Need help determining the sex of an adult BP

[Eden]

Hello all!

I'm currently attempting to determine the sex of my adult ball python "Oliver". He is a rescue that I have had for around three years and just never worried about sexing him. I recently got a probing kit and thought "Hey, why not?". He is 2100+g and was an adult when I received him in 2010. His previous owner believed that he was a male and around five at the time though when she got him he was also an adult. Anyway, below is the picture of how far the probe went. Just kinda curious to see if Oliver is male, thank you for any help! :-)

[sho220]

Hmmm...looks kinda borderline to me. Does the other side probe the same depth?

[Eden]

I tried the other side ofter I had done the first side and I couldn't get it in very far, and I didn't want to try to be anything other then gentle when messing with the "sensitive bits". It didn't go as far as that image shows but I think he was really tensing at that point, so I just stopped and put him back home. I can try again later if that would help?

[sho220]

I would give him some time to chill and try again. I would also try one size down on the probe.

[Eden]

Ok! How long do you think? Later tonight or tomorrow? I really don't want to stress him out over this, as this is really just my curiosity. And thank you for the probe suggestion! I just went with the size I saw on a video that they were using for adults, so any advice is welcome!

[sho220]

Ok! How long do you think? Later tonight or tomorrow? I really don't want to stress him out over this, as this is really just my curiosity. And thank you for the probe suggestion! I just went with the size I saw on a video that they were using for adults, so any advice is welcome!

I would just wait until tomorrow and try again. Lube the probe up, and kind of spin it between your fingers as it's going in...and don't put too much pressure if it stops...

[Eden]

Wonderful! I shall try again tomorrow. I have been using water as lube and using the "twirling" motion to slowly put it in and then stopped immediately when I felt any sort of resistance.

[sho220]

Wonderful! I shall try again tomorrow. I have been using water as lube and using the "twirling" motion to slowly put it in and then stopped immediately when I felt any sort of resistance.

I've used water also and it seems to work fine. I'm more of a popper, but taught myself how to probe as a double-check and to check adults as they're harder to pop...

Let us know how it goes.

[sho220]

By the way...love your avatar pic...wish I was there right now...

[Eden]

I've used water also and it seems to work fine. I'm more of a popper, but taught myself how to probe as a double-check and to check adults as they're harder to pop...

Let us know how it goes.

I tried popping a couple times, but I never press hard enough for anything to say hello. I know I'm not pushing hard enough but I just can't make myself do it, so I got the probing kit instead. It seemed safer for me since I'm not near anyone who can show/teach me in person.

By the way...love your avatar pic...wish I was there right now...

Thank you! That was back in my home town in SoCal. We lived right off the California Poppy Reserve so once a year, if we had enough rainfall, the mountains would explode in blinding orange.