Corn snakes/cage smell

Question
QUESTION: Hello I have two corn snakes just babies 16-19 inches I think. They live together no problems..I had them seperately before but opted to put them together and they are going good togeher...eatting and what not.  My brother in law wanted to breed corn snakes and picked up a 1.3 trio and a reptile show in the fall and since he is frightened of them(he wants money from breeding....I dont think you make money Breeding anything really) so I change and feed them/measure them and check them over once a week. they all live seperate. For the record we aren't in teh same house. My question is is snake crap supposed to smell  soooo strong and horrible? With my snakes the cage smells simaler to my bearded dragons cages so far just a bit stronger, I even wipe down my snakes cges and his snakes cages with lisoel wipes as advertised for coutner top on tv....they disenfect and have a smell to them and then wipe the cages with paper towels to dry them before replacing the dirty bedding with new newspaper or paper toweling...problem is even after the cages are changed it still smells horible in his snake room(he only has the four snakes) and I can never get the smell out of my snakes tank.... I am considering aspen or a lighlty scented pine for my snakes cages but was wodnering if a non scented bedding ike aspen or "carefresh hamster bedding would reduce the smells or not? Do all snakes crap smell soooo bad? I would like to get a Ball python later on but would like to know how to reduce smells first. Thank you for taking the time to read this email I greatly apprecate your anwser.

ANSWER: Carnivores like snakes will NEVER have good smelling stool. Most of the time it is going to smell and it is going to be nasty.

I use aspen with my corns, but I hear carefresh with reptiles is gaining in popularity. I know for small animals it does wonders controlling the smell. NO pine. The fumes can cause respiratory problems. The only way to really reduce it, is take it out right after they go to the bathroom. I also bleach my cage every 3-4 weeks or so, but even with my ball the smell never entirely goes away.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello...thanks for getting back to me I apprecate your anwsering my questions. I'll try aspen as it was my first choice...what do yuo think of the bark/mulches sold for reptiles? htye have a nice smell...sort of lol but arent very strong. I heard corns burrow under aspen...is this correct? I just don't want to think I've lost my snakes is all lol. I have opted to get the ball python next month...I wanted one since I got my first corn about 4 months ago...yes I know it needs its own cage.

Can the snakes still be fed in there cage if I use loose bedding?

Since you have experiance with BP's as well...I will be buying from a locle reptile shop where I happened to buy one of my bearded dragons and wehere I get my frozen feeders from...I know they take good care of there animals and everything always looks healthy. The snakes are eatting f/t I was told...do you reccomend a male or female?....do normals get darker or brighter with age? or stay the same color? Thank you.

Answer
I am highly against feeding in the cage for any snake. It can cause aggression and make it hard for some snakes to be picked up due to the fact that they think when you open the cage, you are dropping in some food. Some snakes are fine with this, and others are not. I have gotten bit multiple times by a few snakes that had to be rehabilitated from this, and it is not fun. And no, you won't be able to if you use loose bedding such as aspen. They can ingest it and cause blockages. As far as the mulches and bark, they can be ok but I don't really recommend them. They keep a little too much moisture for the corn snakes. Cage carpet is what I use for my ball, and I like it because I can easily see her bowel movements, it's easy to clean and bleach, and doesn't take up my time cleaning it out as it does with loose substrate. Not everyone likes the look of it though.

Yes they do. Most that I've had will make their way under it, and most often under the water dish as well.

Male balls get smaller than females, typically getting 3-4.5 feet. Females can get 5-6 feet long. Females will be bulkier than males, and tend to be better eaters than the boys. Normals can change color, but most of the time don't. I do see a lightening of the tones though when they are warm versus colder though.