Confused on sex of this snake? Can 2 males lock?

Hey guys,
So from the moment i got this snake few months ago, i was not sure it was male or female. I did pop it and got a white substance which i heard can be confused for either male sperm or female gland secretions. I had a friend and a breeder check locally and for sure it was a female, but i still had my doubts. Another breeder said, it this snake locks with male introduced then has to be a female. Well after being paired with my piebald male and seeing successful locks, the true gender of this snake has come into question TODAY. I went to open it's tub today to find dried sperm, which at first i thought could of been from the piebald male from having successfully mated with this snake in question but it was near his rear end which i suspect it could of produced itself. I did pop the snake again to notice what i believe was the hemipenis at first from having popped other males. I had my girlfriend take a picture so i can get your opinions. My initial thought from popping today was that it was for sure a male but was not sure if i was overpopping, as i know this is possible. All input is much appreciated.

http://i921.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/IMG_8765.jpg
http://i921.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/IMG_8763.jpg

Sorry i cant help you with wether its a male or a female. But i have heard that YES two males can lock.

Hmm from the pics I'd say male. Hemipenes look pretty defined in the pics. I'm on my phone see I'll check tomorrow on a bigger screen but I would say male. Maybe others on a pc can chime in. Could also be female hemipenial homologs. Although these don't usually "pop" out.

From the pics I'd definitely say a male. I didnt know that two dude snakes could lock up tho...

Hi,

I'd say male.


dr del

could your pie be female?

Male, and yes they can lock..........sign of dominance;)

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Originally Posted by NNJExotics

Hey guys,
So from the moment i got this snake few months ago, i was not sure it was male or female. I did pop it and got a white substance which i heard can be confused for either male sperm or female gland secretions. I had a friend and a breeder check locally and for sure it was a female, but i still had my doubts. Another breeder said, it this snake locks with male introduced then has to be a female.

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Seems like neither of those people can really confirm the sex therefore I would suggest to find someone that can sex your animal accurately.

Yes two males can lock, been there done that ;).

Problem with popping pictures is not knowing if you put enough pressure or not no real conclusion can be made, if the wrong pressure was applied and the fingers were not properly placed than you still have no certainty.

Remember larger individual can be much harder to pop and if you are not proficient at it you might make the wrong conclusion.

Looking at the pic I say male but you are not able to pop him successfully. (not enough pressure)

looks male to me.

Thank you everyone for your opinions. I have to pay my vet a visit on Tuesday of next week anyway so i'm gonna take this snake to have him confirm what i been thinking since day 1 and what i saw yesterday evening. I originally was gonna take snake to a vet locally but i could not justify a $110.00 exam fee plus a $40.00 fee to have the snake sexed when it was not exhibiting any signs or symptoms of any kind of illness and all i wanted was confirmation of gender. Have found a new vet last week, his fees are more reasonable.

It will be a bummer if it turns out this was a male all along, such a beautiful ball python but i have more males than females my collection.

Any reptile store or breeder would prob sex him for little cost, if not for free.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NNJExotics

t i could not justify a $110.00 exam fee plus a $40.00 fee to have the snake sexed

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Yeah vets are ridiculous for that. Bruce Delles is a fairly well-known reptile guy who runs a local shop called Twin Cities Reptiles and sexes snakes for $10 a piece for those who can't do it themselves.

Those sure look like penes in that pop picture--man, that's a really good popping picture.

And yeah, I just caught two of my breeding males locking in the bachelor tank while waiting for their turns to come round again. I don't think it's dominance--they've been tankmates for two years. I think they're just horny and bored with waiting for me to cycle them back in with their girlfriends.