Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was at a Petco and fell for the most beautiful green Emerald Swift.... But looking at the pics to sex them I think he is a she.... but the colour is SO green and all I thought it was a male... How can one be sure? The top side of the lizard is Rich green with a greyish tail... underside is creamy white with a hint of blue/purple but it is very faint.... the vent area has plain scales after the vent not the bigger ones... could this be a young male who has still not gotten his under colour??? He is all in all about 3 1/2 inches from nose to vent... he is missing the tip of the tail and one toe(that was one reason I had to get him!) I do know that from the photos Gwen Lizardphanee is a girl and a desert Spiny.... But I am not sure if Joey Ramone is a male??? Next question not to be stupid but can they or will these guys hybridize... should I worry? Cat

Sounds like you purchased the indevidualy out of pitty wich you probably know is way rwong already so I wont dwell on it. Not an expert at all but most Sceoporus should be fairly close so my educated guess while it could be wrong would be that you have a little girl there.

All the Sceloporus I have dealt with can be sexed at any age by looking for paired enlarged scales just past the vent.

Here's a male

Here's a female

Mature males will also have enlarged pores on the underside of the thigh and most will also exhibit differences in coloration. These characteristics will only be visible in adults while the pair of scales will be present at birth / hatching.

Good luck with your guy!
-Alice

Here's the male pic