How to sex an Adult Columbian RedTail??

[swiftskater1]

Hey guys, So someone gave me an 8ft Redtail Boa. I would like to know what the gender is but i dont know how to sex a snake thats 8ft long. Can probing be done on such a big snake?


Thanks, Chris.

[Shmoges]

Probe it, I recommend getting the ones with the balls on the end. Probing is better on large snakes imo. Don't forget to lube the probe as well.

[millertime89]

I've been witness to a 10 foot retic getting popped, hang on, lemme find the video (that I took :D)

[millertime89]

here it is
Popping a Retic - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yik3wRC0DE&feature=youtu.be)

[Gungirl]

Don't pop it or probe it unless you know what you are doing. Just because it CAN be done does not mean it SHOULD be done.

[millertime89]

Don't pop it or probe it unless you know what you are doing. Just because it CAN be done does not mean it SHOULD be done.

best
advice
ever

[Shmoges]

I was assuming he knew how but was hesitant on a large snake.

[Shmoges]

here it is
Popping a Retic - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yik3wRC0DE&feature=youtu.be)

I hate how easy they make it look....

[millertime89]

Travis is a pro, he showed me on a couple smaller ones, then he pulled out the 10 footer and made it look so freaking easy, not even fair. I need to go back and have him walk me through it sometime.

[Shmoges]

I can't even do it on baby corns i have to have my wife do it :D

[red_tail_ale]

DON'T try to buy a boa from a breeder who doesn't know the gender.
As a snake owner, you're not really required to know the gender of your snake. It's a good idea, sure, but gender with snakes only seems to matter when it comes to breeding.

A breeder, on the other hand, should know the gender of the snake. If somebody gave you the snake and you show no intentions of dual housing or breeder, don't stress it.
But if you are, get a hold of a veterinarian or a breeder. Sexing a snake is far more uncomfortable to them than shedding- you should only do it if necessary!

The breeder I purchased my RTB from was a bit in over her head, but she did know a thing or two about sexing. She sexed my snake while I was browsing, and I learned it was a female. But now, I don't find it necessary to sex her ever again.

[KORBIN5895]

I was told by a very knowledgeable person on here that a sexually mature male has a bump directly behind the vent.

[Snakeboy0615]

there was a secret that a breeder taught me idk if its fully reliable but it has worked for me. measure the distance from the poop shoot to the end of the tail normally the famales distance is longer than the males you can also tell by the wideness of the snake makes should be fatter and shoul d be a good length and females should be fat but not to fat kinda like having meat on the bone basically and they should be long like i said this is what a breeder once told me idk if its 100% reliable but it helped me with my snake he is a male and is fat not that big tho only about 3 feet but best of luck with that probing i hoped i saved you money and gave you some advice

[Brazen17]

Most male rt's top out at 6-8 ft but there are always exceptions. How old is your snake? If relatively young it is probably going to get bigger and is most likely a female. My redtail is about 5 years old now and 75 inches so most likely a male. If I ever need to take it to the vet I will let them sex it for me.

[homocapra]

Don't pop it or probe it unless you know what you are doing. Just because it CAN be done does not mean it SHOULD be done.

Yeah, I like that it took a woman to say whoa slow down there with the go ahead and probe it talk. Us ladies know first hand that probing isn't always pleasant :)

[millertime89]

there was a secret that a breeder taught me idk if its fully reliable but it has worked for me. measure the distance from the poop shoot to the end of the tail normally the famales distance is longer than the males you can also tell by the wideness of the snake makes should be fatter and shoul d be a good length and females should be fat but not to fat kinda like having meat on the bone basically and they should be long like i said this is what a breeder once told me idk if its 100% reliable but it helped me with my snake he is a male and is fat not that big tho only about 3 feet but best of luck with that probing i hoped i saved you money and gave you some advice

Think about it, longer snakes are going to have a greater distance between their "poop shoot" (Lol, awesome name for it) and the tip of their tale. Diet can greatly effect the body size of a snake. While I've heard this before, I don't think its reliable at all. Either find a professional breeder that can show you how to probe or pop or learn. I recommend you find someone who can show you.

[Aaron_S]

... If somebody gave you the snake and you show no intentions of dual housing...

You should never do this regardless of sex or intentions of breeding. Solitary animals should be left to be solitary.