Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just wondering if there is any easy way to sex a snake or if I would need to take it to the vet's. I'm not interested in breeding it, just curious to whether its female or male.

With a snake your size, some breeders can tell from a decent picture of the tail. Take a picture of the underside of the tail, straight, showing vent to tip. Then ask Kathy or Don. They should be able to give you a very good estimate of your snake's gender.

The other two methods, popping and probing, are best done only by someone experienced with the procedure (be that a reptile vet or a herper). Popping is generally only done with hatchlings and involves using thumb pressure carefully to force the hemipenes out. If it pops male, it's definitely male. If it doesn't pop male, test it a few more times... if it still doesn't pop male, there's a good chance it's female. Probing is more reliable on sexing females, and is generally done with larger-than-hatchling corns. It involves sticking a lubricated thin metal probe up inside the tail, the depth indicating male or female (though mid-range depths are hard to tell).

Actually, there's a fourth method you can use on adults. Put two snakes together. If one climbs ontop of the other and mates with it, the one on top is definitely a male. If the one on bottom lays eggs a couple months later, it's definitely a female. If it doesn't lay eggs or even look gravid at any point... you can't assume anything.

-Kat
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"You keep WHAT in your freezer?"
"Mice. And rats. If that bothers you, I can call them 'cows' instead."