Sperm plugs??

I think these are sperm plugs, but never seen them before and just curious. I had my snakes out today cleaning my females cage, and I decided to see if I would be successfull sexing my male snake. I know he is a male so I was attempting to invert his hemipenis so I knew what I was doing if I aquired a snake that was unsexxed in the future, and these things popped out. Well one at a time and I was just curious to know if these realy are sperm plugs or something else. I have seen a picture once, but this is the first time seeing it in real life.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...ug_351x218.jpg

Thanks for the info guys/gals.

I think I may have my wife talked into letting me get a pair of albinos sometime in the future. Who knows when yet, but I know where to look when I get the greenlight. Thanks everyone.

Looks like sperm plugs to me! :sweeet:

I found one of those stuck to the water bowl in my pastel's tub......he's a little over 400 grams.....early bloomer?

Those do appear to be sperm plugs. All I have seen I have found during sheds. I found a pic that has one attached to the shed, like I am more familiar with.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1.../spermplug.jpg

I'd say they're sperm plugs as well. At this point, my pastel male and my normal male are producing sperm plugs. I think my pastel male is around 700g or so at this point. He's been producing for several months though. I usually find the plugs stuck to a shed.

so are these sperm plugs something you can expect to see at some point in time if you own a male BP? are they...well....do they just fall out or what? I have never seen anything like that before and would have had no idea what they were. is this only something they produced when they scent a female?

The sperm plugs are produced my matured males. My males usually produce them several times a year. I have always found mine in their sheds.

Why/when do they produce those???? I have never seen it on any of my males......

The sperm plugs are a sign that they have reached sexual maturity. (This means they can breed but not that they should ;) ) They are producing sperm. I believe they start around 400 grams or so. Some a little earlier, and some a little later.

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Originally Posted by 4theSNAKElady

Why/when do they produce those???? I have never seen it on any of my males......

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The sperm plug is associated with the male's hemipenal sac. They start to produce them after they have reached sexual maturity. I believe my first male started producing them at a weight of 500 and age of 1 years old. My other snake did not start producing them until a weight of 900 and almost 2 years old. There again I only saw them on sheds. I do not "pop" the hemipenis, so I have not seen them in this way, only in sheds. In short the sperm plug is simply a brownish, dry string-like accumulation of dead sperm.