What I mean is I have noticed that I can feel a bump in the base of my male snakes (1 king and 1 BP) tail's just after the vent that is absent in the females.
Is feeling for this bump a reliable alternative to probing?
Actually, in kingsnakes, females usually have a larger "bump" behind the tail than males. In males, the tail is thicker for a longer distance, but females have large scent glands which really give them a distinct "bump".
I ask because it is posible to cause harm wile probing, and just runing the snake's tail through your fingers is completly harmless.
I rarely probe snakes. You can sex most snakes by simple tail length and shape. There are exceptions to this, but generally it is possible.
I did some research on Coniophanes which involved looking at hundreds of preserved specimens, from babies to adults. When I got a specimen with its hemipenes not everted, I would try to eyeball the sex of it before making an incision to confirm the gender. I was almost always right. So it is possible to sex many species with experience without any sort of manipulation.
You can also "pop" baby snakes (and adults of some species) but I don't like to do this becaseu of the risk of damage to the fragile spinal vertebrae of a young snake.
Probing is safe as long as it is done correctly. Generally when it causes a problem, the person has used a probe that is too small and not restrained the snake correctly. Probing is best done with the help of an assistant.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas
