Hey so I just got this cornsnake; it’s I’ve never owned a colubrid before so what sex do you think he is?
1 Like
Sorry the picks aren’t great he wouldn’t quit striking at my phone lol 
@solarserpents and @meerkatlyndz might be able to help.
1 Like
It doesn’t look big enough to have a good speed bump. Do you know how old the snake is?
3 Likes
I’m not really sure, I’m guessing around 3 or 4 months? I haven’t got the chance to weigh him yet either.
1 Like
Unfortunately I think it’s just too small to really lean one way or the other. If you want to do a subcaudal scale count with the next shed, that could give you an idea. 59 to 70 pairs should be female and over 70 should be male. You’ll probably want to use a magnifying glass! And a fine tip pen can help to mark which ones you’ve already counted. If you don’t want to wait until the next shed, you could try getting a very clear photo of the underside of the tail nicely stretched out so all the scales are visible. If you have someone to help you, that will make it easier.
2 Likes
Oh ok I didn’t know how reliable that method was; I think I’d much prefer that method over more pics, he bit me twice just to get those lol 
I’m not sure it’s 100% reliable, but it’s been accurate the few times I’ve tried it. If you’re looking to breed the snake in the future, I would recommend having someone experienced pop or probe it for you. If it’s just ‘for fun’ and the sex doesn’t really matter, then definitely give it a try.
1 Like
I’m not sure if I’ll breed it but we’ll see. I’ve popped many snakes but never a colubrid and he\she’s just so feisty it’s hard to do anything with it
If you’re experienced with popping, you can definitely pop this baby. You might just have to endure a few bites in the process!
1 Like
Yeah I know lol, but I think I’ll do it tomorrow
If you just got the snake I think you should wait for it to acclimate before you mess with it to much.
2 Likes
Oh I should have said, I’ve had it for about 3 weeks, he ate this Tuesday. Anytime I get a new snake I leave it alone for 2 weeks other than feeding at the 1 week mark, but generally I only offer babies food that I’ve had for 1 week; adults or sub-adults are left alone for 2 before feeding.
3 Likes
Sorry, late to the party lol
But just gonna second and confirm what was already said. I’ve actually always had trouble sexing corns. And here I am soon-ish to go into my second breeding season… I need to get better but eh I keep putting it off. Popping tiny strings just isn’t my jam. Easier to sell at a slightly discounted price for not knowing gender.
2 Likes
Ikr, it makes me so nervous to pop them because their just so small!
2 Likes
I’m in the same boat of being uncomfortable with popping such small snakes, one option if you want wanted to try is a company called rare genetics, you can send them a piece of a shed and they will do a DNA test to determine the gender. It costs 15 dollars for Colubrids, and there is a group rate too if you send multiple.
4 Likes
Oh cool, thanks I might try that