Probed my snakes for the first time and im pissed.

[Riv]

So I got my probing kit in today(8 piece set with balled tips from LLL reptiles). Just for the record, I decided to teach myself how to probe after doing extensive research. I know it isnt the same as having someone teach you, but with extreme caution I proceded. Heres a link to my last thread explaining why I chose to self teach. Heres a Link to the last thread, explaining why I opted to self teach.

Ive popped my two females before I bought them from the pet store, and My spider was sold to me as a male, and my burm as a female. They were a little too large for me to condifently pop, so I never did.

I started practicing on my smallest female normal. I used vaseline as the lubricant(as was recommended by Kobylka in his pro tip video) and stopped when I felt the least bit of resistance. Just as expected, it only went up 3 scales. Just to get a better feel for it, I did the other side of the cloaca, and probed her a few more times before putting her back. She was acting perfectly normal and appeared to be in no pain. It went very smoothly. So I moved up to my other female normal, and came to the conclusion that she was female. It went in only 3 scales.

Now my spider on the other hand, is far larger then my normals, and was a little trickier. He tried to squirm more than they did, but once I finally got him to sit still, I managed to probe him too. It has been my understanding that females will take a probe a distance of 1-3 scales and males will take a probe between 8-9 scales. I measured 4-5 when I probed him, and that falls above the female range but below the male range. Now it is theoreticly possible that I didnt make it all the way up, but I felt resistance, and I know that wasnt the middle of the cloaca barrier. I was scared to push harder because the last thing I want to do it her him, and im fairly confident he is a girl, with a deep cloaca, as when I popped him afterward I saw no trace of hemepenes, even a little. Im so mad! Now I have to get him up to female breeding weight, and get a male pinstripe to sire my spider and pastel next season. That means I have to drop another $200 and quarentine another snake ASAP if I want everyone to be healthy and ready in time.

Anyway, I attempted to probe my burm as well, but shes much bigger and stronger than my balls, and I couldnt even mange to get the probe into her cloaca whatsoever. I may just have to let time and size tell on that one XDD

[joebad976]

whew...thought you were going to say something really bad happened

[Mike41793]

So you got a female for the price of a male? I see no problem with this picture haha.

[Kinra]

I'm sorry your spider didn't prob out how you wanted. Did you try both sides? I don't prob my snakes, I can pop them up to about 400g and after that I get sperm plugs but I don't see signs of the hemipenes. I wouldn't give up hope on your spider being male just yet, especially if you got it from a reputable breeder. I would try to get a second opinion before running out and buying another male. Males will also breed much smaller than females so you have time. I started breeding my male enchi at 450g, you just need to be careful breeding the smaller guys. Or you could buy a proven breeder male if you have to get another male.

[4Ballz]

....is $200 really a lot of money for you? (not sure why it would totally make you this mad).

[chet1028]

But you got a female spider for the price of a male so that is good, right? You could easily sell her and replace her with a male and have money left over. Or am I missing something?

[Zombie]

I wouldn't call 5 scales a female. Female BPs rarely go over 3 scales. If I probed a 5 scale on a snake I would be thinking male. I hate when its in between like that, but females are generally 2-3 scales and males are 5+. Ive probed males at 4 as well. Also, if the male was clinching it would read less scales. I'd be pretty confident you got a male. This is my personal experience...

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[gsarchie]

Some of you seem to feel like it isn't a big deal, however I can completely sympathize with the OP. When you buy snakes specifically for breeding and you find out later on that they are sexed incorrectly, especially when you are only a few months away from pairing, it is completely natural that you would be pissed. Some have said that it is good as he got a female for the price of a male, but with spiders the prices are separated by at most $50-$100, and if you have no need for a female spider then you have no need for a female spider! To the OP, I would try probing again or probing the other side and seeing what you get. I hope this turns out well for you but if not maybe you can fit a female spider into your breeding plans.

[snake8myelbo]

I wouldn't call 5 scales a female. Female BPs rarely go over 3 scales. If I probed a 5 scale on a snake I would be thinking male. I hate when its in between like that, but females are generally 2-3 scales and males are 5+. Ive probed males at 4 as well. Also, if the male was clinching it would read less scales. I'd be pretty confident you got a male. This is my personal experience...

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I agree with the above! I probed a spider someone was selling at 5 scales and it was supposed to be female so I passed!

[snakesRkewl]

I wouldn't call 5 scales a female. Female BPs rarely go over 3 scales. If I probed a 5 scale on a snake I would be thinking male. I hate when its in between like that, but females are generally 2-3 scales and males are 5+. Ive probed males at 4 as well. Also, if the male was clinching it would read less scales. I'd be pretty confident you got a male. This is my personal experience...

I agree.
I don't probe any snakes though, I like to know for 100% what a snake is, and imo the only way to know for a fact is to pop those organs out.
It takes time to learn pop a larger male but it's not that difficult done correctly.