Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was just wondering if someone could tell by these pics?

Thanks
Jack

It's pretty hard to see the pics clearly, but it looks like a very fast taper to me. I say it's a female.

Clint Boyer

Thanks,

Thats what I thought. When I bought it though they told me it was a male, this was a year ago. However seeing such a fast taper and looking at the corn snake manual it seems to be a female.
Im thinking of buying it a mate, and I want to make sure I know what sex it is, do you think I should probe???
There is no place around here that I would trust for them to probe without harmning the snake, and I myself have never probed a snake so Im reluctant to, cause I dont want to hurt it.

Is it almost certain its a female???
Or should I probe it???

Thanks
Jack

I wouldn't suggest trying to probe it yourself. It looks female but I wouldn't take that to the bank. One way to make sure that the next snake you buy is of the right sex is to buy one of each! But of course that doesn't always work out either. My first snake was a feamle so I bought a mate at a pet show. The guy even probed the new one as a male but it was not. Then I bought one at a pet store and the guy popped it as a male but it was not (I didn't know the diff). Soooooooo, I bought 2.4 from a guy selling out his adult breeders, ended up with 3.3 but at least I got my male! Just a word of caution, I now have over 100 snakes, not including this years offspring!

Clint Boyer

Dont worry I know how addictring these things are. Its my only corn but I have a ball python, 3 leopard geckos a crested gecko and a mali uro. And probably getting 2 more cresteds and a leo sep 7th at the NY show.
Ive had this corn for a year though its my second herp, and I always trusted it was a male, He/She is even called Romeo, I guess Ill have to reconsider the name LOL.
But I was looking at the corn manual and it clerarly looked female. Oh well, I guess Ill TRY LOL and buy a male.

Thanks
Jack

Bad angle on the photos, but I would have guessed male due to the way the ventral surface doesn't taper. I have better luck "eyeballing" sex looking at the shape post-vent of the ventral surface and not the dorsal surface (where this one seems to taper).

BUT, do NOT sex by tail shape alone!!! The longest tailed cornsnake I have lays eggs. I probed and popped her as a female, but I didn't believe it until I got eggs from her....lol. I've seen some males with a LOT of taper, too.

Soooo, bring it to a vet, herp show, or something where someone with experience can sex it for you. A breeder will usually sex your snake for you if you are looking to buy a mate from them for it.
KJ