She's a he

[5potted]

So I purchased a python a month ago with a guarentee (I had stressed the point as I'd just had my pair both sexed as male) she was female to low and behold have her sexed as a male today by my reptile vet. Considering it has been a month since I bought him (gave him time to settle in before being checked by a vet) I can't sell him for another 5 months due to QLD regulations however I'm not to sure how to go about this with the seller. I text him when I left the vet and if I haven't heard a response within the next hour will give him a call but what can happen? I can't send him back and get a refund due to the regulations?

Has this happened to anyone else and what did you do

(by the way the python is 3 years old so it isn't a hatchie probing mistake)

 

[solar 17]

lts not a perfect science so no one should put a 100% on a reptile .....unless its laid eggs or given birth in the case of some elapids l also get a mate to cross check mine but l go to great lengths to make sure the customer is happy "before" they leave as l don't want a snake back when l don't know where its been because of the possibility of IBD or OPMV...solar 17 (Baden)

 

[beeman]

lts not a perfect science so no one should put a 100% on a reptile .....unless its laid eggs or given birth in the case of some elapids l also get a mate to cross check mine but l go to great lengths to make sure the customer is happy "before" they leave as l don't want a snake back when l don't know where its been because of the possibility of IBD or OPMV...solar 17 (Baden)

Ditto!

 

[snakelady-viper]

x2

 

[5potted]

So basically I should bite the bullet and just move on? I mean I don't know who he got to sex the snakes but we're now in a situation where I have a snake we both don't want? Not to mention that if I did sell it after another 5 months due to the regulations the price of a male is considerably less than a female so either way I go is a lose lose situation for myself?

 

[saximus]

Yeah it's an unfortunate situation for you. I know the others have said it's not an exact science but unless the seller has probed it himself/herself they shouldn't be selling it to you as a guaranteed male or female. If you asked specifically so you didn't end up in this situation I think it's pretty unethical of the seller to say it is guaranteed. All I can suggest is next time ask if you can get it probed by someone you know before buying

 

[Waterrat]

I think you should start talking to the breeder rather than bringing your concerns to the public forum. It's always a good start, often ending up in an amicable solution. Mistakes of that kind can and do happen, if it happened to me and the buyer went to the forum before talking to me I would be quite p..... off.

 

[5potted]

As I've never been in this situation before and the seller isn't replying to text/phone call/ email I thought I'd get advice here to make sure I went in with all perspectives rather than just my own. Plus I purchased the pythons from a private website I don't even know if they have an account here... Oh well lesson learnt

 

[TaraLeigh]

I'm with Baden and Saximus.
But gotta love that. My boyfriend had a male Stimson when I met him then I bought I a 'breeding pair'- so it was bad enough having the 2 males n' one female instead of 2 females and a male but we could deal. THEN the 'female' had an issue and I took her [both actually] to the vet, vet probed them both and said she thinks 'she' was a boy. As well. But still not 100% sure. I would like to breed them next year. I'll just love them all until then no matter what sex they are and look into it more when needed. But mmmm. Annoyance.

 

[Wild~Touch]

The vet could be wrong too....

This has happened to most of us at one time or another, even amongst experienced keepers, sometimes the probing is absolutely indecisive

I've got 2 beautiful male jungles....both so nice I don't know which one to move on....LOL

 

[Waterrat]

It's Friday night, not everyone is on a phone or computer 24/7. Don't give up just yet, give it some time.

 

[Wally]

I think you should start talking to the breeder rather than bringing your concerns to the public forum. It's always a good start, often ending up in an amicable solution. Mistakes of that kind can and do happen, if it happened to me and the buyer went to the forum before talking to me I would be quite p..... off.

The OP has been given some informative viewpoints in regards to why returning reptiles can be a problem and that it's not an exact science. No names have been mentioned. No harm done really.

 

[5potted]

Thanks guys, I never planned to name and shame or anything just wanted to make sure what I was thinking was reasonable and by the looks of it I may have worked myself up but at least now when I do get on to him I'll have a clearer head

 

[solar 17]

Pm...sent

 

[Bez84]

I had a similar experience with an adult female diamond that was sold to me and after an unsuccessful breeding season it was probed and turned out to be a male... so all i can really do is bite the bullet and maybe swap my spare male for a female.
Happens all the time and you regularly see ads of people wanting to swap males for females and vice versa...
You mentioned a guarantee...did it come with specific details etc...as in if sexed wrong such and such would be done etc

 

[longqi]

Probing if done correctly is usually pretty accurate though??

I must admit I dont probe anymore but when I did it seemed by far the best and easiest way of telling??

 

[5potted]

Just got on to the seller, basically it ended up with both of us being in a not ideal situation (he feels bad for selling the wrong sex, I now have two males) we both had them sexed by vets (he was willing to get the report from the vet for it) but we've just said "****** happens" and moved on... As you've said probing isn't an exact science and as it seems vets do make mistakes...

 

[Cockney_Red]

Was It a "breeder" or just a herper selling a snake....Their is a difference!

 

[kawasakirider]

If the sexing isn't a 100% science, and the breeder is prepared to swap, there's really no need to write it on the paperwork (flame me all you law abiding citizens), as the snake would look exactly the same, out of the same clutch, etc. The paperwork would be identical. I did it with my jungle.

 

[Ozzie Python]

but we've just said "****** happens" and moved on...

probably the best outcome, just keep an eye out for some proven breeder females.

pretty hard to mistake a male when probing as they go deeper. On the other hand a male can tense up and not let the probe go any deeper, the result is they "probe" as a female, an honest mistake imo.

what kind of snake was it? may be someone out there after a male and willing to swap...