What do YOU mean by lock up?

[Katt]

Ryan (SCALES) and I were discussing the term lock up and we decided to see how other people use this term. My understanding is that lock up means hemipenal penetration. However, Ryan has heard that some use this term to mean the intertwining of tails during courtship without actual penetration. I think that to use lock up for just the intertwining is misuse, as the snakes can very easily move away from each other, but when the male has penetrated the female, he is truly stuck with her.

[Scales Zoo]

And I also said that most people don't actually see the hemipenes, but call lock up when they see the tails "intertwined in just that special way, for hours."

Most people don't disturb the snakes when breeding to look to make sure they see hemipenile penetration, and just assume it, rather than molesting the snakes to see hemipenes and risk stopping the breeding.

Ryan

[BoidKeeper]

To me it means penetration with full hemipen insurtion. Pythons lock up, boas don't. Boas just insert the tip where pythons insert the whole thing, therefore locked up.
Cheers,
Trevor

[mykee]

If I see the intertwining of tails, I won't call it anything unless I see it for an extended period of time. Once the 'courtship' has ocurred for a respectable amount of time, I will call it a lock-up.

[marisa]

I am with Mykee...if the snakes have the tails together for a long time and its really obvious that full breeding is taking place, its lock up. Other attempts I just call "He tried" LOL

Marisa

[Katt]

See, I've been fooled by tails intertwined for hours. My goini kings would be intertwined for hours, but there would be no penetration, so I wouldn't call it lock up, just courtship. Perhaps they just got tired.

So Mykee and Marisa, you're assuming that penetration has occured and that's why you say lock up, correct? Just tails intertwined is not lock up.

[marisa]

No, that's why I said if its obvious full breeding is taking place....i.e. if i notice they have tails twined for awhile, then get a good look and see actual penetration, then its locked up.

I would not say snakes twisted around each other is locked up. That doesn't make sense. Locked up means male is IN "locked" in the female to me. You could toss it back and forth all day if a snake is actually inside another one. It's all a guess unless I SEE penetration.

Marisa

[vanderkm]

For me with our colubrids it is when I have lifted the tails and confirmed there is full penetration. So far none have 'unlocked' as a result of a gentle lift. I was very nearly fooled by a pair that remained twined for hours, male showed the twitching of ejaculation and I observed the hemipene everted, only to find that when I did check them, he had not locked up at all. Female laid slugs - confirming for me that from now on they are fully confirmed by lifting tails before I am confident they have bred.

mary v.