how do i sex my corn snake?

slithermama · 03-15-12, 10:51 AM

i was just wondering if the same rule applies as sexing a ball python?

youngster · 03-15-12, 10:52 AM

Ultimately yeah it's the same. Corns don't have spurs though.

Are you experienced though? If done improperly it can hurt the snake, I wouldn't trust myself to do it

alessia55 · 03-15-12, 10:54 AM

Popping or probing are two ways to sex a snake. It's best done by someone who already has experience doing it.

slithermama · 03-15-12, 11:07 AM

yes i have some experience in this since i had to sex my ball pythons which when i got them were the opposite sex from what they were given to me as lol. I just wanted to make sure i was gonna do it right , since my corn is alot different size wise than my balls. ( that doesn't sound right lmao)

Will0W783 · 03-15-12, 12:34 PM

Corn snakes, being colubrids, don't have spurs to tell the genders apart. The spurs are an evolutionary holdover from when the ancestors had legs. Booid species (boas and pythons) still have the remnants of a pelvic girdle in their skeleton and retain the last vestiges of leg bones, which is what the spurs actually are.

Colubrid snakes are further along the evolutionary trail than booids, so they do not have spurs.
However, there are tail differences- male colubrids tend to have a "bulge" below the cloaca where they store their man goodies, and the tail will sharply narrow after this bulge. Females tend to have a long, smoothly tapering tail.
However, the only really solid way of sexing them is via probing, which should only be done by a professional if you are not experienced. You can have a vet show you how to do it during an office visit.

mykee · 03-15-12, 04:41 PM

I pop everything from hatchling BP's right up to 3500g adults. I find it far less intrusive and less dangerous than probing.

Trollbie · 03-15-12, 05:13 PM

Probing looks terrifying!

Gungirl · 03-15-12, 05:18 PM

I really need to find someone that I trust to teach me how to pop my snakes... I want to verify what I have been sold. I just don't trust myself to pop them. I have never done it and I don't feel like learning how to do it online is safe..

Trollbie · 03-15-12, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gungirl

I really need to find someone that I trust to teach me how to pop my snakes... I want to verify what I have been sold. I just don't trust myself to pop them. I have never done it and I don't feel like learning how to do it online is safe..

They make it look too easy online...

Gungirl · 03-15-12, 05:30 PM

I have been told more than a few times that I don't know my own strength. My luck I would use to much force and hurt them

kernel · 03-19-12, 04:45 PM

For hatchling and juveniles, popping is the preferred method, for adults, probing is preferred. I don't recommend trying it if you don't have any experience though.