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Old 12-09-2006, 02:12 PM   #12 (permalink)
Cazador
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Alaska, USA
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Re: Handling Garters

Reptiles and birds both produce uric acid as a waste product to deal with excess nitrogen. This is conceptually similar to urine, but uric acid is white and powdery. Their feces is brown and semi-solid and should either look like a turd or an amorphous mass of poop. The musk is clear or slightly tinged and is usually smelled more than seen.

When a snake squirts all over you (jets of liquid), I THINK this is the primary ultrafiltrate. If I'm right, it's the fluid from which uric acid is eventually produced. It means the snake is really freaked out.
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