For those of you who probe, check this out -

[TrpnBils]

Mending my other "half" to metal detecting, I had a thought the other day that might benefit some people here. Out of college, my wife and I were both zookeepers and, in particular, I worked with all of the snakes, lizards, scorpions, spiders, and just about everything else that nobody wanted to go near. We're both teachers now, but we've kept up on the reptile thing as snake breeders on the side. One tool of the trade is our probe kit that we use to tell the gender of the snakes. I hear people on here talking about probing shallow targets with dull screwdrivers, and how they constantly need re-dulled, but I'm wondering if the snake probe kits we use would be a nice alternative.

I attached a picture, and you can see the ball on the end of each size (they're stainless steel). Not all probe kits have the ball on the end, but the ones by a company called Repro (I'm not affiliated with them at all, it's just the kind we use) have them and can be found on eBay for around $20.

 

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[Msbeepbeep]

May work, how long is it? I also use my screw driver to pry up the coin.

 

[TrpnBils]

They're about 6" long

 

[beerguy]

Is anyone else afraid to ask how you tell the gender of a snake with a metal probe?

 

[TrpnBils]

haha yeah we get that a lot....

they have two pockets, one to the left and one to the right of the vent (sciency word for 'snake butt'). Choose and lubricate an appropriately sized probe, flip the snake over and insert into one of the two pockets until it stops. If it's real shallow it's a female, if it goes in relatively far, you're inside one of the inverted hemipenes of the snake, and you've got a boy....there's kind of an art to it.

 

[Sandman]

I had a brass tip put on my screwdriver probe.

 

[cudamark]

haha yeah we get that a lot....

they have two pockets, one to the left and one to the right of the vent (sciency word for 'snake butt'). Choose and lubricate an appropriately sized probe, flip the snake over and insert into one of the two pockets until it stops. If it's real shallow it's a female, if it goes in relatively far, you're inside one of the inverted hemipenes of the snake, and you've got a boy....there's kind of an art to it.

Snakes are not fond of me to start with without trying to become their proctologist! Those probes don't look long enough to be effective as a coin probe. What kind of handle do they have? You need something large and comfortable in your palm. Somehow I could find another way to word that!

 

[Jason in Enid]

If it's 6" long, then the 1st or 2nd on the right look like the one I have. Mine is made from spring steel so it won't bend out of shape easy. Are these?

 

[TrpnBils]

These are stainless...I've never really put them to the test of how much pressure it would take to bend one, however, as the snakes would probably not enjoy it.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Is anyone else afraid to ask how you tell the gender of a snake with a metal probe?

The males turn around and bite you if you jab it up their . . . vent.

 

[Jason in Enid]

The males turn around and bite you if you jab it up their . . . vent.

HA! I got a laugh out of this!

 

[Msbeepbeep]

So far I haven't lost or broken this screw driver and the tip on it is worn and rounded and it's about 12" total length. I'd be looking for one longer than 12" makes it easier to probe the ground.

 

[Fletch88]

The males turn around and bite you if you jab it up their . . . vent.

I would too if you shoved one up my vent! Lol