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My male is a female?!

Nath

New member
Hey! I'm new to the forum and I have a question. 7 years ago I bought my first snakes, 2 co-hab corn snakes. They live in a 160x80x60 cm (which is roughly 5.2x3x2 feet) viv (and please, no co-hab discussions here, there are plenty of threads already). The previous owner told me that they were a female and a male. By this time they were 4 years old, and today they're 11 years old. During the 7 years in my care I've gotten 2 clutches (on separate seasons). Most of the eggs were not fertile for sure, but some of them seemed to be. But I've later discovered that sometimes they look fertile but are in fact not?! It did strike me as odd that they didn't breed every year. And I've never actually seen them mate. But as they got older I thought that maybe they were just not as likley to breed at their age (altho I know they CAN breed until they die). But for some reason I never really questioned the gender (until now). Do you guys think that it's more likely that my male snake might actually be another female?
 
Not sure if I should add that they're both healthy. I've never had any trouble with feeding, shedding etc. Not even during breeding season. So that shouldn't be where the problem is.
 
Did you have the snakes sexed, or did the person who sold them to you just say "This one is male, this one is female" without any papers - or without popping/probing themselves if they were a breeder?

If they weren't sexed properly for you, then it's definitely possible that both could be female!
 
No I'm not trying to breed them. But if they were in fact a female and a male wouldn't they have gotten more than 2 clutches in 7 years?
I didn't buy them from a breeder. I was only told the sex, no popping/probing.
 
The first time I found a clutch, my female was curled up around the eggs, so that time I'm fairly sure it was her. The second time I'm not so sure about which one, as none of them were close to the eggs.
 
No I'm not trying to breed them. But if they were in fact a female and a male wouldn't they have gotten more than 2 clutches in 7 years?
I didn't buy them from a breeder. I was only told the sex, no popping/probing.

QUESTION: If you're not wanting to breed them, why would you keep a male and a female together?
 
Do you guys think that it's more likely that my male snake might actually be another female?

It's hard to tell from here, I would suggest getting them probed/sexed.


No I'm not trying to breed them. But if they were in fact a female and a male wouldn't they have gotten more than 2 clutches in 7 years?

Yes, you would think so.
 
I understand why that might seem strange, I really do. These were my first ever snakes, and by that time I must admit I hadn't done much reading about breeding snakes. I didn't buy them with the intention of breeding. They came together when I bought them, In the same cage and I also bought the cage. And as they didn't seem to breed anyway I didn't separate them. I had read that females could lay eggs without the presence of a male, and most eggs where definitely infertile. I really thought that they were the opposite sex at the time and just didn't want to breed for some reason, so as I said, I didn't separate them as they didn't seem to show any interest in eachother. But now I realise that the reason they dont want to breed is probably bcuz they're two females. Which is fine by me, and I might just seperate them anyway (and I wouldn't recommend anyone to co-habit snakes). It'd just be nice to know "his" actual sex. I know that to be 100% sure I'll have to take him to a rep vet, but I just wanted to see what you guy's thoughts were, if you thought female or male.
 
I understand why that might seem strange, I really do. These were my first ever snakes, and by that time I must admit I hadn't done much reading about breeding snakes. I didn't buy them with the intention of breeding. They came together when I bought them, In the same cage and I also bought the cage. And as they didn't seem to breed anyway I didn't separate them. I had read that females could lay eggs without the presence of a male, and most eggs where definitely infertile. I really thought that they were the opposite sex at the time and just didn't want to breed for some reason, so as I said, I didn't separate them as they didn't seem to show any interest in eachother. But now I realise that the reason they dont want to breed is probably bcuz they're two females. Which is fine by me, and I might just seperate them anyway (and I wouldn't recommend anyone to co-habit snakes). It'd just be nice to know "his" actual sex. I know that to be 100% sure I'll have to take him to a rep vet, but I just wanted to see what you guy's thoughts were, if you thought female or male.

I think you'd be better off searching for a reputable breeder in your area than going to a vet :) meet them, perhaps bring them a coffee or something... I'm not sure the etiquette there. Maybe they will want a few bucks for sexing, but it'll be a heck of a lot cheaper - and probably more accurate! - than going to a vet. Not that there aren't decent reptile vets out there, but they don't tend to have a very good reputation in the reptile community.
 
Ok, I'll try to get in touch with a reputable breeder then! :)
Ty all for your replies and advice! :)
 
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