Scenting Views

[guidofatherof5]

Scenting is an effective way to fool/trick a snake into taking a food item they might not normally have in their diet or may not be used to eating.
I've had snakes that needed pinkies scented with worm for awhile until they acquired that new taste. After that scenting wasn't needed.
I've scented nightcrawler and pinkies with fish scent to get my ribbon to both items.

In my opinion the strongest scent is fish, with mouse parts/fluids/blood running a close second.
I've found the least scenting power to be with worms.
If I prepare a dish of fish and add worms, I am scenting the worms with fish not the other way around.


The way I see it there is a
"Scale of Scents"

#1. Fish
#2. Pinky(parts/fluids/blood)
#3. Worms


Please correct me if I'm wrong or add your views into this but I've always looked at scenting in this way.

[BLUESIRTALIS]

I would have to say the same thing about fish being #1 you can wash your hands 15 times and they still smell like fish.

[snakehill]

What about frogs? I was thinking of getting a whites. Could I use it for scenting?:confused:

[RedSidedSPR]

I would agree Steve... except I don't.:D

Actually, I do agree that fish is strongest. (by far)

I've never scented with pinkies so i wouldnt know.

BUT, two of my snakes didn't (one still doesn't) eat fish. I would just have to touch to the worm, and he'd nail it. But he still refuses to eat the fish alone...
I will cut up some worms, or just set a whole worm on a paper towel, and offer fish.. all 3 kinds (guppies, tilapia, silversides). No response. But if I just TOUCH one of the fish to, or with a worm he, and the other when I ha to, would nail it.

Just saying that for my snakes worms scent quite strongly.
And their guts.

[d_virginiana]

I agree with that scale, except I'd have to say that the pinky liver is wayyyy stronger than any other parts of the pinky. If I put pinky parts out for my adult, he'll always grab the liver first, and he's nearly blind. I also used liver to get my little one from fish to unscented pinky in one feeding. Plus, I think it's more nutritious than other parts of the pinky. :)


What about frogs? I was thinking of getting a whites. Could I use it for scenting?:confused:

I wouldn't.. Most frogs produce some sort of toxin in their skin, and when you're dealing with species that don't naturally live in the same area, you run a risk of making the snake sick. I say this because the only time my adult has ever regurgitated a meal was when I fed him a mouse that I had offered to my pacman. It only bumped up against the frog's mouth a time or two, but I'm 100% sure that's what made my snake regurgitate. Frog species that don't naturally cohabitate will actually slowly poison each other as well; it's kind of freaky :eek:

[snakehill]

Well all I know is that today I was wearing a t-shirt with a HUGE frog on it and she could'nt stop staring at it!! lol ;)

[RedSidedSPR]

Uh huh.

[d_virginiana]

Hey, it's possible jk/jk. In the first grade I was attacked by the class pet iguana because I had on a black shirt with bright red hibiscus flowers on it.

[RedSidedSPR]

That I believe, the freaks.:D

[guidofatherof5]

What about frogs? I was thinking of getting a whites. Could I use it for scenting?:confused:

They are absent from the list because I've never fed frogs or used them for scenting.
I just listed the things I have used.
Sorry about that.;)

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Odd, I was JUST thinking about that today!!! Fish is definitely the strongest, stinkiest, and easiest to use to scent anything with. But I find that worms when chopped up put a coating on anything that, while it doesn't stink to us, the snakes certainly have been fooled. I never have scented anything else with pinky fluids before because usually you are trying to convince a snake to eat pinkies, not the other way around. I don't think that it would be easy to scent a fish or a worm with pinky juices, I think the snake would still be able to smell that it is a fish or a worm. You can wash the odor from a pinky, but no matter what you do to fish, it still stinks like fish!

I have also used salamanders. They are one notch right under fish in terms of scenting power, maybe even the same. Very strong odor, very strong feeding response! Frogs are a little less enticing as opposed to the salamanders for some reason but if I had to put my own list together: my stink-o-meter would go:

1. Fish (especially rosy reds and bluegills)
2. salamanders
3. frogs
4. worms
5. pinkies

[RedSidedSPR]

There we go, see?:D

Worms have a very strong smell...

I've never tried salamanders but I know how well amphibians in general work.

[Mrs N1ntndo]

I have some toads in the area that i have seen garters eat, now when I had a bunch of garters I would feed them those when Icaught them. Since i know they eat them here can I feed them to the babies. i of course would cut them up. I would use for scenting too for when its winter and i wouldnt be able to find them. I asked the hubby to see if he can find some today when hes out. I wanted ur alls opinion.

[guidofatherof5]

Watch the parasites. Especially if you are feeding the babies the toads.
Better to get them switched to a safe food source.
Of course, if the toads are frozen for a length of time the threat of parasites is less.;) But not zero.

[RedSidedSPR]

I wouldn't. I'd keep those babies parasite-free and stay away from anything wild other than worms.

[Mrs N1ntndo]

how about for scenting. like cut a leg off and use it. I understand not giving to babies but wat about pheobe cause im assuming she ate the when she was wild.How long would I freeze them before using thm. when could be mainly safe.

[RedSidedSPR]

Freezing for 3 weeks should kill most...

It's really pointless in my opinion, there's a parasite risk, and it's not like she doesn't eat other things...

Your choice though.

[Mrs N1ntndo]

ok but even just for scenting... is that ok

[RedSidedSPR]

I don't know for sure, but i think it's fine. Why do you need it?

[Mrs N1ntndo]

i told hubby not to get them. i was wondering cause 2 babies arent eating yet. i hope 2day they will. there isnt skim folding but i just wan thm to eat. hubby went to get crawlers so itll be feedin time soon.

[kibakiba]

I'd say worms are #2, since I was scenting cut up pinkies with worm, and the worm eating snakes would take them. I don't know if it's just me, but I can also smell worms more than I can smell pinkies. They both have a distinct smell when cut up, but when they're mixed together, I mostly smell worm.

[katach]

I got Blade to take pinkies by mixing it with worm chunks.

[ConcinusMan]

They are absent from the list because I've never fed frogs or used them for scenting.

Well, even though they don't have much of a smell to us, I've found to be just as effective as fish. It's very strong and very attracting to garters that like frogs. Doesn't take much. Just a little bit of rubbing on a live frog and you're set.

As with fish, I've had garters latch onto my fingers after handling a frog.

[kibakiba]

My snakes go crazy if I was handling my frogs. Mama especially does.She goes into a huge frenzy.

[RedSidedSPR]

They have a HUGELY STRONG smell.

[kibakiba]

My little chorus frogs do smell weird to me... Maybe I'm imagining it, though.

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah. Just as effective as fish.

[RedSidedSPR]

yes. like fish...

[guidofatherof5]

Scenting is an effective way to fool/trick a snake into taking a food item they might not normally have in their diet or may not be used to eating.
I've had snakes that needed pinkies scented with worm for awhile until they acquired that new taste. After that scenting wasn't needed.
I've scented nightcrawler and pinkies with fish scent to get my ribbon to both items.

In my opinion the strongest scent is fish, with mouse parts/fluids/blood running a close second.
I've found the least scenting power to be with worms.
If I prepare a dish of fish and add worms, I am scenting the worms with fish not the other way around.


The way I see it there is a
"Scale of Scents"

#1. Fish
#2. Pinky(parts/fluids/blood)
#3. Worms


Please correct me if I'm wrong or add your views into this but I've always looked at scenting in this way.


Just tried using chicken liver as a scenting tool. Worked great for scenting night crawlers.
Guessing it would be #2 on the list, now or possibly tied with pinky parts in that position.

#1. Fish
#2. Chicken liver
#3. Pinky parts
#4. Worms

[infernalis]

Not that it adds anything to your discussion Steve, But the blackneck I got back in 2008 still requires that I scent her mice with fish... She ignores them otherwise.

[guidofatherof5]

Saw something interesting today and thought it was worth adding to this thread.
Armed with thawed pinkies in warm water and some night crawlers I entered the concinnus paddock. The pinkies were for the anery female and the worms for the anery male.
The anery male was on top of a hide so I grabbed a night crawler with my long hemostats and offered it. He was glad to take it. I didn't know if the cold hide he was on top of was occupied so I offered another night crawler by dangling it in front of the hide entrance. This was met by a large concinnus female shooting out of the hide and grabbing the worm.
It was then something funny occurred. She opened her mouth and acted like she had the foulest tasting food in her mouth. She finally ejected the worm and gave me a stair. It was then I had a scenting idea. I grabbed the worm in the hemostats and dunked it in the pinky water. I once again offered it to the big girl and she readily took it and ate it.
Just luck you say! No, I then tried to give her another unscented worm. She refused it until I dipped it in the pinky water. I repeated the trial 2 more times with the same results. I then offered a pinky to the anery female, which she took. Hoping she would now take a worm since she was in the eating mood I offered one and she refused. Dipping it in the pinky water solved the problem. She enjoyed both pinkies and worms for dinner.
Running short on mice? Not a problem, scent worms with pinky water.

[d_virginiana]

I always thaw my fish and pinkies and wash off my worms in the same cup... Everyone has been a lot less picky since I started doing that :)

[chris-uk]

I always thaw my fish and pinkies and wash off my worms in the same cup... Everyone has been a lot less picky since I started doing that :)

I used to do this until I realised that my "fish-eating" Cuitzeo male was refusing fish, and refusing pinkies that had been defrosted with fish, but he would eat pinkies that had been thawed in water with just pinkies.
My blacknecks have only been eating trout fillet recently, but yesterday I mixed small pieces of trout with picky off-cuts (I trim off the legs if they are sticking out at awkward angles) and wrapped them up in cling film together (kind of like I was making a ballontine of trouty salmon :) ). Both of them cleared their bowls so the disguised pinky parts went down well.

[guidofatherof5]

This evening was a food night and I was at the last snake cage but all I had left was night crawlers. This usually wouldn't be a problem but this was the male T. s. concinnus - Red-spotted garter snake paddock. They were fed pinkies a few days ago so they would more then likely want the same, refusing the worms. Sure enough, that's what happened.
Well, I wanted them to eat so I decided to scent the worms with the pinky water I had left. It worked like a charm, all those in the cage eat the worms but only after they were dipped in the magic sauce.:D

[d_virginiana]

My snakes don't seem to be fooled by the water trick, but my pacman frog always is. If she's being finicky I just have to wash the nightcrawlers off in fish-water.

[guidofatherof5]

I've had a few that weren't fool until they were very hungry:D