*sigh* Probing road block

Hello all. Ive been researching ball python breeding for about a year and a half now. I decided it was finally time to have my first clutch next season, and I decided it was finally time to learn how to probe. I just bought my kit from LLL reptiles and started researching how to probe. I watched a few videos(one from iron balls and one from kobylkas pro tips) and started looking for forum posts to get any extra tips I may need, and every single person said you have to be taught how one on one y someone who has either training a lot of experience or both and that learning on my own through means of the internet could injure and kill my snake. I could understNd why is a hemepene or the females barrier were to be ruptures.

Anyway, the kit that I bought is a set of 8 rods all with rubber ball tips so as to not injure the snake and from what I understand you need to insert it incredibly gently and if met with ANY resistance stop and measire how many scale..

My problem is that I dont know of anyone who may be able to teach me hands on. My local snake show is an hour away and I work every saturday. The day that it takes place. I dont have Ny friends in the hobby. The biggest local breeder I know of is also an hour away from me, and I need to be BLe to determine the gender of my snakes with 100% certainty. The only thing I can think to do is to attempt self teaching while excersizing extreme caution. Has anyome succeeded in teaching themselves to probe and in reality with my tools specifically what are the odds of an injury actually occuring if I use water based lubricant, a smaller than necessary rod, and apply a very very minimal amoint of force while inserting the rod (toward the tip of the tail on either the left or roght side never the center) of the cloaca?

Thanks for reading guys..IF you are against me attempting fo self teach please suggest an alternative! I know that it isnt ideal but my options appear to be very few.

I see nothing wrong with being self taught.. Just do your research and watch videos and read write-ups.
I'd say the most possible way for a snake to ge hurt is if you cannot restrain it properly, it writhes and jabs it's inner organs:(
Good luck!

Hm.. Ill probably have my fiance help me keep them still while I attempt then. I really dont want to hurt them @_@

If you have a good herp vet in your area they might also be able to help you. I would make sure they are a good herp vet and not a regular vet as some think they know what they are doing when they really don't..

i am self taught .. nothing wrong in that just be careful with it. Had a friend eventually double check my skills once I knew more reptile people.

I would be way too worried to ever try that blindly by myself. Maybe you could try popping them. I am not even comfortable with that yet. Or you could find a local vet and have them sex for you. If you aren't planning on breeding until next year,surely you could get a Saturday off between now and then to get to a show, and have some one teach you.

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

I am self taught. Did the same as you watched videos and read up a lot on forums etc. I started probing snakes that I already knew were male/female so I can get a good feel for the number of scales I am looking for and what the "resistance" would feel like.

The key is to relax the snake prior to attempting and then very gently work the probe. Once it stops don't keep trying to go any further.

Well, I can pop, but once they get larger it becomes difficult. My spider and my burm are already unpoppable, and I never got the chance to try.

Unfortunately I am one of two overnighters at my job. I work EVERY saturday and the other overnighter works 40 hours every week. I dont even have the luxery of calling in sick because there is no one else trained to work my position except the manager who is already working 45 hours every week. So chances are very very..very..slim.

Now Ive never had to go to aa reptile vet, but my fiance has had to once before, and he said that the only one that he knew of was in pennsylvania. Im sure there is some reptile vet closer than that though. there has to be Ill start looking online.

As of now im not 100% sure about any of the genders of my snakes. I havent tried to probe before but I am very good at handling snakes and keeping them comfortable, and I am very comfortable popping the littler guys. I may just have to try and see what I can do. Im attatched to all of my snakes, but there is a hierarchy, and my second female normal is the one im least attatched to. I think I could practice on her with the least amount of worry. At the very least if something did happen it would hit me the softest.

I learned on adults so I have an easier time with them than with juveniles. Fresh hatchlings are a cinch though! Like others said if you have to self teach then I guess you have to, but I would try to find someone. I live in rural Iowa and there are several of us that are breeding within a 20 mile radius. I really believe if you tried to find someone you would.

hm. Maybe Ill post an ad on craigslist. Who knows maybe theres a lurker educated in probing that I just dont know about.