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Specifically Diadophis p. punctatus (Southern Ringnecks)? They are so small, I assume probing is out of the question, at least I don`t want to attempt it. As with some species, does tail length after the vent serve as a visual sign? Thanks

Vampire

Popping seems to work with alot of ringnecks... Other than that probing works, you can't really tell sex by looking at the tail, tail length differs between sub-species... In 1 sub-species the male might have a longer tail, and the female might have a longer tail in another.
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Mike
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake
www.captivebredforum.com

Hey,

I used to think that popping was the only way to sex small ring-necked snakes, but at a somewhat recent meeting of the Western New York Herpetological Society, I brought two prairie ringnecks to be sexed by Will Still. I was surprised, because I was expecting him to pop them, but no sooner had I pulled them from the bag than Will told me that I was holding two males. He told me that he could tell instantly, because they exhibited very distinctive tail forms that could be seen easily with the naked eye. Not sure if it is the same for every individual though. Just a thought.
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DAVE

0.0.1 Oriental fire-bellied toad
0.1 Western hog-nosed snake
0.0.1 Okeetee corn snake
0.1 Dubia day gecko
0.0.1 yellow * Everglades rat snake
1.0 Yunnan beauty snake
1.0 scarlet kingsnake
0.1 albino African clawed frog
0.0.1 Northern black racer
0.0.1 African brown house snake (Zambia locale)
0.0.1 Sonoran gopher snake
1.1 European fire salamanders
(parthenogenic) Brahminy blindsnakes *

It isn't 100% accurate, but you can usually get a sense by looking at the tail shape towards the base - you're looking for that thicker look towards the base and a slight bulge a little down the tail from the vent.

Also, at least in the prairies the females tend to run larger than males, so if you pick several really big ones, odds are more than 50% will be females.

Cheers,
Billy

So you got some arnyi Billy? How's that working out?
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Mike
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake
www.captivebredforum.com

Will's a great dude. Shame his albino ringneck lasted less than a year.

Depending on the sub-species I can usually sex a ringneck by looking at the tail. Northerns, southerns and prairies pretty much, haven't had too much experience with the rest.
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Mike
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake
www.captivebredforum.com

.
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Jenea

1:1 Tricolor Hognose
0:0:2 Florida Redbelly Snakes
0:1 Gulf Coast Box Turtle
1:1 Red-eared Slider
0:0:1 Green Tree Frog
1:2:2 Mediterranean Geckos
2:0 Cats
1:1 Kids
1:0 Spouse

It's possible with the majority of snakes... But you just need to have alot of experience with them and know the signs of a male or a female.
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Mike
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake
www.captivebredforum.com