Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, last year about this time I purchased 2.0 66% VPI Axanthics. I got them, and popped them both, and got sperm plugs from each. They just got done spending the winter with a girly each, and for a temporary situation (actually, I didn't see either of them mate, so I was thinking of putting them together and then reintroducing to the girls), I have them housed together. Well, I just reached in to pull them out for feeding, and guess what? Their hooked up, mating. They've been at it at least an hour. I have no idea how this is happening, and now am trying with all my might to remember if I really did pop these fellows, or if I imagined it. A few possibilities come to mind.

1) their gay. While this is disappointing from a breeding standpoint, I affirm their lifestyle choice.

2) One was always a girl, and I was smoking crack the day I popped them (or never popped them at all). Due to the fact that I don't smoke crack, this one seems slim. However, this makes me happy in that it accelerates my breeding program.

3) I mixed them up. Once again, I don't smoke crack, and I don't have enough snakes that I could lose track of one. All my females are accounted for. Maybe these snakes were engineered Jurrasic Park style, and can change gender at will.

Hmmm....
Thoughts?
Nate.

my first attempt at posting. hope it works. These are the two I was talking about.

nate.

okay, this'll work.

nate.

okay, I'm more confused. They are done now, and I pulled both of them out and popped both of them. two big hemipenes each, complete with sperm plugs. wtf?

has anyone else had this happen???

nate.

It really isn’t that uncommon. Males of many animals species use copulation to show dominance over another male. Not only snakes, but also dogs and even… yes…. (Sad to say)… humans.

I’ve seen this once with my animals. I was sold a female that turned out a male. A really big male (2500 grams). When I put my little 700 gram male in… well… it wasn’t pretty. It almost ruined him for the season. But he recovered (lots of psychotherapy) and got his confidence back.
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Larry Walker

Thanks, I now feel like this is a PFLAG support group. I guess I have had my sugar gliders do this as well. I have reintroduced the boys to one of the females, hoping that this little power struggle gets them back on the "right" team. Again, "right" from a breeding standpoint.

Nate

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Tosha

3.7.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and currently un-named)
0.1.0 Siberian Husky (Kita)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Dessert Tortoise (Pope)
7.9.5 Fish (1,2,3,4...)
0.0.1 Frog rescued from pool skimmer
0.0.2 Lizards rescued from pool skimmer

That this is your best option from the choices you gave...

1) their gay. While this is disappointing from a breeding standpoint, I affirm their lifestyle choice.

It's good to see your willing to back up your snakes right to choose. Keep your chin up though, they might just be experimenting and/or bi-sexual, so there is still a slight chance they'll appreciate the ladies a little as well. Just remember to be proud of your snakes for who they are! LOL, take care

Paul

maybe they are fighting in an extremely gay way.

Actually what you have is a rare Morph that they call the San Fransico Ball Python. Although they apear normal in coloration one of them must have been born from parents that were 100% Het with the San Fransisco gene. There's an easy test to confirm this, just play a Barbara Streisand record and see which one starts moving to the music.

ROTFLMAO!!!

...how about an immaculate conception???
Myself and Circle City Serpents invsted in a group of possible het VPI axanthics last year. We already had a proven het male and two possible het females and this addition was another het male and four more possible het females. We got them from a reputable breeder (not directly from VPI themselves of course) so never even checked their sexes. We gave them names accordingly, plumped them up and went into breeding season. The newer male wouldn't do squat with the girls so we battled them out for about 24 hours hoping to come out with a rejuvinated (and ready to breed) boy that could help breed the 6 girls (the original male was doing a good job but I bet he was tired). Well, nothing....except 3 months later when our 'male' popped out a clutch of 3 eggs, he was just about 1000g, wouldn't have bred 'him' in a million years if we knew that 'he' was a 'she'.
Never hurts to double-check. I've started taking any new animals to the vet for a fecal check and a 2nd opinion on their sex...just in case

Good luck...at least you have a breeding pair now

Jason @ Jason's Jungle

but they aren't a breeding pair because the are, in fact, both male.

That is kinda strange...
but if one of them becomes gravid, then you have some sort of "divine snake" thing going on.

maybe one is a hermaphodite?
can that happen?