Hard to pop males...?

[BaierBalls]

I would like for some of the more experienced breeders/ "poppers" to chime in on this who have popped many snakes.

I have never had much trouble popping ball pythons to sex them and have gotten better and better at it over time.

However I have a male in my collection now that I have never been able to pop and get both hemipenes exposed or even fully expose one. I can see just enough of a red bulge to confirm that he is male, but starting to wonder if there could be a problem with his hemipenes?

He is over 600 grams now and about 7-8 months old. I have had him since he was 100 grams and have never really been able to get a clear shot of his hemipines. Could that mean a problem?

Or are some males just harder to pop, or look different, than others? I have popped males from hatchlings to adults and not had this problem before. Starting to wonder, as he is very important to my breeding plans for next season.

[SlitherinSisters]

Have you tried breeding him and had issues or are you just working yourself up? I have a male that I have troubles getting the hemipenes out of. I can get sperm plugs out, but never anything more than the red bulge you describe. He has sired several clutches so it's not an issue for him. I really don't worry about getting them all the way out unless I'm seriously questioning the sex.

[MarkS]

I never pop adult males. I always probe them. Yes I know you can probe adults and many big names in the business do it, but I think it takes too much force to get many adults to evert their hemipenes so probing is less likely to cause damage.

[BaierBalls]

No, I haven't tried breeding him yet.

[4theSNAKElady]

Its cuz he says you aint lookin at HIS stuff!!!