She could be a He!

Today I took my female Captain Hook up to Critter Barn to have her checked for an RI. But I decided to get her sexed too. He doesn't do it by anything visual, he rubs his fingers where the hemepenes would be and said he can feel them. They are bigger and that she is male. Going to buy a probing kit and probe to confirm.

Lol id def get a probing kit to confirm... Thats like saying a doctor can feel a pregnant womans stomach and can tell the sex of the baby...

I don't think you can physically feel the hemipenes by rubbing the tail...
Or at least in my experience, I can't feel them.

I would go to a professional to learn how to pop or probe. If you do either methods incorrectly, you can injure your snake.

He has started probing his pricier snakes. He doesn't like to do it because he thinks it causes too much stress but I could take her to him again and have him probe her. Really hope he's wrong.

It causes them stress for like a minute. By the time theyre back under their hide in the enclosure they wont even be able to remember why they were stressed lol. I would think that rubbing and feeling up their junk is just as stressful lmao...

I have a very hard time believing that he can feel the difference between a male and a female.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

I have a very hard time believing that he can feel the difference between a male and a female.

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Thank you, I really hope he's wrong :)

I probe mine, it doesn't seem to stress them out all that much, sure I have to hold them harder than I normally would, but 5 minutes later you wouldn't know I did anything to them.

LOL butt rubbing to feel the penis? I pop all my snakes. I have a probe kit but just find popping to be much easier

Feeling the tips of the hemipenes is actually a very successful way of sexing them, IF you know how to do it. I know a couple breeders in the Vancouver area that sex their boas exclusively using the method of feeling for the hemipenes. It's far less invasive and stressful than probing or popping.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlJ3bB2Wds0

Also:

Mutant Boas - British Columbia - Sexing Snakes

Interesting stuff...just for kicks I just gave this a try on 2 of my snakes of the same approximate size(700ish grams), and swear there is a noticeable difference. I wouldn't rely on this myself without trying it on several more snakes over the next few years and having it match how they sex when I pop them, but definitely interesting nonetheless. Totally makes sense though, even if it's not at all visually detectable, that males would have a hemipenal bulge.

I would like to point out that everything that you have put forward about this "palpation" sexing method has been about Boas. I can't find anything anywhere that says that this works with BP's. I have found references to Boas, but once again no BP's.

I just tried dong it exactly the way the video said and I couldn't tell the difference between my confirmed males and females. Granted I have never done this before so I could just be doing this wrong.

If anyone can put forward any information that this works with Ball Pythons I would love to see it. It certainly seems like it would be less intrusive for the snakes if it works.

On my original post yeah, I said I know people that sex their boas using this method.

It's not a very common way of people sexing BPs, and I've never actually tried it myself on any of my BPs (perhaps I should?) but I'm just saying it's not a completely off the wall method of sexing. Have you actually seen what a completely everted hemipene looks like? THEY ARE NOT SMALL lol

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

On my original post yeah, I said I know people that sex their boas using this method.

It's not a very common way of people sexing BPs, but I'm just saying it's not a completely off the wall of sexing. Have you actually seen what a completely everted hemipene looks like? THEY ARE NOT SMALL lol

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I can understand the concept, and as I said if anyone has proof that it works I would love to see it as I like how un-invasive it is.

On a side note, all 3 of your posts are about Boas... not saying that it can't work with BP's just pointing that out. I really would like this to work, I really do. I just want to see some proof that it works with BP's as well. I do appreciate the insight you have provided already :gj:

I have heard this before but only in babies where the skin is thin enough to feel whats underneath. Still I wouldn't rely on it, just learn how to probe its rather easy.

I have ordered a probing kit from Reptile Basics and it will be here in 2-4 days. I want to be damn sure of the sex before I decide what to do. I've had some people tell me to just sell the male and get an adult female, keep the pastel. But he/she is my first snake and you only get your first snake once. Personally I would much rather just go buy an adult female and make room than to get rid of one that I love.

How big is he/she can you pop him/her?

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Originally Posted by joebad976

How big is he/she can you pop him/her?

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I can't pop I have tried. When I have a chance to try it with someone in person who can walk me through it and show me how to do it I will be able to. But my probing kit will be here on Saturday so i'll just probe him/her.

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Originally Posted by evan385

I can't pop I have tried. When I have a chance to try it with someone in person who can walk me through it and show me how to do it I will be able to. But my probing kit will be here on Saturday so i'll just probe him/her.

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Let me get this straight, your gonna try probing unassisted but not popping. I imagine one could do much more damage with inexperienced probing than with inexperienced popping. Just pop the d@mn thing and get it over with, its not that difficult and you can actually see the sex, popping is more reliable in my opinion.:banana:

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Originally Posted by Domepiece

Let me get this straight, your gonna try probing unassisted but not popping. I imagine one could do much more damage with inexperienced probing than with inexperienced popping. Just pop the d@mn thing and get it over with, its not that difficult and you can actually see the sex, popping is more reliable in my opinion.:banana:

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Makes sense but I have watched videos on probing and it just seems like it would be easier. I could be wrong though. Either way I won't probe until I am sure that I can do it without hurting my snake.

That works if she is smaller it is not too difficult to pop but it does get harder as they get older. Took me a while to get the hang of both probing and popping. I would suggest you check out some youtube videos or something prior to doing either just in case.

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Originally Posted by satomi325

I don't think you can physically feel the hemipenes by rubbing the tail...
Or at least in my experience, I can't feel them.

I would go to a professional to learn how to pop or probe. If you do either methods incorrectly, you can injure your snake.

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You can with adult boas.
I doubt anyone can with BP's.

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Originally Posted by joebad976

That works if she is smaller it is not too difficult to pop but it does get harder as they get older. Took me a while to get the hang of both probing and popping. I would suggest you check out some youtube videos or something prior to doing either just in case.

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I have, i'm going to make damn sure that I know what i'm doing before I even attempt to probe. Would someone local care to show me how to pop?

Yea plus doesnt this snake youre talking about have a tail deformation? So popping mite be uncomfortable for it...?

How strange! Never heard of anyone being able to "feel" the hemipenes... In my experience, you should always probe. I've had too many friends who think they are buying females (particularly on craigslist) and then bring them to me to sex, and we find out it's a male... I've told them to buy probing kits, and I'd show them how, but it still happens. Just recently picked up a number of girls from another local breeder and I probed every one. Two were boys, and so I didn't get those two. It's a good practice to probe every time... Once you get experience with it, its really not hard. I can do most girls by myself but the squirrelly ones, my husband will hold steady for me.

I'm going to grope all the male balls in my house right now. HAH

Done and done, and guess what. YES this method DOES work for balls. I tried 4 males and 3 females, and definitely felt the penes. All snakes that I just felt, are confirmed genders, so I know I'm not wrong.

I have some pantyhose in my reptile equipment. I put it over my hand to palpate snakes, as it lets my hand glide more smoothly across their bellies, and I find it easier to feel follicles when using a nylons/hose. I did the very same thing when I just felt my males tails, and yes, I felt the "speed bumps."

I think this season before popping any babies, I am going to try this method and see how many I get right, just by feel. Then I will pop to confirm.

(okay maybe I didn't grope all the male balls, but enough)

Also just tried this with some confirmed male and female corns, and lo and behold, speed bumps. (On the males, of course)

They're a lot further down than you'd think, snakes are well hung! LOL

I wouldn't go believing she is a he just yet. It's not a good way to judge but sometimes males are a little thicker where their hemipenes are, but you definitely couldn't sex a snake by looking or feeling for the hemipenes. You need to get that thing popped!

I dunno Slitherin, I did it last night and I could absolutely without a doubt feel the penes in all of the confirmed males.

I tried ball pythons, corn snakes, and my BRBs and I could feel the penes in every one.

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

I dunno Slitherin, I did it last night and I could absolutely without a doubt feel the penes in all of the confirmed males.

I tried ball pythons, corn snakes, and my BRBs and I could feel the penes in every one.

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Can you feel the hemipenes on different sized snakes? Like babies? Or is it just more prominent on adults

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Originally Posted by satomi325

Can you feel the hemipenes on different sized snakes? Like babies? Or is it just more prominent on adults

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Larry said that it's more accurate after a snake has reached puberty because the hemepenes are bigger.

I don't have any baby ball pythons to try it on (yet) and I think my 8 month old corns are probably way too small to try this method on, but I'd imagine it's better suited to adults. Though Tyler from Mutant Boas has said they sex ALL of their baby boas using this method, and they have so far been correct 100% of the time.

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

I dunno Slitherin, I did it last night and I could absolutely without a doubt feel the penes in all of the confirmed males.

I tried ball pythons, corn snakes, and my BRBs and I could feel the penes in every one.

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I did test it on all my confirmed adults and it worked. I wouldn't ever rely on it 100% but I feel there is some credibility in this method (at least for mature animals). I'll test it on my younger snakes later. It's interesting to say the least :)

I honestly don't feel any method is 100% and that is why it's good to have options.

If you pop a male and the penes come out, then yes. I'd say 100% male. However, if you pop a snake it no penes come out, you can't say it's 100% female, because they may just be "clenching." Same with probing.