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"Mating" with full penetration = male and female?

L

LiseR

New member
Hey forum
I've been reading extensively but I can't seem to find a definite answer for this.
I briefly had to put two corns together that have been sexed as males. I observed the jerky movements of what I thought was a threat display, then suddenly, bam, bigger male penetrated the smaller snake's cloaca. There was no aggression, only normal mating behaviour (extremely fast from the normally reluctant bigger male, who has been bred several times!)

Now I'm wondering if this is possibly in any way a dominance display, or if I can be sure that "smaller male" is in fact a female?
I am aware and have observed that males will entangle and display hemipenes as part of dominance display, but this was definitely penetration :)

Thanks in advance!
 
Hi LiseR & Welcome!

Recently, maybe a month ago, I observed 2 of my adult males entangled and actually going at it as if they were mating! (See full thread at: http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143267)

The bottom line was that they were separated immediately and permanently! If you really care about the welfare of your sneaky ones, I would do the same! If one of them isn't a female, it can't be good, and even if one is, are you ready to deal with the potential consequences?

Just sayin.
 
While it seems like the majority of mis-sexed snakes tend to be females that are actually males, the opposite does seem to happen on occasion too. It might be time to re-probe your smaller "male" now, eh?
 
LiseR,
Welcome to the forum :)

As I touched on in the other post by Axis1, Reptiles (as many other animals) sometimes are so driven to mate that even another animal of the same sex will suffice. As uncommon as it is to happen it does. A while ago a poster showed a video of a male trying to mate with itself!!
Get the smaller male probed by a professional.
 
Thanks for the answers. I did have them probed but will try again with a more experienced vet or zooleeper.
I assume I will know for sure if "he" lays eggs :)
 
Also (sorry I can't edit) the snakes are kept separate normally. I have bred other snakes before with success so have some experience if he is a she and lays a clutch. Her size and age are no problems (I would not have put a subadult male in with a very large adult male under any circumstances :) )
 
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