Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm a high school Biology teacher and brought my ~500 gram 07 male albino ball python to class to show it off, and to introduce genetics to my students. While one of my students was holding it, I gently lifted the ball's tail to show the spurs to the group of students that had gathered around. Its hemipenes popped out and left a "gift" on the student's hand. I explained sperm plugs to the students and they all laughed at how Ricky made the snake horny, and he got "skeeted" on.

This brings me to my questions... Are male ball pythons prone to drop sperm plugs when being handled? I also have an unsexed normal ball python that I have had for 7 years in my classroom. It's extremely calm, eats on demand, and makes a wonderful classroom pet. I've never had it sexed but it gets handled on a constant basis and has never displayed hemipenes or sperm plugs. Is it safe to assume that it's a female?

I've also noticed strange behavior from the normal recently. Just the other day it had firmly pressed itself against my arm, and started slowly undulating. The only description I could come up with was that it was trying to have sex with my arm. Any one else notice these odd behaviors from your ball pythons?

No, you can't assume it's a female! And that behavior is probably a reaction to the heat from your arm!

One way you could find out is put the male albino with it and see if you get eggs in a few months?

Then your students could really see the life process, and with this being the beginning of semester you could easily incubate the eggs in the room for the kids to fallow along. I don't know how well it would go with your teaching circilum set up but it is an idea.

matt

I had a pastel that would pop those suckers out like a pez dispenser if I lifted his tail. So yeah it happens but no its not a common occurrence.

As far as the snake getting intimate with your arm - could be but that would most likely mean it's a male.

And whatever you do - don't just throw them together and hope that they mate -- if you want to mate them, have them properly sexed - otherwise keep them separate or you can end up with injured or stressed out snakes.

Good luck.
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Tosha
JET Pythons

I drive a Toyota 4Runner too
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• Chelsea Lynn Gardiner
(and Frank M. Wood)