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 #1986253


Prettykttkat
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 Transillumination-sexing

I think most of you have heard about transillumination-sexing. I was just curious as to who has done it before to sex their monitor? A member on here told me about it so I looked it up. I tried it on my baby V.prasinus and it worked! I just thought it was so cool that I could see through his tail and see his hemipenes. I can’t wait to try it again on another monitor. I have also been wondering if this technique could be used on other lizards besides monitors?



04/15/09  12:28pm

 #1986285


Krusty
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   Message To: Prettykttkat   In reference to Message Id: 1986253


 Transillumination-sexing

Yes, it works on lots of lizards such as Beardies, Frillies and other Agamids along with Varanus. The hemibaculum is cartilage and more dense than surrounding tissues. As the lizards grow a little, the area on males gets gorged with blood vessels I guess as well. It doesn’t work on all lizards at birth though. I got nothing from 1 week old Ackies back in January. All 8 candled the same from what I could see.
04/15/09  01:44pm

 #1986308


Dazza12345789
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   Message To: Krusty   In reference to Message Id: 1986285


 Transillumination-sexing

sorry- but could someone please let me know about this technique? I have a chameleon that I have no idea on sex so that would help! Also I could make sir my melinus is a boy!

Thanks
-Daryl

Btw, prettykttkit I did not say, your monitor is stunning from what I saw in your other thread.
04/15/09  02:38pm

 #1986314


Prettykttkat
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   Message To: Dazza12345789   In reference to Message Id: 1986308


 Transillumination-sexing

Krusty:Very cool, I’m going to try it on some of the other lizards I have! That sucks that it didn’t work for your babies, I wonder how old/big they would have to be to tell? Are you going to keep trying?

Dazzal:Thanks! I might get another sooner than I thought, keep your fingers crossed for me:)

This is a link to a book I found on the net. The excerpt written by Danny Brown starts on page 25. He describes how to do it and shows pics of male and females while using this method. It’s really cool.
http://varanidae.org/Vol3_No1.pdf

Basically you get a bright white LED light and go into a dark room with your lizard. Turn on the light and put it up against the top of the lizards tail base. Turn the lizard so you can see the light come through the base underneath. You might have to cover the portions of light around the lizards tail so you can see the light through the tail. If it is male you will see 2 little red dots or 2 red masses. These are hemipenes. Females just light up as yellow with no red spots or masses. You can also put the LED light on the side of the tail and if it shows up red it’s a male(red is the hemipenes) or if it just shows yellow w/o any red it’s a female. When I did it yesterday, I did it both ways and he looked just like the very first picture on the left. It was so neat:)

Thanks to 3240 who made me aware of this method of sexing:)
04/15/09  03:03pm

 #1986379


Dazza12345789
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   Message To: Prettykttkat   In reference to Message Id: 1986314


 Transillumination-sexing

Thanks alot for your help that will come in very handy!

You should get another one and start to breed them, nice to have a few CBB, i have not heard of many!

Cheers,
-Daryl

More pics please!
04/15/09  05:06pm

 #1986461


Sulfurboy1o3
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   Message To: Dazza12345789   In reference to Message Id: 1986379


 Transillumination-sexing

Look at your PM Dazza
04/15/09  06:57pm

 #1986836


Prettykttkat
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   Message To: Dazza12345789   In reference to Message Id: 1986379


 Transillumination-sexing

Your welcome:)

It would be nice to breed them eventually, although I have not read much on people breeding them in captivity. I’m sure I’d figure it out though. I’m pretty OCD about my pets, lol! Everything else I have breeds for me. I have around 60 eggs from various lizards at the moment. Did you try this method on your lizards? Yesterday I tried it on a few different species but it did not work. I tried it with my Veiled Chameleons, Cuban Knight Anoles and Tokay geckos. I still have yet to try it on my Giant day geckos,Crested geckos,White Lined geckos,Golden gecko and Blue tongue skink. I really doubt it’s going to work with the skink though, they have such thick scales.



04/16/09  07:38am

 #1986848


BansheeRacer25
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   Message To: Prettykttkat   In reference to Message Id: 1986836


 Transillumination-sexing

Do you have any blue tongue eggs? Also i tried it only a juvie ackie and it worked.
04/16/09  08:25am

 #1986883


Krusty
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   Message To: BansheeRacer25   In reference to Message Id: 1986848


 Transillumination-sexing

If you get any Blue Tongue Skink eggs I think you should write a paper about it. LOL
04/16/09  09:55am

 #1986928


Prettykttkat
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   Message To: Krusty   In reference to Message Id: 1986883


 Transillumination-sexing

Ha Ha Ha! Krusty you’re funny:)

Blue tongue skinks give live birth. The BTS I have is not kept with any other skinks. I am fostering him for a reptile rescue. If you live in CO you might be able to adopt him once he is fully recovered if you want. I’d have to ask.



04/16/09  11:12am

 #1988921


Scotyjp
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   Message To: Prettykttkat   In reference to Message Id: 1986928


 Transillumination-sexing

Has anyone attempted this with savannahs or nile as youngsters??

Scott
04/19/09  06:22pm

 #2074699


Deadvenom-x
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   Message To: Scotyjp   In reference to Message Id: 1988921


 Transillumination-sexing

Old thread, I know and I havent been on for a while... lack of internet at home... but I have a question. I did the illumanating technique to an 18 inch salvator and I wasnt totally sure if what I saw were hemipenes or possibly the hemiclitoris... from the Biawak page, It reminded me of the male V storri(adult) photo... but more on an angle? Here is a rough MSPaint version of what I saw... the blue indicates the shadows I saw.



here is the monitor CB from Indonesia, , I am fully aware of the size they attain, space required, time needed and food bill. "He" has a room in reservation for adult size.

(CHE for basking temporarily... going to get a flood ligh tomorrow)





09/21/09  07:27pm

 #2074720


Krusty
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   Message To: Deadvenom-x   In reference to Message Id: 2074699


 Transillumination-sexing

If you saw two clearly darker red opacities like the drawing, it’s very, very likely a male. You are taking on a huge animal as you mentioned. I hope you stick with it. You know all the pro’s and con’s of keeping these things from being on the forums......
09/21/09  08:04pm

 #2074775


Deadvenom-x
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   Message To: Krusty   In reference to Message Id: 2074720


 Transillumination-sexing

awesome! Thanks Krusty. I am going to stick with him, I hate hate hattttee giving up animals.. and I would not buy one knowing I would be unable to care for it, then , needing to give it up. I am fully confident in my abilities thanks to this forum and experience with other monitors(i did not own).



09/21/09  10:05pm

 #2074863


Herpalist
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   Message To: Deadvenom-x   In reference to Message Id: 2074775


 Transillumination-sexing

Sounds like a good technique for sexing however, I dont think my Argus would give me the chance to candle him without a serious struggle...lol...
09/22/09  04:33am

 #2074880


Krusty
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   Message To: Herpalist   In reference to Message Id: 2074863


 Transillumination-sexing

Younger Argus juveniles are easy ones to see this on, but yes, they will wiggle and hiss like mad while you subdue them. Wrap them in a bath towel and just have the tail/vent exposed and they tolerate it better (not seeing what’s going on) like a bird.
09/22/09  07:31am

 #2076611


Suzuki4life
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   Message To: Krusty   In reference to Message Id: 2074880


 Transillumination-sexing

I just did this tonight on my ackies...it sure does work.

I will do a write up with pictures soon...

I found out my 2.2 is actually 1.3...

very happy!!!!!
09/25/09  09:36pm

 #2076651


Joe Kahn
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   Message To: Suzuki4life   In reference to Message Id: 2076611


 Transillumination-sexing

How old are your ackies?
09/25/09  11:44pm

 #2076702


Herpalist
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   Message To: Joe Kahn   In reference to Message Id: 2076651


 Transillumination-sexing

I am told that Ackies can be handy enough to sex buy looking at the width of the heads, the male having a broader head.
09/26/09  03:52am

 #2076818


Suzuki4life
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   Message To: Joe Kahn   In reference to Message Id: 2076651


 Transillumination-sexing

varies:

2-4 years I am told...

and appearance is not a definitely apparently...

ackies people have assured me are male turned out to be female


I plan to do a step by step to show how I did it...

I used a $6 LED flashlight from Lowe’s....

only difference between the pictures in the article and what I did is that my flashlight can not show through front to back. I pointed the flash light towards the vent under the rear leg....hemipenes is very obvious...once you see it, you know when one is not there without doubt.



09/26/09  01:12pm

 #2076940


Mxracer
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   Message To: Suzuki4life   In reference to Message Id: 2076818


 Transillumination-sexing

I candled the argus when I had it and it showed male and Kirk has said it showed its junk and its now a for sure male. Deadvenom, wern’t you wanting an argus, there was a few at the show last weekend.
09/26/09  06:57pm

 #2077903


Deadvenom-x
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   Message To: Mxracer   In reference to Message Id: 2076940


 Transillumination-sexing

yes and yes. I saw the Goulds (same place where I got the water as well) but I honestly didnt like the look of them...the water looked much healthier then the rest of the monitors I noticed. Plus I was short 50$.. which sucked, even if they looked decent. Maybe next expo though.
09/28/09  07:40pm

 #2089707


Joe Kahn
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   Message To: Deadvenom-x   In reference to Message Id: 2077903


 Transillumination-sexing

How about the pics Suzukki?
Joe
10/29/09  01:26pm

 #2089722


Mxracer
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   Message To: Joe Kahn   In reference to Message Id: 2089707


 Transillumination-sexing

I was $50 short to, but didn’t want an argus. I was wanting to buy a Varanus tristis tristis, but was a $100 short, didn;t think they would be asking $400 for a single animal.
10/29/09  02:27pm

 #2089859


Suzuki4life
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   Message To: Joe Kahn   In reference to Message Id: 2089707


 Transillumination-sexing

can’t get the camera to catch it....either too dark or doesn’t pick it up
10/29/09  09:48pm


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