Is My Pet Snake Is A Girl or A Boy?

Determining whether your pet snake is a boy or a girl is a little trickier than observing their behavior or appearance. If you've been curious, but you're not sure how to find out, these techniques will help.

Check Out The Snake's Tail

Although knowing the sex of your snake isn't always necessary, it's an important thing to know if you are breeding or planning to keep two snakes in the same apparatus. One of the easiest ways to determine your snake's sex is to notice the shape of its tail.

While not always accurate with every snake species, the tail of a male snake will taper much more quickly than a female snake's tail. If your snake's tail suddenly tapers from a wider section, there's a good chance it's a male. The tail of a female snake will taper more gradually.

Try The Probing Technique

The opening where urine, reproductive materials, and feces are expelled from your snake is called the cloaca. When the probing technique is performed, an instrument called a snake probe is inserted into the opening. Probing kits can be purchased from a pet supply store, but if you're not comfortable enough handling your snake to perform the probing procedure, your vet will be happy to assist you.  As a rule of thumb, the probe will be able to be inserted into a male snake at least 8 scales deep. For female snakes, the insertion will measure around 3 scales in length.

Pop The Hemipenes

Popping the hemipenes is generally not the most preferable way to determine your pet snake's sex. If it's performed incorrectly, the snake could undergo trauma. However, the procedure is much less frightening than it sounds. Only male snakes have hemipenes (a pair of sex organs), and gently applying pressure to the vent below the reproductive opening should temporarily force the snake's penis to prolapse long enough for you to see it.

Often performed by a professional snake handler or a veterinarian, this method of determining your snake's sex is a little trickier than the others. Without the help of an experienced herpetologist, it can be difficult to determine whether the snake is female or the procedure has been executed incorrectly.