Ceres for those interested

[Monica]

Females can have blue on their ceres as well! It's just not the same blue as a males...

 

[Isawe]

Females can have blue on their ceres as well! It's just not the same blue as a males...

Ohh ok Thank you for telling me, I was extremely confused lol

 

[Godzilla]

I just posted asking about this, because I didn't know they were called ceres.

Great post thank you, although I hope this now means that my girl, that turned into a bo, is now back being a girl lol

 

[FancyFan]

Hello, everyone! Recently (just before Thanksgiving) got this fancy parakeet from PetSmart, and been reading everything can find on them. Though am still confused when comes to determining the sex of young Lutino bird, which is what this one look like, but would appreciate a more experienced eye in what possibly the sex and age of this cutie is. Plan on taking to vet soon, and was going to have a DNA test done to be sure though before look for another companion.

 

[Monica]

Hello, everyone! Recently (just before Thanksgiving) got this fancy parakeet from PetSmart, and been reading everything can find on them. Though am still confused when comes to determining the sex of young Lutino bird, which is what this one look like, but would appreciate a more experienced eye in what possibly the sex and age of this cutie is. Plan on taking to vet soon, and was going to have a DNA test done to be sure though before look for another companion.

Your bird is a dark factor recessive pied from what I can tell... not a lutino.

I would also say you have a male! Cere should remain pink for life!

 

[FancyFan]

Hello Monica,

Thank you! Appreciate your expertise and insight into Sol’s orgin, and good to know he is male, which was what was wanting, and thought all along was male, along that his cere will remain pink, and believe is where the confusion starts setting in, as that is the opposite from the norm isn’t it? Or does it depend on their species and breeding, what the color of their ceres will be in identify their gender?

Did read a bit while back ago, about factors, and think will need to refresh myself on this, as do not recall dark factor recessive pied being mentioned much. Came across this when researching few types of parrots am interested in having in future, get interested in other unrelated topics. Did ultimately decide on black-capped conures, after get 2 more special male budgies as companions for Sol. Would like to have one of them be a Albino, but from what understand they are rare.

 

[Sparkles99]

@Monica Do you think he has one dark, two dark, or one dark + one grey? I ask, because I have some comparison birds here & his green most resembles Winston's (proven 1 dark + 1 grey), not Pistachio's (1 dark). Though this could be the lighting!

Also, please help me understand why he's a recessive pied & not a double factor dominant (which was my guess, though my post disappeared along with many other posts).

 

[Monica]

thought all along was male, along that his cere will remain pink, and believe is where the confusion starts setting in, as that is the opposite from the norm isn’t it?

Males either have a deep blue/purple cere, or a pink cere, as adult. Recessive pieds and inos will always have the pink ceres with dark eyes. Dominant pied and double factor spangles (they look like inos) will have the blue ceres and a white iris.

As @Sparkles99 pointed out, he does look a lot like a double factor dominant pied as well. If the eyes remain dark (no white iris) and cere pink, this indicates recessive pied. If the eye gets a white ring, this indicates dominant pied.

There is no "opposite than norm" - adult females will never have a pink cere. They can have white, white with tan/blue, tan, brown and crusty brown.

Or does it depend on their species and breeding, what the color of their ceres will be in identify their gender?

There's only one species of budgerigar. But yes, as I explained above, it can depend on mutation.

Would like to have one of them be a Albino, but from what understand they are rare.

Although albino females should, in theory, be more common, I see far more albino males than I do females. I wouldn't consider them rare, but perhaps less common than the non-albinos.

@Monica Do you think he has one dark, two dark, or one dark + one grey? I ask, because I have some comparison birds here & his green most resembles Winston's (proven 1 dark + 1 grey), not Pistachio's (1 dark). Though this could be the lighting!

Also, please help me understand why he's a recessive pied & not a double factor dominant (which was my guess, though my post disappeared along with many other posts).

That's hard to say. Either 1 dark, 1 grey, or 2 dark. Being that this bird is a pied, it really hides the distinguishing factors of how to tell them apart.

I simply saw recessive pied in this individual, but you are right, the bird could also be double factor dominant pied. If the eyes remain dark, we know the bird is recessive pied. If the bird develops a white iris, the bird is dominant pied.

 

[Drakitty]

Hey guys. I'm "rescuing" a very timid budgie from my local petco in about a week. The other birds were picking on it relentlessly so the staff put it in quarentine to make sure nothing was wrong. I get a really strong female vibe, what do you think? I know the photos aren't the best, sorry.

 

[Ripshod]

Hey guys. I'm "rescuing" a very timid budgie from my local petco in about a week. The other birds were picking on it relentlessly so the staff put it in quarentine to make sure nothing was wrong. I get a really strong female vibe, what do you think? I know the photos aren't the best, sorry.

Your vibe isn't wrong. A young lady around 13 to 16 weeks old.

 

[Drakitty]

Your vibe isn't wrong. A young lady around 13 to 16 weeks old.

That's what I thought. I haven't had many budgies, but when we picked out our first one I went through so many how to sex a budgie articles lol. Now I'm going to need to buy fake budgie eggs lol.

 

[Ripshod]

Hey guys. I'm "rescuing" a very timid budgie from my local petco in about a week. The other birds were picking on it relentlessly so the staff put it in quarentine to make sure nothing was wrong. I get a really strong female vibe, what do you think? I know the photos aren't the best, sorry.

That's what I thought. I haven't had many budgies, but when we picked out our first one I went through so many how to sex a budgie articles lol. Now I'm going to need to buy fake budgie eggs lol.

It's not necessary to get fake eggs if there's no male about. Or is there a male?
There's a mountain of info on here on how to avoid laying anyway.

 

[Sparkles99]

Congratulations! She's beautiful.

 

[Drakitty]

It's not necessary to get fake eggs if there's no male about. Or is there a male?
There's a mountain of info on here on how to avoid laying anyway.

Oh theres a boy. All my other parrots are boys... we'll see how this plays out. She may get her own sleepy cage.

 

[Ripshod]

I actually made a boo-boo. If she lays eggs you can just throw them away. Budgies won't lay to replace eggs @Drakitty

 

[Monica]

It wouldn't hurt to get fake eggs as a back up... they can be used in place of real eggs so you are sure that they don't break.

But yes, if you know how to do it, it is possible to discourage egg laying.


The cere links pinkish to me which means that I would lean towards male myself... but it could just be how the images appear on my computer.

 

[Courtneyma]

Odin, birds are always trying to "get with" each other. Breeding and food are the two largest drives birds have, and most things they do are geared towards that. A males presence is stimulating her to come in to breeding mode. It's not the only thing. Food avalabilaty, lighting, nesting areas, etc all can push a hen to be in breeding mode. Now budgies, being kept so long in captivity, are always going to be easy to trigger.

Long story short, yes she is thinking about a family! Just don't give her places to lay, and you will be fine.

what kind of lighting influences the hen?

 

[Courtneyma]

Found it on FB just now
View attachment 175559

Found it on FB just now
View attachment 175559
I believe my bird is a female, she was very small when I got her about a good 7 or 8 months ago.

 

[Drakitty]

The new bird came home, twice but that's a diffrent story lol. Anyway the more I watch my Dominant pied boy with her the more I'm convinced it's a her... he loves having her around and she loves giving him the buisness

 

[Sparkles99]

Beautiful! And I agree, looks female.