Does the discovery of spurs that were hidden until I bent back the tail of my BCI mean that it's positively a male? I've never had her probed, but the previous owner said she was a .. well.. a she. I've never seen the spurs before, but sure enough, they're there. I know that some males don't have spurs, but does it work the other way around, too?
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I just found spurs on my "girl" - does this mean she's a he?
lilbitlizz
Oct 06, 2003 09:42 AM
Replies (1)
Paul Hollander
Oct 06, 2003 01:01 PM
>Does the discovery of spurs that were hidden until I bent back the tail of my BCI mean that it's positively a male?
Probing is the most reliable method of sexing boa constrictors, but checking the spur size is nearly as good if the snake is adult or nearly so and the sexer is experienced.
Females have spurs too, but the spurs are smaller than the males' spurs. If the boa constrictor is more than three feet long and you really had to hunt to find the spurs, then there is a good chance that the snake is female. You should compare your snake's spurs with those of known sex snakes or even with a variety of unsexed snakes.
Paul Hollander
