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SEXING A PEARL COCKATIEL!

JessicakOX

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Hello! We have a 9 month old pearl cockatiel, we have never seen the parents so can’t determine what the mother and father looked like... this is the first time we have owned a cockatiel and need help trying to figure out the sex! They chirp and makes noises, almost like talking when looking in the mirror or out the window! and squeaks when in the cage (Super nosey!), screeches when I leave the room unless with me, very affectionate and loving, loves being kisses on the beak, but also lets you know when enough is enough! also love to chew just about ANYTHING! please see photo and any help would be amazing! X A7198444-FA56-4D5D-8C23-398F6DA9F341.jpeg A5F90ECF-726A-45EA-BD30-F0D98E6EC5A7.png
 

sunnysmom

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Your tiel is super cute. Male pearls lose their pearls after their first molt. Females keep them. So once your cutie has its first big molt you should know. Also, generally, males are more vocal- whistling, sometimes talking, etc. And tend to do heart wings. But those are not full proof as some females do those too.
 

Tiel Feathers

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What a cutie! I’m thinking you might have a girl since it looks like she has all her pearls still, but you should know for sure in a few months.
 

camelotshadow

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Looks younger to me...You will know soon...I'm not getting strong vibes either way but leaning toward male for some reason but it could go either way...males lose the pearls...
 

Tara81

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@Monica Can you wing sex pearl mutations when young? Can you wing sex pied mutations when young? Just curious I know you can for grey tiels.
 

Tara81

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What is the time difference from the first to second photo? The pearls appear duller in the second photo.. But maybe I am just seeing things. If the pearls slowly fade it is a boy :]
 

Monica

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I'm leaning towards a male, too.

@Monica Can you wing sex pearl mutations when young? Can you wing sex pied mutations when young? Just curious I know you can for grey tiels.
You can sex pearls by their tail feathers.





As for pied cockatiels... it depends.... are they light pied? "medium" pied? heavy pied? clear pied? It might be possible to sex pieds at an early stage, it might not.
 

Davi

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Whether a boy or a girl, they're a cutie! Judging on the behavior alone, my intuition says female, but really, I have no idea :lol: Welcome to the Avian Avenue and what's her/his name?
 

camelotshadow

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I'm leaning towards a male, too.



You can sex pearls by their tail feathers.





As for pied cockatiels... it depends.... are they light pied? "medium" pied? heavy pied? clear pied? It might be possible to sex pieds at an early stage, it might not.
Not sure if that rule always applies with the tail & tips...I had a male pearl & to me when he was young if you used this guide he would have been female which he was not & he lost his pearls.. Tp tell you the truth I just seems to know by looking at the face & I pick up a feeling...thats just me...

I see what you mean on the pearl in question though as his tail tips are dark but my male did not have dark tails tips but he was a white face pearl so maybe thats different & he was split to pied. pearl7wks.jpg
 

camelotshadow

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IMGwean0529 (20).JPG

Not sure age but about 6 weeks here & 7 above...In the first photo the yellow on the edge of tail was staining from it draggin g in dye from food or poop...It was not permanent.
 

Monica

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I always figured it wasn't a reliable indicator, but not a bad one, either!

I love the whiteface pearls! :heart:
 

JessicakOX

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Hi! Thankyou for all the responses! Their name is Sunny - so appropriate for with Male or female :)
 

JessicakOX

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Whether a boy or a girl, they're a cutie! Judging on the behavior alone, my intuition says female, but really, I have no idea :lol: Welcome to the Avian Avenue and what's her/his name?
Their name is Sunny! :)
 

JessicakOX

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I'm leaning towards a male, too.



You can sex pearls by their tail feathers.





As for pied cockatiels... it depends.... are they light pied? "medium" pied? heavy pied? clear pied? It might be possible to sex pieds at an early stage, it might not.
th
What is the time difference from the first to second photo? The pearls appear duller in the second photo.. But maybe I am just seeing things. If the pearls slowly fade it is a boy :]
the time difference between the two photos is around 4 months :) X
 

JessicakOX

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@Monica & @Tara81 here’s a photo take on 22 Feb 2020 - this is Sunny now and proof they LOVE kisses, they just sit there and demand kisses by nudging there head on my lips/chin haha! ALSO please see below the tail! any more sexing knowledge would be amazing! Thankyou! also they are roughly 9 months old :) 80AE545F-58C2-4736-8F24-9E533B193414.jpeg ABCB82E8-F7C7-4FC3-9029-2A506E1DB344.png
 

Monica

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I do see loss of pearl coloration and grey coloration overall.... so still saying a young male! Maybe a bit of a late bloomer, but still a young male! ;) He's quite adorable!
 

JessicakOX

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@Monica im so sorry for all the questions haha, my other half was stocking them the other day they stuck there him in the air and made lots of chirping noises! I tried to do some research and it said that’s what female cockatiels do when they are becoming sexually mature? Is this normal for males also?! Or young males? X
 

Monica

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Sticking tail feathers up and chirping would indicate female behavior! But females don't typically lose their pearls... interesting!
 
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