confused about a budgie...

kuroiruy · Member Joined: 22 Dec 2004 Posts: 20

Hi, I have a budgie that is paired up with male and has her own cage, but the problem is I am not really sure if she indeed is a female...Her nose cere for instance is white with just what appears to be a slight pale bluish tint, not sure, but at certain times it seems to be rather bleak pale blue, sometimes its white. This budgie is extrememly restless, I had her for about close to 4 years now, she lets the male mount her and feed her, but she is weird. My older sister gave me her older female, whose cere is indeed brown, and I have my own budgie with the white cere feed her with the bobbing head action, I am confused...this budgie is destructive she never bit me and is very tame almost always out of her cage, but she destroys almost anything like toys within the cage, I amso unsure about her, any ideas? Tnx!

Aqueous · Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 2:29 am Post subject:

I'm not sure of what she could be but she sounds just like my Merlin. She had a white cere (sometimes with a tint of blue) for the longest time and I though for sure she would be a boy, but when she goes into breeding mode hers turns a dark crusty brown. She used to also feed Dixie all the time.

If you really want to know for sure you could always find an avian vet and have her DNA sexed.

charmedagain · Moderator Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 2259 Location: uk

Since you have had her for nearly 4 years has her cere ever turned brown, If not then you have a male, Same sex birds will feed each other aswell as try to breed so this is what makes things complicating in some birds.

Since the new bird has been mounting and she/he allows it you wont know if she is female until she lays eggs..

A female budgie can still mate and lay eggs even if her cere is not brown.
But if your desperate to know the sex then i agree with Aqueous an avian vet will be able to do a DNA test to determine its sex..

Mike

Chezza · Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2006 1:33 am Post subject:

Hi kuroiruy Normally a males is really blue, its the females that can have either a light pale colour, that doesnt mean they are male..
My female budgie of 8 years old still hade a pale white cere.. Males will normally go really blue. Females can go really brown, sometimes not..
Id get her sexed..

Heres some Piccs of Female Budgies..

This first one has a pale/blue white cere but still a female.

This next one is a Tan Cere, but still female..

And this one has the most distinctive brown flakey cere.

.................................................
These next 2 are males....

Purple Cere

And below distinctive Blue cere.

look closely for the presence or absence of white on the cere, since white is the precursor of the buff and brown shades of the female cere. Look at the actual nostrils: if there is a hint of a whitish ring around them, then the baby is probably female. If there is absolutely no white, and especially if the cere is a nice pink, and well rounded, then the baby is probably male, but then again 4 years old isnt a baby lol.

charmedagain · Moderator Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 2259 Location: uk

here is a website that has pictures of male and female budgies including young budgies...

http://www.birdshelpline.bravehost.com/Sexingbudgies.html

Mike

Chezza · Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2006 9:47 am Post subject:

Heres the link I was looking at Too..

http://www.budgieplace.com/mf.html

pollyanna · New member Joined: 27 Jul 2006 Posts: 19 Location: beds,uk

As a general rule of thumb, you cannot correctly sex a budgie under 12 weeks of age as they have similar cere colouring. The females cere then pales to a pale blue, then white. In breeding condition it turns a chocolate brown. Your budgie is a female. I say that because you mention white on the cere. A male bird can be dark or light blue, but does not display white. A female does.
The exception to this rule is pied or bicolors, which take much longer to colour one way or the other.

charmedagain · Moderator Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 2259 Location: uk

Now that is funny because i have had 2males that had blue ceres with white going round it and both were over 2years old i know this because 1, i bred them and 2, they were paired with females and raised clutches.

I can usually tell what sex a bird is going to be from 8weeks of age due to the pairing of the parents.

Mike

pollyanna · New member Joined: 27 Jul 2006 Posts: 19 Location: beds,uk

I appreciate that, but I was simplifying it for someone who presumably doesn't know the birds parentage? I have known male birds to display a little white on the cere, normally when they are very old or going light, or totally out of condition. I've never bred a cock bird showing any white on his cere, I like them to be in full breeding condition.

Chezza · Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 8:10 am Post subject:

Yea I would say a female too, being destructive, females usually are, females are a little more cranky than males
Have you got a picc of her to show us..