Ball Python Gender Question?

[DmR20588]

I was hoping that someone might be able to help determine the gender of my snake by looking at this picture. This is my first snake and my dad is a bad photographer, but I was still curious as to whether or not I am actually looking at the musk glands of a female ball python.

This was my first real time trying to pop a ball python and there aren't many photos online of what the female should look like and not many good pictures of males at that.



It is not so important as I don't plan on breeding him/her but just for curiosity's sake I was wondering if anyone out there had some input.

[jglass38]

Looks like a girl to me. Males have very obious dark red hemipenes. Babies are easy to pop and will evert their penes without much effort.

[jglass38]

Here is a good video lesson on popping!

http://8ballpythons.com/journal/poppinglessons.htm

[rabernet]

That's actually one of the better pictures I've seen of what a female should look like when you pop.

[m0esgirl]

yep im pretty sure that you have a fem, but then again im no expert haha but that is what all my girls look like during popping lol

[Sonya610]

Op thanks for posting that picture. That is exactly what my little guy (or I guess now girl) looked like when i popped her. I read somewhere that if the snake appears female it could still be male and needs to be probed, but it seems most of the breeders here can tell just from popping.

[rabernet]

Sonya, that is correct if you are not experienced in popping - that you may not be using enough pressure to evert the hemipenes. Once one becomes more experienced in popping, you become more certain. I have probes that I rarely use any more. Only in cases where I'm not certain that I was able to evert the hemipenes will I back it up with a probe.

[Sonya610]

Rabernet when i popped her it looked EXACTLY like that. The little bump on the right side of the picture, mine had a little bump too and I was trying to figure out if that qualified as a hemipenis but there was only one and it was very tiny. I think she is a girl.

[rabernet]

It's likely a girl then, but as offered previously, I can meet you sometime in the future and confirm for you!

[Sonya610]

Thanks and I hope to take you up on that offer! I also sent you a pm with another question (so as not to hijack the thread).