question

[Bencb3]

i think i know what herping is, that is when u give herpies to others, j/k i think it is when u go out and search for snakes and such, but what do the 1.2 and the other #s stand for? im just curious

[Invictus]

That's the ratio of male to female. So for example, I have 2.1 Corn Snakes, meaning 2 males, 1 female. If you see 2.1.1 or something like that, the third number means unsexed or unknown.

[Bencb3]

how do u tell if it is male or female, i might need to know this if the pet store owner doesnt, he mentioned probing, um i guess that is what u do to tell

[Zoe]

Well, for a snake you can probe. This means inserting a thin metal probe into the vent, towards the tail. Depending on how deep the probe goes, the snake is male or female.
You can also pop, but this gets harder with older, stronger snakes.
You can also just compare tail lengths. Males will have longer tails and females, short. In some species males will have 2 veryprominent spurs and females will have very small ones.

Zoe

[Zoe]

And most lizards are sexually dimorphic. Males will have different colours, bigger heads, are bigger, will have 2 hemipenal bulges.

Zoe

[Smilts]

when you compare tails is it always accurate, or is probing the best

[Smilts]

oh what do you mean by you can just pop

[Bencb3]

maybe u can pop the genitailia out, if it is amale somthing comes out, if it is a girl nothing comes out, i am such a n00b

[Zoe]

when you compare tails is it always accurate
Tail lengths arent always accurate, and its even harder when you've only got one snake to look at, or havent seen many snakes' tails. Even if you have seen a lot, it isn't 100% accurate.

Yes, when you pop, you push the hemipenes out of the cloaca so they evert. Don't do it by yourself, though, you could injur the animal.

Zoe

[Mike177]

you can pop the little hemi-penises out and they you know if it is a boy but i am not to good at that

[SCReptiles]

It’s been my experience that tail length is about 80% accurate and perhaps higher when comparing two tails of equal length snakes. If you are planning to seriously pursue this hobby, then you will need a set of probes, but you will want an experienced herper to show you how to use them. It is not very difficult to injure a female snake while probing.

[Bencb3]

ok then, im only 14 here, i dont have a snake prod thing, that u pick them up with, what is the best way of examingit, i cought one wonce but it bit me, luckily it was a corn snake but it got away, im not that stupid as to copy steve irwin, or maybe i should, but should i like distract it with my book bag and then grab it right behind the head? im so scared right now, i want my mommy, j/k, thax for the help

[Jayson]

When herping you need to relax a little.
First step is to be aware of what is in your area for native herps so you know what you are looking for
Second step get yourself a snake hook.
If you seriously would like to pursue herping and finding out if you have a male or a female watch listen and learn from somebody who has experience with probing. It is one thing to read it on here and another to see it done.
It is a very uncomfortable experience for the snake and if you do it wrong you can render the snake infertile. As well as the probe kit lubrication is needed as well eg Ky jelly or mineral oil.
Christina
(I did not take the time to login under me was browsing under hubby)

[snkmn]

how would you sex a ball python without probeing it?

[snkmn]

please anser quickly somebody, i would relly like to know wether to call it a he or a she, i have a boy dog and a boy chinchilla so i have been calling it a he out of habbit but if i know if it is a he or a she i will brake the habbit, for my snake

[reptiledude21]

hey ben, if you grab a snake by the neck your pry gonna piss it off i suggest you leave it alone because once you let go of that thing at its neck you better have you good reflexes.

[snakehunter]

it all comes with experience, i used to get bit all the time, but now i catch 4-6 foot blacks, and northerns w/o a scratch, my last bite was my fault (OBVIOUSLY), i though the snake was calmed down, then i turned my head, and whack right on my nose, bled like crazy.