Quick question about popping.

[withonor]

Recently I got three young females who are ~4 months old or less. I was able to pop them successfully.

I have a ~four year old that was given to me with the assumption he was a male. I tried to pop "him" but have read that popping could cause a lot of harm with older snakes. "He" seems to have great control of that area and I pushed as hard as I was comfortable with and nothing happened.

I did notice though that that on each side of the vent scale that there were some small spikes. Not as big as any scale in the area but they did move freely and could stick straight out. I'm assuming that is a male who is ready to breed. Is that a safe assumption? Would a female ever have anything that looked like that?

I tried to take a picture but my iPhone couldn't focus well enough. I am running into a lot of reasons to buy a good camera... I bought my girlfriend a Canon Rebel XTi but that's not as convenient as having one completely available for my needs.

I did buy a probe set but by the time they came in I popped my young ones. I'm not sure which size probe to use on what weight snake.



I need to give credit where credit is due. I learned to pop by watching the videos Ralph Davis has on YouTube.

Popping in the case of the young ones was very easy. I am having a hard time sticking a metal instrument into their bodies where I cannot see.

[2kdime]

First off what your seeing are "SPURS" on the rear ends of your snakes, both males and females have them. These have nothing to do with sexual maturity, but ARE used in courtship.

Second, I'd have a qualified vet or someone with a lot of experience with it show you how to probe.

[Wh00h0069]

First off what your seeing are "SPURS" on the rear ends of your snakes, both males and females have them. These have nothing to do with sexual maturity, but ARE used in courtship.

Second, I'd have a qualified vet or someone with a lot of experience with it show you how to probe.

In addition, it is fairly difficult to pop older animals, since they have a lot more muscle in their vent area than when they are young. I do not see that popping would harm them, unless you do it wrong. I have popped older ball pythons with success, but I have had to probe others.

Probing is not difficult, but is much more likely to cause damage than popping. You have to make sure that you use the correct probe. One to small may pierce through if you push too hard. With the correct probe, insert into the vent and rotate back and forth through your fingers while gently pushing down. Once you feel it stop, place your finger on the probe to determine the depth. Pull out and put the probe against the scales to determine the scale count. Males will have more scale count than females. Females are somewhere around four, if I remember correctly, and males are around eight. If you do not feel comfortable doing this, ask someone with experience to help you.

[withonor]

First off what your seeing are "SPURS" on the rear ends of your snakes, both males and females have them. These have nothing to do with sexual maturity, but ARE used in courtship.

Second, I'd have a qualified vet or someone with a lot of experience with it show you how to probe.

That was not helpful at all....

Kidding! I was hoping I found an easy answer.

Zeeks tail tapers a lot at the vent point and I can't feel anything in that area that stands out. Both things that would say "he" is a "she" but I am very skeptical that a female was sold at a pet store. I know these aren't guaranteed methods of checking. I don't have any verified males so I don't have anything to compare Zeek to. It would be a great surprise to have an almost breedable weight female.

I guess this would be a great time to get friendly with the exotic vet I have. It's a great office with two vets. One for cats and dogs that I have dealt with. One for everything else that my girlfriend brought our rabbit in to have seen but I wasn't there.

[withonor]

In addition, it is fairly difficult to pop older animals, since they have a lot more muscle in their vent area than when they are young. I do not see that popping would harm them, unless you do it wrong. I have popped older ball pythons with success, but I have had to probe others.

Probing is not difficult, but is much more likely to cause damage than popping. You have to make sure that you use the correct probe. One to small may pierce through if you push too hard. With the correct probe, insert into the vent and rotate back and forth through your fingers while gently pushing down. Once you feel it stop, place your finger on the probe to determine the depth. Pull out and put the probe against the scales to determine the scale count. Males will have more scale count than females. Females are somewhere around four, if I remember correctly, and males are around eight. If you do not feel comfortable doing this, ask someone with experience to help you.

I tried popping him the same way as the girls. With one thumb I pulled back the vent scale and with the other thumb I rolled from the tail tip towards the vent like a tube of tooth paste. One time I have something coming out but he started curling his tail around my finger and I gave up. The mass was coming out at the center of the vent but again not a definate gauge.

With probing I have watched a lot of videos. The likelyhood of causing damage because of a lack of experience makes me more comfortable with not knowing that trying to force the issue. At this point I have six sizes of probes and no idea what size is best for the appropriate snake. If I use one too small I am more likely to cause damage. If I use one too big it may stop short and give a possible false reading of being female?

[Wh00h0069]

I tried popping him the same way as the girls. With one thumb I pulled back the vent scale and with the other thumb I rolled from the tail tip towards the vent like a tube of tooth paste. One time I have something coming out but he started curling his tail around my finger and I gave up. The mass was coming out at the center of the vent but again not a definate gauge.

With probing I have watched a lot of videos. The likelyhood of causing damage because of a lack of experience makes me more comfortable with not knowing that trying to force the issue. At this point I have six sizes of probes and no idea what size is best for the appropriate snake. If I use one too small I am more likely to cause damage. If I use one too big it may stop short and give a possible false reading of being female?

I doubt it would stop short. It would either not slide into vent at all, or be the correct size. I suggest using the largest one first, although it would probably be to large, then going down from there. I also use lubricant on the tip of the probe, but water would likely suffice. The main thing to remember is not to push down. Just rotate back and forth between your fingers, while slightly moving the probe downward. It slides easily, and is also easy to tell when you hit bottom. If you do decide to try, good luck.

[Kryptonian]

I find adult males easy to pop so have never required a probe for a ball. I do however use them for corns. You should definately have someone show you and you should use a lube. I just use personal lube found at the drugstore that us non greasy with no additives like scent etc. \also you need to sterilize your probe. I use alchahol wipes, same kind they use when giving you a needle.

[Dave763]

Vaseline, be gentle be sure the probe is pointed toward the tail. I start sideways to get in, then rotate 90 degrees.
I would use the green or maybe the blue one hard to tell from the pic. I like a ball on the end.

[SNIKTTIME]

Vaseline, be gentle be sure the probe is pointed toward the tail. I start sideways to get in, then rotate 90 degrees.
I would use the green or maybe the blue one hard to tell from the pic. I like a ball on the end.

I agree with Dave, also if you use a probe that is too small you can injure the snake and get a false reading. Ball on the end of the probe is always a nice choice for safety in the beginning.