Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Im thinking about probing my 2.5 foot burmese, im not planning on breeding it, i just am curious and want to know what i can expect growth wise. I was just wondering if some1 could give me the basic probing procedure. How long? what are the steps? does it hurt? The last thing i want is my snake to get uncomfortable and act defensive or not eat or something.

It hurts if done improperly and can cause injury, even death. Yes it is stressful. Would you be stressed if someone stuck a cold, steel rod up your ass, just to see how far it would go?

Is it a hard thing to do? Or are mistakes rare?

It's something that's best to have someone who knows what they're doing. You have to be very gentle. If done right, it's probably like going to a gynecologist for the snake. It's unpleasant, but one gets over it.
(If you're a male and don't know exactly what I'm talking about, consider yourself lucky!)
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?

I completly agree with the post that says that it should only be done with someone that has experience doing it or at a minimum under the supervision of someone with experience. VPI has an lengthy and detailed paper on how to correctly sex snakes on their webpage. Read it it is very informative.
As for whether it can cause damage to the snake you have to know what is actually happening when you probe a snake. If it is a male snake you are actually inserting the probe into the inverted penis of the snake. If it is a female you are inserting it into the cavity that accomodates the males penis. If you are to rough or if the snake jerks because it isn't being restrained properly it is possible to puncture the penis of the male or the cavity of the female. You should really learn how to do it under the supervision of an experienced keeper. Todd