7 years, 40", too small to be female?

[CntrlF8]

I've got an opportunity to pick up a 7 year old healthy normal for a steal of a price, but unless it's a female there's really no point. I know probing is really the only way to know, but I don't want to go to the time/expense to make the drive and have him/her probed unless it's even possible for it to be female.. he/she's 40" long, and looks to be in great health as far as weight goes.. what do you guys think?

Here's a pic:

[J.Vandegrift]

The size can't tell you anything. Can you ask the seller to check for plugs?

[CntrlF8]

The size can't tell you anything. Can you ask the seller to check for plugs?

plugs? explain... I'm not familiar with that term in this context...

[aaajohnson]

I had a 4yr old 37" female lay a clutch this year (3 good eggs and 2 slugs). I don't think size should be your determining factor ....


Neil

[Adam_Wysocki]

I don't think size should be your determining factor ....

I completely agree.

-adam

[dr del]

Thread with pictures of sperm plugs



dr del

[rabernet]

The size can't tell you anything. Can you ask the seller to check for plugs?

Plugs don't necessarily guarantee anything either - the last female that I picked up, another member here passed by, because he thought she had sperm plugs (we buy our feeders from the same pet store). Seems females can also secrete and give off something that could be mistaken as a sperm plug. I popped AND probed her (3 scales on each side) as female.

I've got someone offering me a free adult ball python, but I don't need a male either. Debating whether I just meet them, sex it - keep it if it's female and re-home it if it's male, they are desperate to re-home it themselves. Wanted $100 for it, then $50 and today I get an e-mail going "we need to find a new home for this snake, and since you have experience with them, we'll give him to you". They don't know if it's male or female, they've just assigned a gender to it.

[CntrlF8]

So I guess it IS going to be a trip north for me, and a trip to the vet... Unless someone has any friends in the seattle area that could teach me to probe myself? I know the basics of how to do it, just haven't actually done it before. I'm 90% confident I could do it and I have the tools, but am hesitant to try.

[snakedude56]

When he says plugs he means sperm plugs that adult males release every now and then.

[CntrlF8]

Plugs don't necessarily guarantee anything either - the last female that I picked up, another member here passed by, because he thought she had sperm plugs (we buy our feeders from the same pet store). Seems females can also secrete and give off something that could be mistaken as a sperm plug. I popped AND probed her (3 scales on each side) as female.

I've got someone offering me a free adult ball python, but I don't need a male either. Debating whether I just meet them, sex it - keep it if it's female and re-home it if it's male, they are desperate to re-home it themselves. Wanted $100 for it, then $50 and today I get an e-mail going "we need to find a new home for this snake, and since you have experience with them, we'll give him to you". They don't know if it's male or female, they've just assigned a gender to it.

That's almost identical to the situation I've got. If I can definitively know that this is a girl, the price is a steal and I'd be a fool to pass it up. Heck, I guess even if it's a boy I could probably rehome him with little difficulty.