Sexing Snakes
By Chris Jones
Director of PetClub UK Ltd.
The correct identification of the sex of your snakes will play a
key role if you wish to breed them. An experienced keeper will have
more of an idea on what exactly to look for when determining the sex,
however with the help of photographs I aim to give you a good idea
on how to do this yourself.
Visual Identification
The first method is to visually see a difference in tail size and
structure. Males have two hemipenes which are stored next to each
other at the base of the tail. Each hemipene is tucked into its own
'pocket'. The effect of this is quite simple, it makes the tail appear
fatter for a longer distance, generally making the overall tail length
longer also. A female's tail narrows right from the base, making it
almost 'carrot' shaped. The exact shape and length varies from species
to species, but generally, the male has a longer tail.
Corn Snake - Female tail above, male tail below. Notice
the male has a thicker and longer tail in comparison to the female.
Both snakes are the same size and age.
Bulgarian Sand Boa - Female tail above, male below.
In many boa constrictors, the females are larger and so their tails
are thicker. However, a male considerably shorter than the female
may have a longer tail.
Some species of snake are even easier to identify the sex. In some
boas and pythons, males have prominent 'spurs' either side of their
cloaca. This however, is not a guaranteed method in many species,
as females too have spurs.
Probing
The second method is by use of a probe. A small, rounded metal rod
can be inserted into the tail through the cloaca into the two 'pockets'
either side of the base of the tail. The probe will penetrate farther
into the male, whereas the female will only probe just a few scale
lengths. This method should be carried out only by experienced keepers;
it is a dangerous task if wrongly executed. Minimal force is needed
for the probe to penetrate, yet it is a known mistake for people to
apply too much pressure, resulting in the rupture of a female's scent
glands. A lubricant must be used on the probe, Vaseline or KY Jelly
are common substances to be used in this manner.
Here the probe is inserted into the scent glands of
a female corn snake.
Image to show how far the probe was inserted in relation
to the tail length of a female corn snake.
Here the probe is inserted into the hemipenal 'pocket'
of a male corn snake.
Image to show how deep the probe penetrated the male's
hemipenal 'pocket'.
click for full size
Popping
The third method can be used on juvenile snakes. It is referred to as
'popping', which involves manually manipulating the hemipenes out of
the male snake, while a female will slightly evert her scent glands.
This method works better with younger snakes, directly after hatching
is the time to obtain best results. At this age, the snake has not developed
much muscle tone, making it relatively easy to force the hemipenes from
the pockets.
Above Picture: Author 'popping' a male juvenile corn
snake. The hemipenes are clearly visible.
If you are right handed, with your left hand, hold the
body of the snake upside down in such a manner that the cloaca is held
above the level of the rest of the body. With your right hand, pull
the tail downwards slightly, and have your thumb resting approximately
2cm away from the cloaca. Gently roll and push your thumb down and across
towards the cloaca, while at the same time bringing the tail upwards.
This whole process sounds very complicated on paper, but it's fairly
easy once you get the hang of it. It is highly recommend that you to
learn this method from an experienced keeper, in person, before trying
it yourself.
For a video aids:
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| Popping |
Probing |
The infomation on this page,
along with Special Thanks,
belong to Kathy Love and CornUtopia
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