Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys..

just looking for some opinions on this snake. I know my pics are pretty crappy but I would appreciate your opinions.. I do not have probes and have never done it, so I'll have to find someone to check him/her for me eventually.

This salmon boa was sold to me as a female, when I had 'it' out last night I noticed some things I never paid attention to before. This boa's spurs are sorta long, they taper, they curve and there's a point. There is a bulge in the tail below the vent! Oh my! The tail shape itself is short like a female, but these other things are making me think I've got a boy! What do you think?
Here's a tail shot then a close up of the bulge.. it's harder to see in the pictures than in person of course..

I mean.. it's no big deal, mistakes happen, but there goes my sunglow plans for now! lol

Well thanks for looking,TGIF!!!
-April
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'There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."' -Rainshadow

I think you should send him up here on breeding loan to breed with my girl pictured below.

That really sucks when you find out it's not the sex you originally bought it as. It is definitely a very nice looking Boa though.

Thanks for the nice words and yes it is very dissapointing when they don't turn out to be what they were supposed to be. I can't put too much blame on the breeder I got him/her from, it was one of his first litters and I know mistakes can happen. Still kinda sucks tho since I had specific plans worked out for the next few seasons. Oh well... either I'll figure out something else, sell him or who knows. I bet he'd make some nice babies with your red girl!
Here are a few more pics.
I should change his name to Boy George.

Great looking animal April. The spurs and bulge is a 90% giveaway that you have a male. Probing is the only fool proof way to know for sure! Good luck with him/her. Keep us posted as to what you end up with!

Unless he stuff that is!

Sorry to hear about your missexed snakes. Happens to the best of us. nothing worse than raising a snake up to adulthood and then selling it as a female only to have it be a male. Have had that happen. LOUSY feeling.

Pretty snake though

Best of luck,

Fred Albury

So far everyone agrees I've got a little boy here. Looking at him last night I just knew it was male, I guess I was just hoping I might have been wrong! I will take this little unknown down to a local reptile store, get some probes and see if someone at the shop can show me how to do it.

I'm not really upset, just dissapointed! I've raised this baby up for over 3 years now, I am also dissapointed in myself that I never noticed this before!! Oh well.

Why is it... the females always turn out to be males?! Dang it! I am going to be checking them all this weekend now, I know it.
With my luck all the ones that have never been verified at the vets are going to be boys!! lol

TGIF for sure!

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'There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."' -Rainshadow

I bought a "male" Bolivian close to a year ago and never had him probed, just popped. Does anyone have pictures that will show the area or spurs to determine visually the difference between a male and female?

If the spur is within the pit from where it grows from good chance it is female and if it falls outside of the pit its most likely a male. Honestly, I think the best way to tell is how the tail tapers(other than probing). I had about 30 Argentines last year that I just went through, eye balled them by tail taper, and went back through later with a probe and I only missed one.
Later-
Matt Schubarth
Pet Nebula

>>I bought a "male" Bolivian close to a year ago and never had him probed, just popped. Does anyone have pictures that will show the area or spurs to determine visually the difference between a male and female?

If it actually popped, then it's a male, as the popping exposes the hemipenes. (in boas! I'm not even going into the blood python mess! lol)
Usually the males spurs are longer, taper more and have more of a point or a curving point. Females, if you can see them at all, tend to be more blunt and sqat. I don't go by the tail shape, as I said at the start, this boa has the classic female tail shape, short blunt tail, usually males have longer thinner tails. The only real accurate way is probing. I believe the breeder I got this snake from just did visuals based on the tail shape, length which obviously was not accurate in my case.

I baught 2 double het snows last year and waited for them to breed - I noticed the tail shape and spurs and decided to get them probed again - and as I expected they were both male - luckily the guy I got them off offered to give me a female - I would have still lost a year but nice gesture all the same.

When I got there he probed them 4 times and said it was female.

I got home and found it was a definate male - think he tensed up from traveling which is why it probed as female!

Ah well he is giving me another female and fingers crossed for next season. At least with a stunning male like yours you can put it to a couple of normal females and get good results as a post to my ressesive gene - I would have been left with poss hets and not much else

Even pro breeders make mistakes - the guy I got mine off knows his stuff!!