ever garter after it musked on the side of a trail and alerted us of its presence, it was a young redside. I had said to my friend, "whats that rotten smell?" lol and since he had caught snakes before he knew the smell. It was the first wild snake I'd ever seen and it was an amazing experience.

zarfytezz

10-28-2010, 01:16 PM

Haha

MoJo

10-29-2010, 09:11 AM

Yes. T. elegans terrestris and T.e. elegans in N. California stink worse than any garter I've ever smelled. It's so dang overpowering you can practically taste it and lingers in your senses for quite some time. Harder to wash off your hands than most garters. :p

You need to get an Eastern Blackneck to truly experience musk that lasts and is potent!

infernalis

10-29-2010, 09:17 AM

You need to get an Eastern Blackneck to truly experience musk that lasts and is potent!

Yepper that's for sure.

Mommy2many

10-29-2010, 06:03 PM

All I can say is that the musk smell of a garter is easily identifiable; as is the smell of a dead animal. Very distinct and once experienced, not ever forgotten.

Their main purpose is to escape from you and I would have to say, they are very good at that as a defense, The first thing you will want to do is wash it off!

guidofatherof5

10-29-2010, 06:09 PM

Mommy2many

10-29-2010, 06:13 PM

Wash it off! Why:D

Don't want my other snakes to think I was with someone else:eek:

kibakiba

10-29-2010, 06:17 PM

Haha, sometimes if Snap musks me and the smell doesn't go away after washing all the other snakes won't let me pick them up ;) They give me the "How could you!?" look, too.

Mommy2many

10-29-2010, 06:18 PM

Haha, sometimes if Snap musks me and the smell doesn't go away after washing all the other snakes won't let me pick them up ;) They give me the "How could you!?" look, too.

See???
They know, they all know...

zarfytezz

10-30-2010, 11:41 PM

Haha, sometimes if Snap musks me and the smell doesn't go away after washing all the other snakes won't let me pick them up ;) They give me the "How could you!?" look, too.

:)

Spankenstyne

10-31-2010, 01:54 PM

guidofatherof5

10-31-2010, 02:12 PM

ConcinusMan

11-01-2010, 10:05 AM

As bad as garter musk is... Pituophis, particularly Pine snake musk is much, much more terrible.. It'll clear out the basement with a single dose. It overpowers left overnight on the heat pad f/t rat smell. Thankfully it's something mine very very rarely do

Never knew they had musk. I used to catch gopher snakes in San Diego County and they always just put up a big display of hissing and biting but never musked.

I did have a 4 foot Pueblan Milk Snake that I traded away and that sucker...
Man, in spite of their reputation for being docile, she was a nasty girl with a really bad attitude. Now that girl could musk and OMG! it was awful! Most mexican species of milks are pretty calm and may never musk but I'm telling you, they can and it's the worst!

mustang

11-01-2010, 12:12 PM

haha i dont want to know what it smells like...poop is bad enough

ConcinusMan

11-01-2010, 12:13 PM

Especially garter poop after a meal of fish. OMG that's rank.

mustang

11-01-2010, 12:15 PM

Especially garter poop after a meal of fish. OMG that's rank.
ya after checker eats fish he dosnt poop he has diareah eeeeeeellcchhhh

ConcinusMan

11-01-2010, 12:17 PM

Fish has does have a lot of water in it.

kibakiba

11-01-2010, 01:23 PM

Snap won't eat anything BUT fish. And, on top of that... She won't poop in her tank, she wont poop in her water... After an hours holding and loving on... She poops on me.

mustang

11-01-2010, 02:58 PM

haha i love you mommy pffffftttt heres a present now i get put back in my cage

ConcinusMan

11-01-2010, 03:15 PM

Snap won't eat anything BUT fish. And, on top of that... She won't poop in her tank, she wont poop in her water... After an hours holding and loving on... She poops on me.

Muahahaha! way to go snap! :p

You should give her pinky parts too. I just thaw the bits in with fish and mix well, then slip her a piece. She thinks it's fish. I'm just saying that would be a better balance diet for her.;)

Heck, after a while of doing that, the babies I have now will take fish, worms, or pinkies even if not mixed. They get a nice variety of food now.

Either way, they still have stinky poo and even the little ones can musk good enough for you to notice the smell on your hands.

kibakiba

11-01-2010, 03:52 PM

I do slip in pinky parts and worms. She will eat them, she doesn't care for them much but if I have fish she zips over to my hand and steals it from the others. All of my babies, save for Tiny and Squirt, have a highly varied diet. If I can ever afford a tank for guppies, I'd probably start breeding those for some food too.

I held her earlier and she squirted salmony poo all over my leg and hand... Cleaned that up and took her out to let her meet my mom, pooped on my hand... Put her back in the tank after an hour and a half of holding and neck massages, she squirted some more poop on my hand. Maybe she should be named Squirt, and Squirt should be named Snap. :rolleyes:

ConcinusMan

11-02-2010, 02:27 AM

That vicious, thieving, trample all to get to the fish... it's in her genes. All the snakes many generations before her, that came from the same genetic pool are like that. Those dimorphic concinnus are just "fish-crazy"

The pair I had for about 20 years (from the same place that snap's parents are from) would just go nuts if cooked fish in the house. Oh, and if I forget to wash my hands and go near them... oh crap. My hand is food as far as they're concerned, as long as it smells vaguely of fish.

kibakiba

11-02-2010, 11:55 AM

Yeah, Snap likes to bite me and will hang on if I just have a slight smell of fish on my hands. Usually it doesn't hurt but once she bit me and held onto something with her tail and pulled, it actually ripped a little skin and made me bleed. My finger was red and sore for the rest of the day too. :rolleyes:

zarfytezz

11-03-2010, 01:24 PM

Ouch =p

lauwersp

11-03-2010, 01:40 PM

I personally don't find it pleasant, but not at all as bad as it sounds above. My female has musked me three times and it seemed to wash right off.

I read that only females musk... is that right?

ConcinusMan

11-03-2010, 02:39 PM

I personally don't find it pleasant, but not at all as bad as it sounds above. My female has musked me three times and it seemed to wash right off.

I read that only females musk... is that right?

Incorrect. Both sexes can musk shortly after they are born.

guidofatherof5

11-03-2010, 09:56 PM

I've found my small(juv.) male radixes smell the worst. It's a much sharper smell, if that makes any sense.
Definitely different from the females.

ConcinusMan

11-04-2010, 03:34 AM

Slightly more pungent or a bit more acrid, might be what you mean. Believe me, I know exactly what you're saying. Oh... the malodor...:eek:

zarfytezz

11-04-2010, 09:21 PM

Guess it's just a hard smell to describe, haha

zarfytezz

11-05-2010, 08:43 PM

Slightly more pungent or a bit more acrid, might be what you mean. Believe me, I know exactly what you're saying. Oh... the malodor...:eek:

I suppose I'm glad I don't know exactly what he's saying :rolleyes:

guidofatherof5

11-05-2010, 09:53 PM

I suppose I'm glad I don't know exactly what he's saying :rolleyes:

Oh you will someday.:D It comes with the keeping.
I scared the musk right out of one of my big girls the other day.
She was sound asleep out in the open. She didn't even wake up when I opened the big enclosure door. I had even reached in a touched a few others before I touched her. I thought for sure she was awake.
I was wrong. She bolted at first touch and headed for the hide, leaving the sweet aroma of musk hanging in the air.
Once in the hide she turned around and saw it was me. She came out to me like nothing had happened. She's a funny girl.
I couldn't stop laughing.
It is so much fun keeping them guys.

kibakiba

11-06-2010, 05:51 PM

Runt did something similar. She's skittish to begin with, but wasn't moving much when I had my hand in the enclosure. I picked her up and then she looked at my face and musked all over me and tried to get away. It definitely took me by surprise. She didn't move much at all until she looked at me and musked. Haha.

peteherps

11-06-2010, 09:00 PM

Snake musk smells like summer days flipping tin:D:D:D

guidofatherof5

11-06-2010, 09:12 PM

snake musk smells like summer days flipping tin:d:d:d

nice!

indigoman

11-07-2010, 08:46 AM

Where else could you find so much information on garter snake musk! What a great forum.

mustang

11-07-2010, 11:36 PM

wow im so glad checker's never done it

zarfytezz

11-08-2010, 05:10 PM

Where else could you find so much information on garter snake musk! What a great forum.
:D

zarfytezz

11-10-2010, 01:15 PM

wow im so glad checker's never done it

No snake I've ever been around has either. I guess it's a good thing, but it leaves me curious :p

guidofatherof5

11-10-2010, 01:28 PM

No snake I've ever been around has either. I guess it's a good thing, but it leaves me curious :p

You'll know it when it happens:D

zarfytezz

11-11-2010, 08:32 PM

You'll know it when it happens:D

If it ever does :o

zooplan

11-12-2010, 12:29 AM

I think I´m inured to redsideds musk after 20 years, but can´t abide
Santa Cruz Garters musk.

ConcinusMan

11-15-2010, 02:05 PM

T. elegans is very, very pungent as well.

Stefan-A

11-15-2010, 02:11 PM

T. elegans is very, very pungent as well.
Been musked twice by vagrans. The smell wasn't that special. Couldn't tell if there was any difference between it and T. sirtalis tetrataenia.

ConcinusMan

11-15-2010, 02:36 PM

Maybe the fact that the one's I experienced were wild and very angry makes a difference, I don't know. I just know it was awful compared to concinnus or ordinoides.

zarfytezz

11-15-2010, 09:03 PM

aSnakeLovinBabe

11-17-2010, 04:18 PM

I don't know what you guys are smoking. Musk smells exactly like warm freshly baked chocolate chip cookies! how has nobody else realized this!? :p

guidofatherof5

11-17-2010, 05:59 PM

I don't know what you guys are smoking. Musk smells exactly like warm freshly baked chocolate chip cookies! how has nobody else realized this!? :p

Shannon,
remind me not to eat any homemade cookies from your house.:D

zarfytezz

11-17-2010, 08:58 PM

I don't know what you guys are smoking. Musk smells exactly like warm freshly baked chocolate chip cookies! how has nobody else realized this!? :p

:D

brain

11-18-2010, 02:00 AM

Steve
Maybe she doen't get out much :D:D:D

zarfytezz

11-18-2010, 09:30 PM

Lol

zarfytezz

11-20-2010, 11:41 PM

So the smell of the musk depends on both the individual snake and the species? Or do most snakes of the same species have similar smelling musk?

guidofatherof5

11-21-2010, 07:37 AM

There may also be a difference between the sexes as male radix musk smells different than female.
In my opinion.

zarfytezz

11-22-2010, 03:17 PM

Alright haha

ConcinusMan

11-23-2010, 12:01 AM

I don't know what you guys are smoking. Musk smells exactly like warm freshly baked chocolate chip cookies! how has nobody else realized this!? :p

Either there's something wrong with your cookies, or something really right with what you're smoking Shannon.:p

There may also be a difference between the sexes as male radix musk smells different than female.
In my opinion.

I think the smell varies from time-to-time even from the same snake. Time of year, what they're eating, and other factors might have an influence too. One of my big concinnus girls got loose a couple of days ago and was hiding under a bed which has a number of other things under it. I flushed her out and grabbed her. I'm sure you can guess what she gave me for my efforts. It didn't smell like an average summer time musk. It was different. I don't know how to describe it, but it wasn't the same as early in the summer. She was kept at 60-70 for a couple of weeks while fasting, and was about to be put in the fridge. Maybe that makes a difference.:confused:

infernalis

11-23-2010, 12:10 AM

I don't know what you guys are smoking. Musk smells exactly like warm freshly baked chocolate chip cookies! how has nobody else realized this!? :p

So if a guy wants to take you out, he should wear this?

http://www.reptard.info/funny/MUSK.jpg

ConcinusMan

11-23-2010, 12:33 AM

So if a guy wants to take you out, he should wear this?

http://www.reptard.info/funny/MUSK.jpg

That would probably just make her want to grab him, put him in a cage, keep him warm, feed him and admire him. Oh wait, maybe that wouldn't be a bad thing.:p

kibakiba

11-23-2010, 09:03 AM

So if a guy wants to take you out, he should wear this?

http://www.reptard.info/funny/MUSK.jpg

Geez, if only my boyfriend wore that when I visit him. I'd go so crazy and try to feed him lots of pinkies and worms. :rolleyes: