Sexing by tails

[Linds]

Being mainly a boid girl, I don't have a great deal of experience sexing colubrids, and absolutely no experience visually sexing them. From what I understand, females have shorter tails the taper off after the vent, and male have longer tails that are thicker near the vent, but since I don't really have much to compare with since I'm a total newbie at this, I was hoping I could have some opinions. She is supposed to be a female, she's large enough to safely probe now so I will as soon as I have a second set of hands. I'd like to learn all about this sexing by tail thing though :)

<img src="http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/509/22rockettail.jpg">

[Stockwell]

It's a girl! Nice Campbelli

[ReptiZone]

Tail sexing is realy back yard method of doing it but if you hace a good eye it is the best way to ball park it when probs are not available.

for the first 2 years of My herping that is how I was sexing colubrids. And I sexed alot of them like that cause I was voluntering at 3 difrent pet stores cleanig cages, sexing and posting the Snakes ID and local I was proven wrong I think 10-15 times in 2 years Then I started using probs.

As for the tail traits
Males have long slender pointed tails.
Females have short bulky and at first glance rounded Tail tips.

If you have like 10 you can identify a male 100%.
Normaly as sick as this may sound I take the one with the longest tail a piss it off a bit till it musks on me a good portion of the time you will see the hemy penises if it is a young snake.

As I said B4 it is realy a back yard method

Oh ya that realy does look like a female a good 65 %

[Stockwell]

Backyard method? what does that mean.?lol
It's an acquired skill and like any skill practice makes perfect, but errors can still occur.
The tip of the tail has nothing to do with gender.

Males have longer tails with a slow more gradual taper, but they are thicker at the cloaca, and if cut off an weighed they would have greater mass.. They have to be because the tail contains the 2 hemipenes and associated launching muscle mechanisms.(they fire like rockets)

Females generally have a shorter thinner tail, that tapers off quicker after the cloaca. Often there is noticable sudden "dip" right after the vent.
If you have a few to compare it's fairly easy.
The more you inspect closely over the years/decades, the better you'll get at it.
But I agree it isn't fool proof with only one specimen and no yardstick to measure against.

I've seen people that can't probe too. I've even seen people insert the probe in the wrong direction...Most of those are declared males that probably dind't need enemas LOL

[Vanan]

I do have to agree that sexing visually isn't a good method.EVen if you have a trained eye. I've seen snakes which you would have sworn were males turn out to be femmes. I have a female hog which looks like a male too! I haven't seen otherwise yet but I did read on the Love's site (or book, can't remember now) that this was possible too. I think this might have to do with the fact that snakes tend to store fat towards the tail area and especially around the cloaca. This may cause the cloacal area to look plumper and for you to assume that its hemipenes you're looking at.

But that being said, Linds your purdy purdy pueb looks girlish. But like what ReptiZone said, a good 65% (or 75%) only.

P.S. The tip of the tail doesn't have anything to do with it, as Roy mentioned.

[Linds]

Thanks for the input everyone :) Well she is indeed a she as she probed only two subcauduals.

Originally posted by Stockwell
I've even seen people insert the probe in the wrong direction...Most of those are declared males that probably dind't need enemas LOL

:eek: