The question is in the title. I have pygmi, panther, jackson, and werni and am very interested in expanding my small home buisness to include Melleri breeding. My husband has already started the "open roaming greenhouse project" for them despite my insistance that I haven't decided to get them yet and am still doing my research. (I think he just likes to build things... )

Anywho, the question is can they be accuratly sexed? I'd like to try for a breeding pair BUT, if they can't actually be acuratly sexed they may not be the investment I'm looking for. I have found various conflicting information....some saying they can sex a melleri and some saying it's impossiable to accuratly sex them. Is there a deffiantive answer out there

From what I understand sexing them isn't an easy feat. The for sure way is to see a pair mating... Also sometimes WC females come in pregnant.
WC's are oftentimes difficult to acclimate. Hatching out CB melleri is a great accomplishment.
If you haven't already found this site, it is EXTREMELY helpful in regards to Melleri keeping and care:
http://www.melleridiscovery.com/index.html
Here is the link where the site goes in to detail about sexing:
http://www.melleridiscovery.com/index.html
Also other good articles:
http://chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=37
http://chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=39

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~Liz~ Check out my site http://freewebs.com/lbesok
*1.2 Nosy Be *1.2.7 Ambilobe*2 Melleri .1 Beardie *.1 Leopard Gecko

Your best bet would be to take them to a vet and have them probed. thats they only way you can be 100% sure you have a male or female. But just remember because you have a pair doesnt mean that they are compatable. Melleri are difficult to breed, ive had mine for sometime now and they are just starting to get used to each other. its a lot of work, so if you dont have the time or patience i wouldnt, but they are awesome chameleons no doubt. good luck!

Not to add to the sexing conflict, but I don't recommend probing by anyone other than a VERY experienced chameleon vet. Your average vet doesn't know much about their biology, let alone the delicate art of cham probing.

Sepioteuthis, please share your melleri probing tale?

I'm a patient sort, and find the most reliable method of sexing adult melleri is to enlist the help of my "teaser" male melleri. He shows me who is what by instigating breeding displays.

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Kristina Francis
http://www.melleridiscovery.com/

"The human mind treats a new idea the same way the
body treats a strange protein; it rejects it."
- Peter B. Medawar
Nobel Prize-winning immunologist

in one of the books i read about chameleons there is an accurate way, hold on a sec ill tell you, just let me get the book

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Life is like a chocolate cake......unfortunately most of us are diabetic.

I never had them probed. Dr. Stahl (a VERY experienced herp vet) tried to evert the hemipenes. Although the hemipenes didn't actually show themselves, Dr. Stahl was still be able to make an educated guess (1 male, 1 female). His guess was later confirmed by the animals themselves when they started to show courtship behavior.

I think Kristina's method of behavioral observation is best, but you do have to be patient. Unfortunately there is no easy answer when it comes to sexing melleri unless you can get your hands on a proven pair (and no, I'm not selling mine ).

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1.2.1 Ch. (T.) melleri, 1.2 Ch. (T.) jacksonii xantholophus
My work: www.gibbonsrock.com

If you are talking about the book that says the spots behind the occipital lobes tell the gender, that is not an accurate method. Nothing about the lobes indicates gender.

__________________
Kristina Francis
http://www.melleridiscovery.com/

"The human mind treats a new idea the same way the
body treats a strange protein; it rejects it."
- Peter B. Medawar
Nobel Prize-winning immunologist

Whoops! My mistake!

I think Andrew had his melleri probed, right? I know somebody from mellerichams did it... hmmm...

__________________
Kristina Francis
http://www.melleridiscovery.com/

"The human mind treats a new idea the same way the
body treats a strange protein; it rejects it."
- Peter B. Medawar
Nobel Prize-winning immunologist

When i said "vet" i didnt mean any old vet. there has to be some common sence here. you wouldnt take a cat to a vet who deals only dogs, would you? no, so obviously youd ask if the vet has experience with chameleons.

No worries, I don't remember who it was either.

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1.2.1 Ch. (T.) melleri, 1.2 Ch. (T.) jacksonii xantholophus
My work: www.gibbonsrock.com