Sexing a Meller's Chameleon
As in hyenas, monomorphism is a successful adaptation for melleri. Since melleri are not as social as these mammals, it is unclear what the benefit is for them. Perhaps, it offers females territorial stability; they look just as threatening and impressive as any male. Males and females occur in both standard and blue morphs.
Not all melleri are difficult to sex. Some males have obvious hemipenal bulges, from a young age, and the bulges may be enlarged in normal adult males during the breeding season. Melleri males can disclose their gender by everting their hemipenes during defecation and veterinary procedures (enema/cloacal wash). It is not recommended to try everting these by hand to determine your melleri’s gender, as this area is easily bruised. The use of identifying spots to sex melleri has limited success. Some keepers posit that the presence of black spots below the eyes and behind the occipital lobes (flaps) indicate a male. This does not work all of the time, perhaps due to the variety of color and morphological differences in melleri. There are some sure methods of sexing melleri:
ultrasound of ventral proximal tail base (just behind the vent or cloaca)
X-rays to check for skeletal gender differences
behavior at sight of another melleri
endoscopy
probing
profile of underline, from belly to tail
pulsing of hemipenal bulges while basking or being watered
hemipenal plugs with feces deposits or wiped on perch
DNA blood test is not yet available for melleri. Green Iguanas, Komodo Dragons, and possibly Heloderma are the only lizards that are currently sexed by DNA markers.
X-rays are possible without anesthesia on tame melleri that will hold still with their forehand restrained with a soft towel. Fresh WC melleri will need anesthesia to stabilize them for X-rays. The lateral view of the pelvis shows a more forward extended pubis in the male. Females may also show developing eggs.
The third option has the added benefit of telling the keeper if the animals are compatible, not just a sexual pair. Clinical tests can’t predict if a male and female will accept each other. See Cohabitation for details about gender-specific signals upon introduction. A subject that requires more study in melleri is the possibility of behavioral mimicry as well as the extent of monomorphism. It is suspected that some females can assume male courtship colors and displays to maintain their territories and reduce competition for prey.
Endoscopic sexing requires anesthesia. Endoscopy is only for adult melleri. See this excellent article on endoscopy of melleri:
http://www.adcham.com/html/veterinary/vet-endoscopic-kramer.html
Manually popping the hemipenes has been suggested as a means of sexing melleri, and the keeper who publicly advocates this has been invited to share their method, and its safety and success rate, with other melleri keepers. The MD cannot endorse this method of sexing melleri unless or until more information is provided. Popping the hemipenes of other chameleon species can cause bruising, so we don't recommend trying this without specific instruction.
If you choose to probe your melleri to determine sex, have it done by an experienced veterinarian. It is possible to damage your chameleon permanently if you don't know what you're doing! Meller's chameleons should be near 2 years old or at least 14" long before probing.
Information provided comes directly from http://www.melleridicovery.comUnder Husbantry Under Breeding.
