Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know some people can sex a snake just by looking at its tail. I have the general idea how, but not much experience, so I was hoping to get a second opinion here. When I got this snake, the previous owner said it was male. If it is male, it's not -nearly- as well-endowed as my other two males! So I'm wondering, does this snake look like a male or a female to you guys?

That looks to be a female. Males are thicker past the cloaca and don't taper as abruptly as females past the vent.

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Thanks. That's how I sexed my albino male, that was given to me as a female. This one was given to me as a male. I guess there's no trusting the gender of free snakes.

Girl. But the only 100% guaranteed method of sexing is by breeding. Even then, I've seen males try to copulate, so that's really only about 99.9% guaranteed. I would say probing is about the same. Tail thickness and length are not as accurate as some people think.....especially in large kings.

Good luck.

Brandon Osborne
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www.brandonosbornereptiles.com

I know enough not to completely trust this method, but comparing this snake to my definite male, I got to wondering, since there's an obvious difference. I had just taken the previous owner's word for it that it was male. I guess I'll have to see if I can get eggs from her/him/it.

Female...with the above mentioned disclamers.

It looks like a girl to me as well... But, I have been fooled before doing the "sexing by tail" method. As the others have mentioned, you should probe it out or find someone that can probe it for you to be 100% sure..

~ Mike Russo