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?

[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?

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

[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

[guidofatherof5]

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

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

[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.

[RedSidedSPR]

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

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.

[RedSidedSPR]

Uh huh.