How To Tell Your Ball Python Gender

If you’re curious about determining the gender of your ball python, you’ve come to the right place. Even though male and female ball pythons often look alike and their reproductive organs are typically hidden, certain techniques such as probing, popping, or using an ultrasound can help you ascertain their gender.

It’s worth noting that while males are generally smaller, this isn’t a surefire way to identify your ball python’s gender as size can vary. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to tell your ball python’s gender with greater accuracy.

Size

Within the same age range, females are generally larger than males. This is an easy way to guess the sex or gender of the ball python. This method requires that you know the age of the ball python and is more accurate if the pet is mature. The ages for maturity are 16 to 18 months in males and 27 to 31 months in females. As such, this method is best if the reptile is above the age of 31 months.

Females reach an average adult length of 3 to 5 ft while males reach an average adult length of 2 to 3 ft. Females are also generally thicker than males. Females generally have longer jaws as well.

Probing

Materials Needed

• Snake probe set such as REPTI ZOO Snake Probe Kit

Probing Process

Probing involves inserting a metal rod into the cloacal vent of the snake. In males, the snake probe goes further than in females. The presence of hemipenes on both sides of the vent in males means that the probe penetrates deeper as the probe moves into one of the pouches that house the hemipenes (the hemipenes go towards the tip of the tail).

With females, the probe doesn’t go that far into the vent as there is no space there since they lack hemipenes. The only spaces available are the small scent gland spaces.

Start by choosing the right-sized probe. The probes come in a set. An example is the REPTI ZOO Snake Probe Kit. These work great and are affordableThe probe is first lubricated using a water-based lubricant and gently pushed into the vent in the direction of the tail. In males, the probe slides into a pouch created by one of the hemipenes.

Push the probe until it cannot go any further. Use your finger to mark where how deep the probe goes and withdraw the probe. Now you can measure the depth of the vent. For adult males, this depth should be 7 to 9 subcaudals (abdominal flakes). For adult females, this depth should be 3 to 5 subcaudals (abdominal flakes).

When done properly, probing should not harm your snake. If done incorrectly, it can lead to irreparable damages. It can even damage your snake’s reproductive organs. The damages come from applying too much force when inserting the probe.

You can easily outsource the probing process to a herp veterinarian or an experienced breeder.

Popping the hemipenes

Another way to determine the sex of a ball python is to pop the hemipenes. Popping the hemipenes in neonates and juveniles is easier than in adults. 

For adults, popping the hemipenes isn’t a reliable way to determine the sex of the reptile. Adult males can stop the hemipenes from coming out with their strong muscular tails. As a result, you can wrongly assume that the snake is a female when it isn’t. If the ball python is above 6 months, it is more reliable to probe. 

As previously mentioned, popping the hemipenes in neonates and juveniles is a lot easier and a much more reliable way to tell the sex of the reptile. It is extremely accurate. Regardless of this, the act can be stressful for the snake and even cause harm if too much pressure is applied. Similar to probing if you are not experienced enough, you should leave it to a professional such as a herp vet or an experienced ball python breeder. 

How is popping done? You roll your thumb up the tail starting behind the cloaca. By doing this, you can force the hemipenes out of the vent. Refer to the youtube video below on how to properly perform this action. 

Ultrasound/Ultrasonography

One of the most reliable ways to determine the sex of your ball python is by getting an ultrasound. Ultrasound equipment is generally out of the question for a hobbyist. Not all herp veterinarians have access to this equipment. This is generally used by nature reserves, zoological gardens/parks, and conservation breeding programs.

Ultrasound is also used to detect developing egg follicles in females. It is also used to study and provide extra information on egg formation and development in gravid females.

Getting an ultrasound done on your snake can be costly and as such is not commonly used to simply determine the sex of the snake when other methods can be used.

The ultrasound machine uses a transducer and high-frequency sounds which maps up the internal of the snake including the reproductive organs which are generally hidden.

An advantage of using ultrasound is that it isn’t intrusive. On the other hand, it is costly and uncommon.

Incorrect Ways of Checking The Sex of A Python

Tail Size & Appearance

The tail size and appearance can also be used to determine the sex of the colubrids and most snakes but not the sex of the ball python. In colubrids, males have thicker tails. But with ball pythons, the size of the tail is relative to their size. As such some males have thick tails while others have thin tails. Similarly, a female’s tail may be thicker than a male’s tail, and vice versa.

For other snake species such as colubrids, this method is best used when both the male and the female are of a similar adult length. At a similar length, males have thicker tails. You can say that at any given length, males have thicker tails. Remember that this doesn’t apply to ball pythons.

The reason why most snake males have thicker tails is down to the presence of hemipenes at the end of the tail. These remain in the tail (it is inverted in the body but comes out during mating through the means of erectile tissue). The singular for hemipenes is hemipenis and is the equivalent of the penis in humans. It is used to deliver sperm during the mating process.

For other snake species, while the female’s tail is thinner and tapers gradually until it reaches its tip, the male’s tail is thicker, longer, and tapers suddenly.

While inside the body, the hemipenes are located close to the tail or just above the tail. Females lack hemipenes. To make space for this organ, the tail of most snake males is larger/thicker for its size. This is however not necessary with ball pythons as they are large and chunky enough to store the hemipenes without it affecting the size of the tail.

Checking the Spurs

Another wrong way to determine the sex of your ball python is by checking its spurs. These are vestigial limbs on the pythons. These are located at the base of the tail. Two snakes that have these vestigial limbs/legs are pythons and boas. Whether or not these limbs are vestigial organs is up for debate as some consider these to be functional mating spurs.

Anyway, many sources have wrongly stated that male pythons generally have larger spurs. This is incorrect. While some males may have larger spurs than some females, some females also have larger spurs than males. Apart from that, in general, males don’t have larger spurs. The size of the spurs changes from one individual to another and has nothing to do with the sex of the snake.

The mating spurs also known as pelvic spurs are used during mating. During the mating process, males use these organs to tickle the females.

Now and then, the spurs would stick out at odd angles. They may even come off. When they do fall out, they don’t cause harm to the snake as they are made of keratin. The spurs may fall out during the shedding process. To prevent this ensure that humidity levels are optimal. This makes the shedding process smoother and minimizes the risk of the spurs falling off.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

There are several ways to determine the gender of your ball python. You cannot simply look underneath the snake to determine its sex as the reproductive organs are hidden inside the body. While females are generally larger than males,  simply using the size of the individual to determine the sex often leads to wrong results. Not all females are larger than all males.

A reliable way to determine the sex of the reptile is by probing. This involves inserting a probe into the cloaca of the snake. If the snake is a female, the probe goes further inside. For younger snakes, you can pop the hemipenes (a reproductive organ used to deliver the sperm during mating).

Since only males have hemipenes, the absence of hemipenes may indicate that the snake is a female. Similarly, the presence of hemipenes may indicate that the snake is a male. This method isn’t reliable with adult snakes.

The last reliable method out there is ultrasonography and radiography. These are costly and usually unnecessary.

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