Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The kids are about a month and half old now, 5 and 6 inches long. Their baby stripes have given way to a more spotted pattern. And what's particularly startling is that the longer one has suddenly develped bright red bars on "her."

I haven't actually sexed them yet, mainly because I don't want to be flipping them over and squinting creepily at their tiny little ctotches until they're way, way more used to me. One's still skittish about being touched and sometimes won't even hand-feed, but the other one (the one that has the red) spontaneously took to playing on my hand and arm quite some time ago, so I'm just avoiding stress and letting their natural curosity take its course.

But anyway: does the red mean this one is a female? It's not on the sides where it would usually be; it's just around the front legs, both in front of them and behind/under them, but it is very red, not even reddish orange. Obviously she's too small to have any eggs, but is this just a thing that the girls do as they grow? Or do males sometimes get red patches too? Since I won't be rehoming them for a while I don't urgently need to know which is what, but if I can figure it out without actually bothering them, then I figure, hey, why not?
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0.1 2006 Western Hognose (Bebe)
0.1 age unknown Cane Toad (Hengo)
0.1 2005 White-Banded Sheen Skink (Minerva)
1.0 2006 Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Queequeg)
1.0 2006 Madagascan Speckled "Hognose" (Sigmund)
1.0 2008 Bullsnake (Winkle)
1.2 2008 Eastern Collared Lizards (Pancho, Lupe, and Chica)
0.0.2 2009 Eastern Collared hatchlings

It might be a male. Young males have the stripes and some researchers think that this helps them survive and thrive in the territories of other males until they get bigger. The older males see the stripes and think that they are females, and leave them alone. I will try to find that article in which I read that little tidbit.

So do baby females show red too? I'm not necessarily pulling or not pulling for a female; there's no actual agenda there except that if it's a male I feel sort of bad for telling him what a pretty little girl he was- poor little guys gonna end up with a complex- but I'm just wondering if there's anything I can assume from these colors. If not, I'm curious enough now that it's gonna bug me. Maybe if I just put them both in a clear tub and peek up under it...
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0.1 2006 Western Hognose (Bebe)
0.1 age unknown Cane Toad (Hengo)
0.1 2005 White-Banded Sheen Skink (Minerva)
1.0 2006 Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Queequeg)
1.0 2006 Madagascan Speckled "Hognose" (Sigmund)
1.0 2008 Bullsnake (Winkle)
1.2 2008 Eastern Collared Lizards (Pancho, Lupe, and Chica)
0.0.2 2009 Eastern Collared hatchlings

My female babies have red, but much less vibrant red. The red on the males really pops. I don't know if this is usual. Perhaps Eve will be along to comment soon.

Keep sweet talking them. I kiss and baby all of them, regardless of gender and it sure works to make them develop into sweet, interactive pets!

It sounds like a little male, to me.
As Donna was saying, the juvie males develop the red blush to ward off adult male agression. As babies get older, the young males often get bright orange-red blush, while the females tend to stay more modestly colored. If you really want to know for sure, just look at the vent area.
Take Care.
Nick & Austin