Gender-specific behaviors in Pyrrhura Conures

[lwis]

So my Rose Crowned Conure, Dexter (we suspected to be a male), is seeming to be hitting some hormones lately. He is almost three years old, and hasn't really (to my knowledge) displayed any mating-like hormonal behavior yet, up until now.
Well, lately he (?) has started displaying some interesting behavior.
I know it is difficult to tell gender without DNA testing, but does anyone know of any behaviors that are more typically associated with males vs females? I am going to assume (but could be completely wrong) that many of the Pyrrhura Conures may have similar behaviors....?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Quite possibly. Males of my species are more prone to pinching. Rocket .. male CB loves me. He can get obsessed with my hands pinching them all over. Not hard though. It's the only way he knows how to "woo" me and then he'll go in for the …"Ahem" attempting to mate with my hand. Of course I must protest… ok you… time to get off. Now I'm privy to the pinching behavior and divert his attention. He's like a rat sometimes climbing all over me and it doesn't take much to stimulate him. He also masterbates one of his toys and makes noise while he's doing it so I know what he's up to when I'm not in that room. Breeding males can be very defensive about their hens and won't hesitate to come after you and bite. A female green cheek I have will get her jollies on a perch too but not quite in the same manner as Rocket. Petting her can get her aroused to flattening her back and raising her tail up. Two female CB will also get quite "clucky" and slap their wings on their sides when being pet from the head down to the back. It's almost like you can't touch them too much when hormones are going. What type of behavior is your conure exhibiting?

 

[JLcribber]

The females lay eggs.

 

[pajarita]

You really cannot go by behaviors because, unless you are somebody who has had years and years of experience with a decent number of individuals of the same species and are an excellent and objective observer, you make mistakes. I have had many birds brought to me by people who 'knew' for a fact their bird was male 'because he has never laid an egg and displays all male behaviors' which turned out to be hens. Besides, a single bird doesn't really display gender specific behaviors all the time or accurately, you need to look at a male and female which are bonded to each other to see them clearly.

I have no experience with Rosecrowns, only GCCs.

 

[lwis]

Petting her can get her aroused to flattening her back and raising her tail up. Two female CB will also get quite "clucky" and slap their wings on their sides when being pet from the head down to the back. It's almost like you can't touch them too much when hormones are going. What type of behavior is your conure exhibiting?

Dexter, has started displaying behaviour similar to this. Flipping his wings and tilting his butt up when you pet him. This is why I am asking.He has always liked playing under sheets and blankets or in drawers, but he has started to look like he is guarding his "caves" and owning them a bit more. Our guys are not DNA tested, and have always acted like boys (I know that that is not accurate and can easily be misinterpreted by people), but Dexter's behavior is different lately. I am just curious. I am thinking about getting them DNA sexed, but I don't know if I should. I suppose it doesn't really matter. Just curious now.

The females lay eggs.

HA HA.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

To me, that behavior is typical of a female but I will also say my male CB Rocket can get a little squeaky when I stroke him from head to back but.. he does not raise his tail up. He will start to gently pinch my hand all over… excessively. I know what comes next and I have to remind him.. "Rocket, it's no wonder you aren't popular with the ladies with all that pinching" and with that I make him get off to a perch. He turns into the over amorous Pepe le Pew cartoon skunk character. When I open the doors of his cage and Astro ( female GCC) he makes no attempt to be amorous to her and she will avoid him like the plague. She has a soft personality, gentle and Rocket is just a rowdy boy but very affectionate to me. Some birds are just very easily stimulated. You'll have to limit the petting to just Dexter's head and avoid the back and tail. Playing under sheets and blankets can lead to just that.. guarding the nest and don't be disappointed if he or she will dash out from under the sheet when you peek in and give you a nasty nip. It's natural behavior to them. DNA sexing really isn't important unless you are pairing birds up when you can't tell by appearance or behavior what the gender is. Some people are just curious and want to know or they want to keep more than one of the same species and don't want any breeding to occur. I did all of my DNA testing by blood samples. I raised crimsons and green cheeks and quit quite a while ago. There was one cinnamon GCC I didn't test and the behavior was suggestive of a male over a period of months when located in a cage next to another GC that I knew was a female so I gradually let them get to know each other and watched their behavior together when they were out. I never witnessed any actually mating but lo and behold…. that Cinnamon laid an egg!!!! Those two girls just REALLY liked each other. I ended up letting them be companions …. happy ending.

I don't think it hurts to know what they are and if you are keeping Dexter in the same cage with the GCC in your avatar.. you don't want them to breed.