Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok...when i purchased my cb male anaconda last may, i was told he was one of 20, his mother was 15 ft, and he was eating live fuzzy mice. i assumed since the breeder told me these things they would be true. first thing...this snake has yet to eat a rodent. second...i assumed that spur size was a general rule and not 100%. i did not ask how my snake was sexed because i assumed it would be probed...however, now i am not sure. the snake is now between 3.5-4 ft (due to refusal of these rodents i only recently got him on chicken) and his spurs are pretty deep in his scales, not invisible but they are something that need to be looked at closely to see. i have a ball python with large spurs and she was probed 3 times to make sure she was female...i trust after 3 accurate probings that she is female...but now with the anaconda...should i not be so sure? i would really like to be sure about this..what would you guys recomend as far as how to get the best accurate sexing? thank you...oh and tell me what you all think of my cage pics below, i worked hard on it ; )

Young greens are difficult to sex by probing. If not done correctly, many will probe out as females. It would be easier to check the spurs, as unlike most boids, the differences between male and female spurs are considerable. On females, the spurs will be conical shaped and about as long as they are wide at the base. They will be recessed into the skin and will not be fully visible unless you part the skin away from them with your fingers. Male spurs are completely external and almost twice as long as they are wide at the base. The spur will come to a sharp point at the end that is curved at an almost 90 degree angle with respect to the base of the spur. And importantly, the male spur will also appear to be at the end of a very short, appendage like structure. With an anaconda of this size, it might help to use some sort of magnification to see the spurs more easily.

Kelly

it is really hard to get a look at these spurs..after your post i went right out and got a magnifying glass and it still cant get them out far enough to see the ends and how long they are compared to width..is there a position that is best because every way i try i see that one is more visible than the other and they look like little rounded black spurs but maybe there is a point to them inbedded in the scales i cant get out...it is really hard to see or i would post a pic of the magnified cloacal region. if it were probed, i heard if you go in at a 90 degree angle first to miss the gland that causes many inacurate probings...would that be a possible way to tell? do you think it is too young to make a guess from the way i described this?

` One of the most valuable, and most used snake husbandry tools I have is an eyepiece jeweler's loupe.
` You screw that thing into your eye, and you have both hands free to work. Mine is a cheap plastic loupe, with an extra screw in lens, for more magnification.
` If you heat the loupe in warm water first, it won't fog up, for a while.
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thanks..i wish i didnt just buy a magnifying glass now...i have had this snake for almost a year now and this is just starting to become a thought of mine. oh ya..what does everyone think of my snake and its house : )

i know its not a good pic but from what you see, do you think i should be able to determine sex?

With enough magnification and the means to get a good view, (loupe or free standing, low power scope), even a one-day old can be spur sexed. I use a binocular dissecting scope set on 10 X. This allows both of my hands to be free and makes it much easier. You are right about the probe angle. You need to enter either corner of the cloaca at a 90 degree angle to the plane of the body like you said. Move it approximately half way through the tail, and then turn the probe back into the tail and complete as in a standard probe sequence. Be very gentle and never force the probe, as the angle and depth are sometimes difficult to hit. If the spur on your snake is very short and stubby, and is recessed down into the tail, it is probably a female. As I said earlier, the male spur will be exposed without having to part the surrounding skin, and will appear as if attached to a very short appendage. When spur sexing very young anacondas for the first time, it did help to be able to work with a fair size group for comparison, and to see the full spectrum of slight variations. Good luck.

Kelly

I don't know how much this will help but here's the best pics I could get of my 9' female. I thought maybe a good pic of a larger one would help you get an idea of what to look for. Unfortunately I have a sketch artist for a digi cam. The spurs on her are right in front of my thumb in the pics(the black spots). You cant judge shape from the pics but you can see the size compared to the rest of her.
She is in shed now and wasn't to happy with my game of "pull the conda tail" today so its the best I could do.
Anyone got a male so he could see the difference?
Arik

Slightly better pic.

my anaconda isnt 9 ft. but its spurs are way deepr into the scales than that. i literally have to work and work just to see a little bit of them. thanks for the help though..its hard because i cant see the shape and i was told it was male. but as kelley said, if they are not external (like yours but you say it is female) it is probably female. i dont think the breeder(if this isnt a wild caught) took the time to really look closely and made a quick guess...or forgot to check sex before sending and tried to recall...since he also said it was feeding on live fuzzy mice (out of his 20..maybe some were taking live fuszzy mice)...and i know that is not true since this snake does eat..just not rodents. im thinking now the snake is female...which is fine. as far as cb or not..the snake is very healthy and has been examined by vets and wormed and had fecal floats. also it came to me after just losing its"ambilical cord" so i hope that aspect of my purchase isnt a false truth.

The spurs are difficult to see in your photos, see my post above for photo examples of spur structure.

Kelly