Question!

What are the two hooks on each side of the vent? Does this have anything to do with the sex of the snake? I don't think they are hemi's. They look like....hooks???

Those are spurs, they're completely normal. They're supposed to be the remains of vestigial legs, from when snakes were lizards. Males tend to have larger ones.

Do females have visible ones? Can these in any way determine sex?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by binknit

Do females have visible ones? Can these in any way determine sex?

---

Yes. And no.

Popping and probing are the common methods used to determine sex.

The size of the spurs CAN NOT determine sex.
Popping and probing at the only ways to determine the sex of a ball python.