Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, I recently aquired a rescued sub-adult ball python. It's about 3 to 31/2 ft long. I know that probing is the best way to sex snakes but can anyone post some pics of the spurs of a male and a female? My digital camera is broken as of yesterday but I do have a few pics I took last week when we got her. She/He is super sweet and even took a f/t rat from me after about four days of having her. Thanks in advance!

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Everything I know about life I learned from Nintendo!!!

There really are no differences in spurs betweens the sexes. You can not sex ball pythons according to spur size, probing is probably your best bet...

However, going away from your question, let me play devils advocate for a bit here... (which I'm sure I'll be taking flak from) The pictures you posted are cute, I assume that's your daughter with the snake around her neck? While it's a cute picture, it's really NOT a good idea to allow any snake to make a loop around anyones neck. I know of more then one instance where someone had a snake around their neck and the snake became suddenly frightened causing them to wrap around tightly causing the person who had the snake around their neck to not be able to breath too well.... Now, with a ball python this may not be lethal, but non-the-less it can cause a young person a great deal of anxiety and discomfort which could possibly put them off snakes for the rest of their lives... In fact, if you look at the second photo, your daughter seems to be looking very cautiously at that snake that seems to be very close to her face... Her insticts are serving her well. Ball pythons, despite having a reputation as being a very easy going and nonaggresive species DO bite... ANYTHING that feels threatened will defend itself. I would never put a 'recently aquired' ball python around the neck of any child. The chances are that NOTHING will happen but the possibility of bad things happening is always there... It would be MUCH better if after bringing the snake into your home, you got to know it and learn it's personality first. This can take many months, even over a year....

I hope you do not take offence at this post. It is not my intention to be mean, I just want to point out some things you may not see at first on your own.

MarkS

>>Hello, I recently aquired a rescued sub-adult ball python. It's about 3 to 31/2 ft long. I know that probing is the best way to sex snakes but can anyone post some pics of the spurs of a male and a female? My digital camera is broken as of yesterday but I do have a few pics I took last week when we got her. She/He is super sweet and even took a f/t rat from me after about four days of having her. Thanks in advance!
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>>Everything I know about life I learned from Nintendo!!!

Echo echo echo
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Official Leopard Gecko Herder
Watch for grinning-geckos.com coming this summer!

6:12:2 Leos Gilean, Aurora, Tigerlily ...Getting to have too many to name here!
2:0 Cats - Troi and Mitsu (shhhhh...don't tell them they're neutered!)
1:0 Husband - Eric (He's a lot of work, but it's worth it.)

Sure is lonely in here! NP
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Official Leopard Gecko Herder
Watch for grinning-geckos.com coming this summer!

6:12:2 Leos Gilean, Aurora, Tigerlily ...Getting to have too many to name here!
2:0 Cats - Troi and Mitsu (shhhhh...don't tell them they're neutered!)
1:0 Husband - Eric (He's a lot of work, but it's worth it.)

Thank you for the concern but this isn't a random snake. It was actually my in-law's snake for a year or two. The ball python has been handled regularly and by children. But again I do appreciate the post.

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Everything I know about life I learned from Nintendo!!!

Like the title says popping is safe when done correctly and by someone that knows how to do it. Check out the pictorial linked here Sexing by Popping Pictorial.

Don't try this if you dont know how, get someone to show you. Directly seeing the sex organs is always dead on accurate.

That's a very clearly photographed tutorial. Good job there.

I must say, though, that recommending that one talk to one's python to get it to relax is a bit, umm, weird. Of course, perhaps mine just haven't learned English yet.

-Joan

>>Like the title says popping is safe when done correctly and by someone that knows how to do it. Check out the pictorial linked here Sexing by Popping Pictorial.
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>>Don't try this if you dont know how, get someone to show you. Directly seeing the sex organs is always dead on accurate.