Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I keep my monitors and my snakes in the same type enclosure with the same dirt, leaf, or wood substrate. In my monitors cage any unattended poop is processed by the little bug critters, but none of the snakes poop is processed? Any idea why?

When looking closer the monitor poop attracts many little dung beetles, I never see these critters on the snakes poops, I know its probably of no interest but I really wonder why.

hello jobi i dont know why but i love that monitor and really i dont know what kind it is lol what is it? and is that pine that its is on thanx?

Yes its pine shavings, I don’t like this stuff, but being winter its all I hade, will replace it with cherry wood soon. Oh it’s a morph of doreanus

haha I know not pleasant but my snakes poop smells nasty compared to my monitor poop. Sort of smells like ammonia.

Very true smells like ammonia, maybe that’s why no bugs? Now I need to see if it’s a good fertiliser, I have so much of this crap, That I could pay my hydro bills with it.

ammonia is something you do not want in your fertilizer. I think it goes something like if your compost smells like earth then it is good if it smells like ammonia it is not.

About it repelling bugs, it might turn away some bugs but ammonia smell attracts flies.

You can test this out if you like. Set out some snake poop it will quickly become ridden with flies and soon to follow maggots eating away at the poop. Do the same with monitor poop and it will attract other bugs.

I have nothing to test it with other then what I smell. I smell a difference so figure thats the reason. But it could likely be something else.

Ok wow now I know we have kept reptiles for along time when we start looking this closely at poop. hahahahaha