How to tell the difference between two nearly identical looking pet Storeria dekayi?

[YoungSnake]

I've had one snake for a year and kept her very healthy, and so when I found another one in the road (they tend to get run over in my town frequently, sadly), I had to rescue him (well, maybe a him.. I thought my first guy was a him until she had babies!). Now, this new little guy looks very similar to my first snake. I'm going to photograph them each separately in detail, but any good tips or tricks for telling them apart?

I thought for a minute, and this sounds crazy, but using non-toxic food coloring and sticking a dab on the tail might be a totally safe, easy way to tell them apart, but there must be some better ways. Open to any and all suggestions!

[BLUESIRTALIS]

This is off of Alan Francis's website and this chart is for garters, but brown snakes are very similar so maybe this will help.

• By visual appearances - male snakes have a thicker tail base where the two hemipenes lie. This can be seen, even in juvenile garter snakes, with practice.

A, B & C - Female tail; ventral and lateral views. The tail base enlargement noticeable in some females (see B) appear to be male glands, but note that the tail tapers rapidly

D& E - Male tail; ventral and lateral views. Tail base is thick, and this thickness extends for some distance beyond the vent.

Illustration and description by kind permission of Mr Robert J. Riches, author of 'Breeding Snakes in Captivity', 1976

I've had one snake for a year and kept her very healthy, and so when I found another one in the road (they tend to get run over in my town frequently, sadly), I had to rescue him (well, maybe a him.. I thought my first guy was a him until she had babies!). Now, this new little guy looks very similar to my first snake. I'm going to photograph them each separately in detail, but any good tips or tricks for telling them apart?

I thought for a minute, and this sounds crazy, but using non-toxic food coloring and sticking a dab on the tail might be a totally safe, easy way to tell them apart, but there must be some better ways. Open to any and all suggestions!

[YoungSnake]

I appreciate the response, but that doesn't really help if they're the same sex. The patterns are just so similar -- which makes sense since they're the same species and potentially even directly related to each other since I found them in similar spots!

[BLUESIRTALIS]

Oh ok, so you know both are female, but you want to know how to tell them apart. I wouldn't worry about it as long as you plan to keep them both and they are both healthy. Because the only true way unless one of them is a little different looking would be to keep them seperate. I think the non toxic paint would be fine, but i don't think it would stay on very long.

i appreciate the response, but that doesn't really help if they're the same sex. The patterns are just so similar -- which makes sense since they're the same species and potentially even directly related to each other since i found them in similar spots!

[chris-uk]

I wouldn't do it to my snakes, but in capture/release studies a marking technique is the removal of scales in a set pattern.
I have a pair of rescued marcianus, and one of them has its frontal scale removed. I suspect that their previous keeper (the one before Greg rescued them) had intentionally removed it to tell the two apart. Not something I'd do, but I have to say it makes identification foolproof.

[guidofatherof5]

I think if you separate them for awhile you will learn how to tell them apart.

[guidofatherof5]

I think if you separate them for awhile you will learn how to tell them apart.

They may look the same at first but the more you see them apart the more the differences will show.

[chris-uk]

They may look the same at first but the more you see them apart the more the differences will show.

It's a good point, I can tell my three infernalis apart but only from the top of their heads.

[jwolfe152]

I really like that picture showing how to determine sex. I can't remember if it had been posted before out not but that clears up what confuse me. I have 2 smaller garters and the only difference is size (but not much) and a slightly different color, but anyways the longer you keep them and handle them you will definitely start noticing small differences in them. Then it will be as if you never had a problem figuring who was who