It sounds like you are off to a good start. It takes practice...some are going to be more difficult than others...some are going to be a little ambiguous.



The probe you are using doesn't look to be too big for a 2 1/2 foot Copperhead, but it's sort of hard to tell from that photo. The tip should be rounded and smooth...I couldn't really tell about that from the picture.



In general, females will probe 3 to 5 subcaudals, males 8 to 12. It varies from species to species. Usually though, if you get a reading of 2 subcaudals or less, it is a problem with the probing. Also, sometimes individual females will probe a little deeper than normal and sometimes individual males will probe a little shallower than normal. But remember that some species have bigger subcaudal scales. There are guidelines around that list different species and how deep each should normally probe. Also, sperm plugs can be a problem in males sometimes, causing them to probe like a female. Australian pythons can be really tricky at times. With Crotalid snakes, if you have a problem getting the probe to go in, try first inserting the tip under the anal plate with the probe pointed to the front end of the snake, turn it straight up and push it down a little, then toward the tail and insert it. Some of them have a sort of a cleft there that makes it tricky to get the probe in.



Sometimes with immature snakes, probing is just not 100% reliable.

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