sperm plug?

I had something weird happen when I was handling Striker, my big male BP. A weird whitish thing popped out of his vent. I wiped it off with a tissue, and it came off easily. It was kind of a beige color, actually. I read on a different site about "sperm plugs" and was wondering if anyone has ever seen one, to describe it, and see if this resembled that.
I do know that he is a male.

Ask & you shall receive...

http://newenglandreptile.com/webpics/spoo.jpg

Consistency may vary depending upon how "fresh" (not to sound vulgar) it is.

K

horny snakes.

What were you doing to the poor guy, just teasing. :D

Ummm, thats a pic of a sperm plug protruding from a male? Or left by a male? Sorry but I dont have the whole snake luvin thing down yet. :oops:

That pic is of a male snake - when you hear people talking about "popping sperm plugs," that's exactly what's happening in the photo. The technique is essentially the same as everting hemipenes, however, only gentle pressure is used to determine the presence of sperm plugs as complete eversion of the hemipenes can be harmful to older snakes if not done correctly.

K

Yay, I am relieved to find out that's what it is. I thought he might have worms or something, what a relief!
I was handling him, and I noticed something sticking out, and that's what it was. He is a pretty unstable, skittish snake, so maybe it was "expelled" because he was nervous? I was only handling him because he had to be soaked, since I was double-checking that the ticks were gone (which they are, big sigh of relief there.) Thanks for the great pic K!

Are sperm plugs harmful if not removed? Do they just come off during defecation?
Geez, just when you think you know everything about BPs, something lilke this surfaces!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ginevive

Are sperm plugs harmful if not removed? Do they just come off during defecation?
Geez, just when you think you know everything about BPs, something lilke this surfaces!

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does anybody know?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ginevive

Are sperm plugs harmful if not removed? Do they just come off during defecation?
Geez, just when you think you know everything about BPs, something lilke this surfaces!

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They should fall off while they move. They're not harmful, if it is indeed a sperm plug.

Although they are commonly incorrectly referred to as "sperm plugs". They are actually hemipenial sloughs (sheds). Hope this helps clear up any confusion.

before anyone responds to the OP, i just want to be the first to say "this is an old thread"

2004 :gj: