Of course, determining the sex of a budgie is not an easy task. However, this can play a significant role in the process of keeping birds. Males and females, as a rule, behave very differently, which is very noticeable in adult birds. In addition, sellers of pet stores often themselves are not aware of the gender of these birds. Either intentionally pass the female off as a male or vice versa. Even if this factor does not play a significant role for many, in order not to be deceived and know for sure, it is worth exploring this issue in more detail.
Appointment
Determining the sex of a budgie is important for several reasons. First of all, this affects the choice of the name of the pet, because the birds most often remember their nickname and respond to it. Having learned after a couple of years that Kesha may turn out to be a girl, many may be very surprised or even upset.
In addition, the owner of the parrots may decide to breed the chicks. In this case, you can also miscalculate with the choice of a pair for the pet. After all, birds of the same sex can great conflict with each other. And in the future, a task of this kind requires the owner to have skills in determining the gender of the birds.
Based on the above words about the conflict of parrots, it is important to note that males can make good friends and live in the same cage without any problems. Unlike females, whose cohabitation in most cases leads to a complex conflict, to the point that one of them can easily die, for many this can be a heavy loss.
To a greater extent, the floor of the budgerigar affects the ability to repeat sounds. Most birds of this species are able to master speech to one degree or another.However, the speed and complexity of learning to talk in birds of different sexes will vary - as a rule, males are much easier to teach pronunciation of words. But at the same time, although females require more attention and dedication in training, they master the conversation more qualitatively than males, and can remember a little more words that can be pronounced more clearly.
An important criterion when choosing a pet is its character. It can play a significant role in taming a parrot. So, females are more aggressive and shy. Therefore, some of them may never get used to their hands and rush about each time at the sight of how its door will open. In contrast to them, males are more positive, they are more likely to go into their arms, moreover, they like to spend time near people.
In addition, depending on the season, the nature of the females can vary greatly. The changes, as a rule, are bursts of hormones in spring or autumn. This can make even the calmest female hostile and aggressive.
This information is already enough to decide which gender you would like to acquire a bird. However, a parrot of any gender can deliver a bunch of positive emotions, the difference will only be in the approach to education.
Consider how to determine the sex of a budgie. There are several ways that focus on some pronounced or not very special features.
Ways
One of the main ways can be noted the sex of the parrot on the wax.
Voskovitsa is located above the beak of the bird, it is easy to find, since the nostrils of the parrot are located on it. The essence of this method is to determine the color of the wax itself. Although it complicates the fact that you must first determine the age of the parrot, as over time the color of the waxworm changes.
Chicks
First, we highlight the features of sex determination in chicks.
At an early age, you can distinguish a boy from a girl from about 4 weeks of age. If the wax is mostly pink or tones in purple or violet, this indicates that you have a male. As a rule, in boys the color of this formation is uniform. The presence of bluish ovals around the nostrils also belongs to males.
Females have a wax mostly blue, or it has a light purple hue. This factor can be confusing, but unlike males, the formation of females is heterogeneous. In addition, girls are characterized by white circles around the nostrils, which certainly will not allow confusion. A pink shade can belong to both males and females - here all attention is given to the edging around the nostrils. In addition, it is important not to pay attention to the color of the beak, it can be confusing, but to understand by the beak which sex the bird, unfortunately, will not work.
This method helps to accurately identify the gender of the chicks. However, with a lack of proper experience, it can be difficult to understand the colors and shades, here when going to the pet store, an excellent solution would be to bring along a guide with photographs and illustrations, or to pre-review the examples on the Internet.
In addition, depending on the time of day, the shade of the waxwort can change. Therefore, it is worth examining the parrot several times and taking several photos to visually see this effect.
Adult parrots
In chicks, the waxwort has not yet fully formed, this explains the color change depending on the time of day. However, in adult birds aged 4-5 months there is no such problem, therefore, it becomes much easier to determine the sex of a parrot. Here the differences are pronounced, and it can be quite difficult to mix up.
Females have a white border around the nostrils, and the color of the waxwort fluctuates between beige and brown. In addition, the wax can be rough, this is also a hallmark of females. Besides, during hormonal activity, a female may develop a growth around the nostrils, which will fall off over time. But the parrot can also be an albino, but the same principle of determining sex works here.
Male budgerigars have a pronounced blue color of the wax. At the same time, its surface is smooth and not subject to the formation of growths.
In both females and males, the beak can change its color with age or with a change in hormonal levels. There is also the opportunity to often meet an albino bird. At the same time, the principles for determining sex remain approximately the same or are reduced to the presence of roughness. In addition, in albino males, you can notice bluish spots on the beak and the formation above it.
As mentioned above, the beak can be completely different colors. For example, green or yellow, this should not be confusing, when choosing a parrot, you should pay attention only to the wax.
There is another method for determining the sex of a bird - the so-called genetic method. It is less simple for inexperienced people. This method is widespread among poultry farmers. And most often used for very young chicks.
It is possible due to the mutation inherent in some parrots. At birth, the chicks may have signs of characteristic mutations, which are manifested in the color of the not yet fledged parrots. There are several of them:
- cinnamon;
- Albino
- lasing;
- lute;
- opaline;
- apse;
- texas celandine.
Based on the parameters of the parents and the mutation of the newborn bird, you can determine the sex of the parrot and even what offspring to expect from it. This method requires certain knowledge, fixed by considerable practice.
In addition to all this, the sex of a parrot can be determined by a DNA test. This method is the least available of all, but, accordingly, the most effective. As a rule, the cost of such procedures is very high, so it is not very popular.
Useful Tips
Young individuals are more willing to get used to their hands and learn to speak, as mentioned above, there can be difficulties with determining the sex of chicks. If after acquiring a parrot there are doubts about his gender, it is important to observe the bird and identify features in its behavior. The approach to education and taming will depend on this.
And also, depending on the season, males and females have different hormonal changes, which can often be determined by a change in the color of the beak. Accordingly, during this period, parrots may need various vitamins and minerals, which may vary depending on gender.
Rumor has it that the sex of a parrot can be determined by the shape of the head. In some cases, the differences are quite noticeable, and this may work. It is believed that in males the crown is flatter, while in females it is rounded. But, as practice shows, this method is ineffective, and it is better not to pay attention to the shape of the head.
On how to determine the sex of a parrot, see further.
