There are several old wives tales going around about how to determine what sex your pet snake is. In this article we will lay those myths about snakes to rest and explain how to accurately determine gender.
- Snake gender myth 1: Vestigial legs
- Some people claim that the gender of a snake can be determined by looking for vestigial legs. If they are clearly visible with the naked eye then the snake is male. If hidden then the snake is female. This is not true as many species of snake don’t even have vestigial legs at all!
- Snake gender myth 2: Length of the tail
- This is more like a half myth as there as some species, such as corn snakes, where the size of the tail can give a pretty good idea of gender but by no means is it considered to be fool-proof. Female snakes are said to have longer, thinner tails than the males.
Accurate methods
- Popping
- This method is best done on juvenile snakes. In the video below, Kathy Love shows how to properly pop a snake.
This is generally a safe method to check the sex of your snake, but it has been known to cause a condition known as prolapse. - Probing
- This method is often considered the most accurate and is best done by a vet or when you’ve been properly trained by an expert in how to do it. Because you are inserting something inside of your snake’s body it can do damage if you are not careful!
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