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Second opinion sexing Greater Sirens

meteordemon

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Hello!

So I have 2 greater sirens that i believe are adults (24" and 26") and im interested in trying to breed them, but im not quite certain if i have a male and a female!

All i know is that the females are typically a bit wider and have a nearly flat head, as opposed to males, who have larger muscles in their head that bulge out a bit.

This description fits my sirens pretty well, but the differences are somewhat subtle. Ive attatched some photos and would love to know what you all think!
 

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eMax

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I'm certainly not an expert in greater siren breeding ;) but I thought your post deserved a reply. To my untrained eyes, the one with the blockier head appears to be male. I am less certain of the other one, but it could be a female. If you put them through a wintering cycle, you may notice the male's masseter muscles (the ones giving him that block-headed appearance) become even larger. Females should not exhibit these signs. I had a male lesser siren for several years whose head would become larger in the spring then "shrink" back down to normal in early summer.
 

Tarabull

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I would say the darker colored one on top is a female, because her head is flat and her mouth is straight with her body. The bottom, lighter one is a male. His head has a bump and his mouth kind of tilts up because of the muscles in his head.

I have two lesser sirens. When I bought my second one over a year ago I was hoping when it could be sexed I would have the opposite sex to mine, so I could maybe breed. I have two boys now. It's separate tanks and no babies for me. Best of luck with yours!
 
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