Need help sexing ball python

Hey guys, im supposed to be picking up a female normal soon. he told me shes a female and she's 4 years old, around 4-4 1/2 feet. (prime breeder!!) however i'd like to make sure she was female. the guy at animal jungle told me you cant or shouldnt pop them when they're that big and he wouldnt even show me how.. alot of help lol. does anyone know how to sex this snake? i know theres probing but does that cause infection?? would anyone be willing to shove a probe up my snakes butt for me? thanks!

if im not mistaken pet paradise will sex for free and i thhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhink they probe but im not sure

Poping is not something you could not have learned from them telling you how, it takes a little practice to be good at it. Probeing is also a skill that has to be learned. But even AJ will probe them for you. But I take it you don't have the snake to take it any where?

Hmm... Popping isn't that bad from what I know? It isn't that hard with ball pythons either, I've done it quite a bit. If you don't know what you are doing though, it is very easy to break their tails. I would be careful about buying from this guy, it makes no sense why he wouldnt at least show you how to pop a python.

no,im supposed to be getting it from another guyso i went to AJ to ask them how to pop so when i go to pick it up i can be sure its female. correct, i dont have the snake yet. i should be getting it in a month or so when my friend is finished moving.

Got my fingers x for you that would be a good female to get. All grown up.

yes definately. thanks, shes only gonna be 50 bucks to so a great deal as well. as long as this whole thing is legit

If you can't have anyone show you in person, YouTube is the best next thing to learn from.

It's best to be gentle and start with hatchlings IMO. Adults can be hard because males develop muscle control and can be difficult to pop by a novice (me!), leaving an incorrectly sexed male.

The last snake I had sexed at the pet store was popped twice as a female. After some practice at home, I found out it was a male. I also had a big male that I could in no way pop. I let a friend have him and he came over and popped him without a problem. I think you need a perfect blend of experience and confidence to do it correctly.

The key to popping a ball python is in the roll. It is hard to describe, but easily demonstrated. You try to roll the thumb, like squeezing the toothpaste out of a tube towards the vent. It takes some practice.

ah. okay. i might just try a few times on our male normal. hes only about 300 grams. should be easiest to try

Im not comfortable with learning or trying right now so we just have a friend pop it for us. If we are at a show we find someone we know to pop it. If it's local we get someone to pop it for us. It scares me to even think of doing it because i dont want to hurt the snake.

Poping I believe is a talant, I can do it sometime it takes a few try's to get that roll right. Then I have a friend named Chris who can pop in the blink of a eye. Seems like he just picks them up and they just give up.

yeah thats true. its kinda like water skiing.. looks easy. psshh takes a few tries!