The worst day ever.

I went in to check on my snakes this morning. Not a big deal, but when I looked down I almost lost it. My 1500g girl, the one I had planned on breeding this fall, has produced sperm plugs. :tears: I had this snake sexed by an arav listed vet, and the president of the local herp society. I know people make mistakes, but this is a terrible blow. I don't even know how to express how upsetting this is. I was sooooo looking forward to my first attempt at breeding, and now it's not going to happen. :crying: :disbelief :slamhead:

Rationally I'm trying to remember this is not the end of the world, but right now I could really use some encouragement. :(

Have her checked again ... sometimes females "shmoo".

-adam

I hate to hear you can't make a breeding attempt this season...i want to also but don't have what it takes right now, so i'm bummed too.

So what are sperm plugs and why do females produce them?

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Have her checked again ... sometimes females "shmoo".

-adam

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Really? :eek:

Would you suggest I take it back to the original vet, or try another place?

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

So what are sperm plugs and why do females produce them?

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If what I saw were sperm plugs, then females don't produce them.... males do. :oops:

righto i guess that would explain one thing.

a complete newb would think a female produced sperm plugs to "plug" everything up in there so she couldn't produce babies...but now i know it's males....can't breed males with males.

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

can't breed males with males.

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EXACTLY!! :oops:

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

can't breed males with males.

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Actually, male ball pythons will copulate with each other ... it's most often an expression of dominance ... you just can't get eggs from breeding males to males. ;)

-adam

lol yes adam that's what i was getting at. I've read about males doing the deed with other males.

:O i could have gone through the whole day without reading that.

I would definitely get a second probing/popping. Good luck Christie, I know you want to get your breeding going this season...

Aw man, I am sorry about that. It is definately a wakeup call when one of your snakes is mis-sexed. In our case, we had our male and female mixed up.
I am sorry about not getting to breed this year though; I myself wanted to breed one of my females, Bela, but she is not going to be the weight I thought she would so I understand your disappointment there.

Get a second vet in on it!

Thanks guys. I don't think a second opinion is needed. She's a he.

I think I'll go cry myself to sleep now. :oops:

gosh Chrstie, i feel your pain. my 1394 gram girl i was gonna breed this season produced sperm plugs couple days ago. im definitely having her checked again though. best of luck with her/him!

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Originally Posted by tigerlily

Thanks guys. I don't think a second opinion is needed. She's a he.

I think I'll go cry myself to sleep now. :oops:

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Please don't give up pal!! I will spring for the second opinion probing and if she is a he afterall I will make sure you have a breedable female this season :cool:

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Originally Posted by cueball

Please don't give up pal!! I will spring for the second opinion probing and if she is a he afterall I will make sure you have a breedable female this season :cool:

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Keep this up and you're either going to get knighted or put up for sainthood. Rock on pal! :pinkele:

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Originally Posted by jglass38

Keep this up and you're either going to get knighted or put up for sainthood. Rock on pal! :pinkele:

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Saint Santaball :P

Just trying to keep up with you guys :gj:

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Originally Posted by cueball

Just trying to keep up with you guys :gj:

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I think its the other way around dude...

Sorry to hear that Christie. I too would get him/her probed again by someone else just to be a full 100% sure. Worse comes to worse, you still have a healthy male bp. :)

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Originally Posted by cueball

Please don't give up pal!! I will spring for the second opinion probing and if she is a he afterall I will make sure you have a breedable female this season :cool:

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Cue, I think you have to be one of my favorite people here!

Christie, I'm sorry to hear the news that one of your girls is a boy! I'm sort of glad I found out Sullivan was a male early on, rather than after raising him in the belief that he was a girl. I can't imagine the shock.

Sending positive vibes your way, sweetie!

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Originally Posted by cueball

Please don't give up pal!! I will spring for the second opinion probing and if she is a he afterall I will make sure you have a breedable female this season :cool:

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You are so %$#@! awesome, Cue!

Thats a shame...second opinion couldn't hurt, I'm sure Cue will wipe your worries away if need be. :pinkele:

Oh shoot Christie! I'm so sorry to hear that she is a he. What a rotten thing to happen. Big hugs hon.

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Originally Posted by cueball

Please don't give up pal!! I will spring for the second opinion probing and if she is a he afterall I will make sure you have a breedable female this season :cool:

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That is the sweetest offer in the world. :hug: You kick some major hiney. :bow: :worship:


Thank you everyone for understanding what a blow this was. :oops: At this point I don't have any clue what to think. As a baby it probed female. Then yesterday it popped out this....
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...9/possplug.jpg

Which looks exactly like a sperm plug to me. :sigh2: So today I ran it up to the other local reptile store and had another guy probe it. It (and yes I'm still refering to Dandylion as an it) probed 3.5 scales and he was 90% sure it was female. If it still is a female what the heck was that stuff that popped out!!! UGH!! :confuzd: I'm so confused at this point I'm just going to sit at my desk and :slamhead: :stupidme:

Any thought? :sigh2:

Well...Adam said that females sometimes "schmoo" or something like that...although he didn't explain exactly what that is or what it looks like. I sure hope she's still a girl! ;) :hug: I'd shoot Adam a PM and ask him for more clarification...or just call him. I know he'd enjoy talking to you!!

i PM'ed him about it already. he said sometimes females secrete a blackish/grayish "shmoo" from there musk glands.

I sent him the picture and he didn't think it looked like shmoo. :(

what is a sperm plug? does the male let it go after he is sexually mature? have they mate wihtout letting the plug go?

I pray that you have a female there Cass! g'luck and best wishes

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Originally Posted by tigerlily

I sent him the picture and he didn't think it looked like shmoo. :(

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:( :( :(

Yeah I've seen (and unfortunately smelt) that stuff and it's beyond gross. Got it on me while showing someone how to pop using the young male BCI, Severus and it basically cleared the room...what a stink! Also saw it from Orlah and from Saoirse when we first got them and had to overhandle them for soaking and so forth to get their old sheds off.


I can't figure this one out Christie. Dandy has probed more than once as a female by a vet and a person experienced in probing. When you pop Dandy it sounds like a female from what you described on the phone to me and I was looking at one of my own females I was popping while talking to you. You aren't seeing any red, any hemipenes or indication of sperm plugs present (though I don't know how fast they replace plugs once shed and it's only been what 24 hours or so since you found that in the enclosure).

Wish we could find you somebody close that a very experienced person who regularily pops snakes to do Dandy and get a proper and complete look at what's going on inside that vent of hers/his.

As I said to you on the phone, if Dandy is indeed a male, you'll have a mature female to breed to your male this fall. There's no way your friends are going to let you miss this season when you've worked so hard to get ready for it and leave that brand new incubator sitting empty.

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Originally Posted by tigerlily

. As a baby it probed female. Then yesterday it popped out this....

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Looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. Hope someone will explain what this is, I'm very intrigued.

Maybe your snake is a hermaphrodite! :O

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Originally Posted by Kilo

I pray that you have a female there Cass! g'luck and best wishes

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I think you mean Christie, but thanks!

I'm with Cue - please let us chip in to get another professional opinion on Dandy...

I had it reprobed today, and it only probed 3.5 scales (female), by another source. I just don't know what to think about this AT ALL!! :confuzd:

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Originally Posted by tigerlily

I just don't know what to think about this AT ALL!! :confuzd:

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All the info points to her still being a her thus far right? That is great news :clap:

Keep us posted :grouphug:

Both probes have indicated female. My feeble attempt at a gentle pop looked mostly female, but I didn't get a full eversion so not conclusive. My only fear is that this snake probes shallow, but is still a male. That thing looked very much like a sperm plug, and I don't know what to make of it. :confuzd: It seems silly to have it probed again, but I just don't know how to explain that 'thing'.

I guess I will give breeding a go, and hopefully I'll see some lovely eggs come spring. :please:

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Originally Posted by tigerlily

Both probes have indicated female. My feeble attempt at a gentle pop looked mostly female, but I didn't get a full eversion so not conclusive. My only fear is that this snake probes shallow, but is still a male. That thing looked very much like a sperm plug, and I don't know what to make of it. :confuzd: It seems silly to have it probed again, but I just don't know how to explain that 'thing'.

I guess I will give breeding a go, and hopefully I'll see some lovely eggs come spring. :please:

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Bring her to MD for the winter ... I'll let you know if she's a female or not in the spring. :D :D :D

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Bring her to MD for the winter ... I'll let you know if she's a female or not in the spring. :D :D :D

-adam

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You're such a big help. :neener: Hey if I can get my butt back home, I'm bringing her to you, but you don't get to keep her!! :P

(my husband is feeling so left out after I explained what I was doing this afternoon. :devilish: )