Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have two Dwarf Caimans that I took to a local pet store to have sexed. The woman that works there has a great knowledge of snakes, however she stated that she had never sexed crocodillians before. she probed them with a snake sexing probe. During the sexing she removed what she called sperm plugs off of the male. my question is, was it wrong or harmful to remove these? Thanks

I don't want to sound like an a-hole here but she is clueless.

Can you describe what she removed with some more detail?

How large are the dwarf caiman?
http://www.thecrocodileexperience.com/sexing.html

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CDieter
'Reason, observation, and experience; the holy trinity of science.'

The objects were two black circles on either side of the genital opening. when she rubbed them with her finger they pulled out. with a wedge shaped end. they almost resembled the shape of a shark tooth, only with a ball on the end instead of a T shape.

oh, buy the way, the caiman are about 18" in length.

Based on what you've described, those features were musk glands, not "sperm plugs." Sperm is stored well within the caiman's body. I certainly hope she did not "remove" them. If so, she has committed cruelty to the animal. Please urge her to learn about the animals she is dealing with.
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Israel Dupont
Winter Haven, FL

Thank you for your reply. However this really bothers me. I would never want to harm my animals. I tried to find photos of musk glands on the web, however I had no luck. Do you think this will cause problems later on when I try to breed them? Thank You, Ron.

I wouldn't take them back to that woman thats for sure. Israel is correct they are likely the musk glands she has mangled. They are not sperm plugs.

I don't think it will be any cause for concern when it comes to later reproduction. As long as you keep it away from that woman.
Who knows what she will want to yank off next.
website

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CDieter
'Reason, observation, and experience; the holy trinity of science.'