How do I tell the sex of my Ball Python?

[Bellabob]

The pet store told me it was a girl, but for some reason, the guy didn't seem very trustworthy. So I decided to find out for myself. I don't know to to rpobe or pop snakes so I'm going to have to go with external features.

The snake is 2 years old (from what the petstore told me) and is about 2 and a half feet long. I have been feeding her once every week or so. I feed her small rats. The girth is 3 to 3 and half inches. I have had her for one year in August.

I know from what books have told me about colubrids is that female colubrids typically have more subcaudal scales than the males. Does this go for Ball Pythons too? The cloacal spurs on the snake is pretty small, btu I knwo this isn't a very realiable way. Whats the most realible way to determine the sex without probing or poping?

Please, I need to know what sex it is. Thanks!

[coldbloodaddict]

The only way to know the sex is have it probed or popped.

[iCandiBallPythons]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMqN4...eature=related

[Adam Chandler]

The only way to know the sex is have it probed or popped.

+1
Unfortunately the only way to know the sex is to probe or pop.

[Jeo123]

The problem with external features is that unless you have a known snake of the opposite sex, you won't be able to compare really.

The things like slightly smaller head or stubbier tails are a)not very definitive and b) meaningless unless you can sit there and compare directly.

It's like trying to figure out the sex of a baby without looking. Yeah, you might be able to go on hair length, but if you didn't have another baby that you knew was male or was female, how would you know what long was? And even then, maybe the boy's hair just grew faster.

Just have your vet probe the next time you go in. An occassional check up isn't a bad thing.