sex of my ballpython

[mr_red]

am new to this am trying to find out how i can tell the sex of my ballpython?

[JamminJonah]

Well the only way to tell for sure is to have the snake proved by a vet. There are other ways to guess like tail length or "popping" but popping can be harmful for the snake and tail length is just this side of superstition so the only way to know absolutely is probing by a vet. Hope this helps and welcome! Hope to see you around here! Feel free to ask anything!
- Jonah

[Eddie_Z]

the ONLY safe & SURE way to determine the sex of your Ball Python is to take them to a vet & have them probed. There are some places where you can find info on how to do it yourself but if you make even a slight mistake, you can do serious damage. There is also a way to get a good idea by looking at the tail, but that is not sure fire either. When my vet looked at my BP's tail, he thought for sure it was a male. Once he probed tho, he realized it was indeed a female! Good luck & welcome to the greatest snake forum in the world!!

[Wizill]

only consider popping if your snake is a hatchling.

[Marla]

Actually, it is not necessary to take the snake to a vet and may not be the best plan if the vet isn't very knowledgeable about snakes because the probing can injure the snake. Either find a reputable herp vet and get her/him to probe the snake, or find a long-time hobbyist or breeder with her/his own set of probes to do it. If you don't know anyone who is either of those, contact the nearest herp society or reptile rescue and they should be able to hook you up.

[JLC]

Very good point, Marla! "DVM" after one's name does not mean they know how to safely probe a snake.

[mr_red]

ty all for the info. :wink:

[Marla]

You're welcome! By the way, if you're not going to breed your snake, you may just want to use the tail-comparison photos in the Ball Python Manual to make an educated guess as to its sex.