sexing a bibron gecko?

Wilma · 05-29-04, 07:01 PM

I have read that males have the two bulges at teh base of the tail and females don't, but no pores like the leos have. Well this is a bit difficult since I can not find a picture of a male and female to tell them apart, and how the heck do I get the lil guy out of his hide to sex it? I don't want to stress it out, but whenever I open teh lid it runs into the flower pot and sticks to the walls in there :P

Stockwell · 05-29-04, 07:16 PM

Males have wider heads, and much more white spots than most females. Females tend to be more drab, but it varies quite a bit.
Sexually mature males have noticeable bigger hemipene bulges at the base of the tail, but females also have slight bulges.
Sexing them is easier if you have a group of them for comparison.
If you could post a picture I'd take a guess for ya

spidergecko · 05-29-04, 07:17 PM

Bibrons geckos are very hard to sex when they are not sexual. If the gecko is young, you might not know its sex until it is about 12-24 months old.

Here are some features of a male compared to a female:
1) Males have a very broad head, females are narrower
2) Males have distinct white spots on their back that the females lack (or have dull ones)
3) Males are MUCH larger than females

It is hard to tell the difference by the hemipenal bulge because both sexes have this bulge. The male has a much larger one but you can't really tell unless you have both to compare together. Something you might try if to turn your gecko over and using your finger, push the bottom of the bulge upward very lightly. The hemipenes will be movable. The male will also move them because he doesn't like you touching his winkie (or maybe he does).

Let me see if I have pics ...

Okay, this is a mature male:

This is a mature female (ignore the improper shed on the tail):

HTH

Wilma · 05-30-04, 10:00 AM

ohh, ok, my little guy looks just like the first picture... now to try and get him on a clear surface to take a look underneath.
Thanks for the info people!

spidergecko · 05-30-04, 10:59 AM

I meant to add something else to my original reply. Juveniles and babies also have white spots. They aren't as bright as a mature male's but they are obvious. That's just another wrench to throw in. How old is your gecko?

Wilma · 05-30-04, 12:49 PM

yikes... I bought it but the age wasn't really know, a year at least? He is just over 4 inches long.

spidergecko · 06-02-04, 03:11 PM

If you don't intend to get another "bibrons" in the next few months just wait. If your gecko is male he will appear very male soon. He will get very big with nice white spots. If you look back at your gecko in a few months and think to yourself, "It doesn't seem to be growing that fast", it's probably a female. If you look at it and say, "That's one BIG b@stard!" you got yourself a male. Males are mean, even to females so you need to make sure you don't end up adding another male with him. I've had a female lose her tail to an aggressive male.

Assuming proper growth a 4 inch "bibrons" gecko is much less than 1 year old. I have some "babies" that are less than 5 months and they are already 4 inches.