[welshgaz]

ok you hear all the time people saying take your snake to someone with experiance for it to be probed, but how do you gain that experiance?

There has to be somewhere for everyone to start? My local rep' shop will probe at £5 a snake, but to be quite frank I'd rather shave my balls and rub chilli oil on them that let them do that to my snakes. They are likely to know as much as me i.e. diddley squat!

So come on for all you probers were did you start? Is it best to start on large snakes or new borns?

I've found a couple of videos that showed you popping & probing and it didn't look to difficult

 

[Snake Charmer]

Dont you hate them people who just do it but aint got a flipping clue..?? i agree that everyone started somewhere :roll: but if you dont know anything from adam, And you try it out and something goes wrong you will never forgive yourself.. good luck in going it the best way
and going it the proper way.. :wink: :wink:

 

[NNY]

Well I watched the Kathy Love video... I then used a proven male hatchling and probed him and it just came naturally really... just have to be careful and slow...

 

[welshgaz]

Well I watched the Kathy Love video... I then used a proven male hatchling and probed him and it just came naturally really... just have to be careful and slow...

Alright Tim, you back for good dude?

 

[NNY]

Yeah matey... im back :wink:

 

[welshgaz]

Yeah matey... im back :wink:

Oh have you got some catching up to do

Anyway probing! I have read it can be dangerous to probe a hatchling and popping us the better way?

 

[NNY]

My problem is I cant pop :lol: :lol: Ive tried so many times.... ive got a tiny probe for hatchlings and not had problems myself.

 

[scarlettvegetable]

Tim cant pop so he has to probe!! :lol:

 

[Guest]

I had to learn how to pop and probe in a hurry as i had the shop but i was taught the best ways to do both by Paul at Cold Blooded.On both ways you have to be firm but very gentle.The last thing you want when probing is a snake that moves and causes harm to itself.

When popping it is always best to hold the head and the snake just above the cloaca then you can gently apply pressure to the sexual organs to pop them out.When probing it is better to have 2 people when you first start probing so that one can hold the snake and the other can concentrate on probing with out the worry of am i holding the snake properly.When probing you want to ease back the opening then slightly off center of the cloaca gently insert the probe.You will feel the sexual organs and just ease the probe in till you feel a spongy stop.Do not try to push the probe any further this is the end of the organs and to do so will damage the snake.A female will only probe a small amount but a male will probe for what seems like forever.

 

[jaysnakeman]

how lucky is that i was just about to start a similar thread to get these answers

 

[spit]

If you trust your vet then they can show you how to do it or if you have friends then they could help show you or let you practice.

 

[welshgaz]

Well first things first, I need a probing kit! )

but I got plenty of snakes to try it on... would like to know the true sex of both my Boas. Best do them now rather than when there 6ft + killers :lol:

To be honest my rep' shop probably would do as well as a vets but I'm one of those people who kinda only trust himself with stuff like this. My misses tried to help me build my viv's and it drives me nuts. I like things done specific ways

 

[Genetic]

i would say find someone to show you, the presure needed for popping cant be judged from a video and neither can the probing presure.

Most vets are rubbish and havnt got a clue.

paul.

 

[cornmorphs]

search for the video on here, its quite easy really.

 

[welshgaz]

search for the video on here, its quite easy really.

Thats the video I got Nige'

 

[cornmorphs]

even timmykings done it, that says it all really :lol: :lol:

 

[Ally]

I'm kind of self taught for both really... I've watched both popping and probing done a few times and figured that the best way to learn would be to give it a go.

I have the advantage that I am very good at small detail work with my hands and found that it came almost naturally. Going very gently I knew when I'd gone far enough.
It helped studying a book on internal anatomy too - knew what was in there then!

I used my own snakes to have my first few tries on in case anything went wrong, but being firm with the snake and gentle with the back end, I feel I am getting the hang of it quite nicely!

 

[ross]

can someone give me the link for this popping video please cuz id like to see how its done.thanks

 

[liam_rokocoko]

i personally wouldn't watch a video on how to do it then give it a go. i would go to a good herp vet or a very respected breeder and have them show you on how to do. you would pick it up much easier getting someone to teach you than watching some video.

 

[ross]

dont matter now ive just found it.i had a go at doin it because i brought my new baby common boa last week and the geeza at the shop told me it was a female,but to me its tail looked a bit long as ive saw females before and there tails are fat and short,but i brought it anyway.so i just watched that popping video and had a go myself and two tiny little pink balls come out so is it a female because it didnt look anything like the males on the popping video cuz his was like 2 tiny red maggots lol and my boas isnt like that?would u say its female then?