Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi

I’d like to ask for advice on sexing young boas/pythons without using the probes. I live in United Arab Emirates, it's a small country in the Middle East, & I've kept different snakes for the last 7 years. Unfortunatelly I've never had a chance to see anyone probing a snake & thus I am too nervous to hurt a snake to attempt it on my own.

Can you, guys, suggest other more or less reliable ways of sexing young boas/pythons? I am about to visit a reptile dealer selling boa constrictor & python molurus species approx. 6 months old, 60-75 cm (23-30 in) in length, who also does not know the sexes of his snakes.

Thanks for your help.

I use a rub down technique.

What I do is grab the snake and from the vent down to the end of the tail I rub my thumb in a continous motion with my finger pressing firmly from the other side. you may have to stroke the tail several times . If you feel two bumps from the vent to center of tail it is a male. If you do not fell any bumps and the tail seems firmer it is a female.

Once you find a male and use this technique you will know what I am talking about when you feel the hemipen's in the tail, you don't even have to pop them out.
If you have several snakes to choose from you will notice that males have longer jelly like tails and females will have shorter and firmer tails.

With ball pythons, you may have to try the pop technique but if you have never seen it done it is hard to explain how to properly and safley do that technique.

hope that helps

>>I use a rub down technique.
>>
>>What I do is grab the snake and from the vent down to the end of the tail I rub my thumb in a continous motion with my finger pressing firmly from the other side. you may have to stroke the tail several times . If you feel two bumps from the vent to center of tail it is a male. If you do not fell any bumps and the tail seems firmer it is a female.
>>
>>Once you find a male and use this technique you will know what I am talking about when you feel the hemipen's in the tail, you don't even have to pop them out.
>>If you have several snakes to choose from you will notice that males have longer jelly like tails and females will have shorter and firmer tails.
>>
>>With ball pythons, you may have to try the pop technique but if you have never seen it done it is hard to explain how to properly and safley do that technique.
>>
>>hope that helps

n/p

Thet are right it is a very accurate wat to sex a boa!