Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I probed my coastal carpet today and it probed 9 scales deep is it for sure a male as I think it is or do female carpets probe deep to? Thanks for any thoughts.

Larry

A female will probe about 1/16-1/8th of an inch. A male will probe around 1/2 inch (usually 8-15 scales). Keep in mind these are averages.

Also, I would advise that you do not probe anymore until you know what you're doing. The information you have asked for is very basic, and suggests inexperience. If I am wrong, my apologies. Get a vet or breeder to show you. It is not something you should try after doing a little reading.

As a contradiction to myself though... there is a great article on how to do it on Melissa Kaplan's page. Follow the links through the 'snake' link on the left. That said, ensure that you don't just 'have a go', or you may leave yourself with an injured, infertile, or dead snake. Please have someone show you first.

I am fairly experienced at probing snakes I have probed many and I never had a problem, I am just not familiar with carpets and the snake probed 9 scales deep. I have heard that some female blood pythons probe deep and it is hard to tell the difference between a male and female. I didn't know if carpets are the same way or if there is a noticable diffrence in probe depth. I feel very confident in my probing abilities. But thanks for your concern for the snake.

I just read her information on probing and it said and I quote "There are some species in which the females may probe deep relative to most female snakes; for example, diamond python females may probe as deeply as 8-9 subcaudals." This is the reason for my novice question. It is not that I don't know what I am doing. Thank you for the info on probing.

Once again, my apologies... it is all too often that new snake owners think it is a simple procedure and end up injuring their pets.

I did a search for you and came up with this...
www.australianreptilesonline.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=33

It says 10-15 scales for a male, and 4-5 for a female... don't know where 8 scales fits in to that though

Hope this helps

I found that same page when I googled and that was part of my confusion to. I appreciate the help. Thank you