sexing

[cjice]

Im not interested in breeding so maybe this is the wrong forum but Im wondering about popping in order to determine the sex of my bp. Ive read some info and looked at pics of males. I dont really want to know bad enough to have "him?" probed...Does anyone or can anyone show a pic of both to see the differences? I would like to try to "pop" myself but I need to know how difficult it is. Is this something only a pro should do? Like I said, Im not breeding, just curious....So if it is something I cant learn to do myself, Ill keep wondering. What do ya think?

[mykee]

If your male is over 6 mos. it might be close to impossible for you to successfully 'pop' your male. By that age, they usually have enough muscle control of their 'nether-regions' to stymy a 'pop'. (Sidenote; I recently attemped to check my 900g, 14 month old male pastel forr sperm plugs, and out pop two perfectly good hemipenes). If your bp is younger, you can give it a shot. Simply hold him/her upside down, with the vent area facing up to the ceiling. Two pointer fingers supporting the under side, while your two thumbs pres firmly but not too tight about an inch from the vent. push the thumb nearest the tail end towards the vent with enough pressure to evert the hemipenes. If you've got a boy with no control, and you've got good technique, then you'll see what looks like two snail antennas pop up on either side of the vent, or at the very least, a discolouration of the 'mush' on either side (a darker red or purple). If you see a uniform colour and mass, chances are you've got a girl. If you are in the least bit concerned about injuring your snake, or are not sure of your skill level, best leave it to someone who's done it before. Good luck.

[cjice]

Well, I held my snake in the "popping" position and just put some slight pressure on the area to see if it bothered him at all. He didnt seem to even care, although it appeared to stimulate the area a bit. The little spurs are very noticable but either I didnt push hard enough or its a girl. Im not going to try again until I have a comparison to know exactly what Im looking for. Would a female emit an odor or any fluid? Also, this might be a long shot but, my dig cam has one of those 60 second video clip modes. Is there any way to post a clip instead of a picture? I found lots of pics of male "privates" on the web but no female pics. Does anyone know where I can find a female popping pic?

[BoidKeeper]

Would a female emit an odor or any fluid?
I had a female ball musk once. It was a brown colour.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Will]

Why not have him probed...?

[cjice]

I have no idea where I would begin to look for someone who knows how. Do all vets automatically know how to do it?

[cjice]

I just went through the vets in my area and no one deals with probing snakes. The only place I found was a pet store...Do I trust that he knows what he is doing?

[mykee]

With vets, you have to be VERY selective. Most don't know a cloaca from their own a$$.

[Will]

If they know what they are doing it takes 30 seconds and is perfectly safe. Ask them to do it on one of their animals first. Also, MAKE SURE they sterilize the probe before they put it anywhere near your snake.

Another option is to track down a local reptile society. They usually have meetings on a regular basis, email a few people involved and find out if someone there can probe him for you and arrange to meet them at the meeting with your BP. I noticed you are in New York, there is likely at least one 'local' society around, although I hear NY is a fairly big place... ;)

EDIT:
Here's a link I found on google for the New York Herpetological Society. (http://www.nyhs.org/)

[cjice]

Actually, I was in NY, now Im in Michigan (wishing I was still in NY..lol)...Anyways, this guy at the pet store said its perfectly safe and he has done it hundreds of times..I tend to be a "nervous nellie" when it comes to my pets or my kids. Maybe Im being paranoid but I have a very healthy, friendly snake that I dont want to risk injury to just to satisfy my curiosity. I will look into a reptile society, though. Thanks for the suggestion.