How to Tell Parakeet Gender?
Do you have a cute parakeet at your home? So, you must be thinking about giving it a unique name so that you and your family members can call it easily? However, the main concern is parakeet gender since it is important to know whether it is a male or a female parakeet. Then, you can choose a suitable name as per that.
One of the best ways to distinguish the male parakeet from a female parakeet is to look for the behavioral characteristics of the parakeets. But before knowing the steps, it is more important to know the importance of this question.
Does Parakeet Gender Matter?
When you go ahead with the idea of having a parakeet at your home, the sex of the parakeet obviously matters. It is due to the fact that male and female parakeets exhibit unique behaviors and characteristics. So, when someone decides to bring a pet home, the decision is based upon the fact that what an individual wants from his pet.
So here we have outlined some top points that can strike your mind before owing a parakeet:
- If you are intended to breed the birds, then gender certainly matters.
- If you are looking for a certain type of companion, then choose your parakeet depending on the gender as male and female parakeets show different behaviors.
Moreover, if you want to know what are the characteristics and habits that can make you select the right parakeet for you, then don’t worry. We have given some common traits that can influence your selection of the parakeet:
- It has been seen that female parakeets tend to bond more strongly with their owners. Also, females are louder but stick to the simple squawks. On the other hand, the male parakeets sing; elaborate tune songs and are more vocal.
- Females are difficult to tackle and are a bit bossier. However, the male parakeets are more active socially. They get along very well with the other parakeets.
How to Tell If a Parakeet is Male or Female?
There are various ways to find the gender of the parakeet. Some methods are more precise and easier compared to other methods. The first and foremost thing is the age of the parakeet. It plays a significant role in choosing the right method to sex the parakeet whether it is a little or an adult parakeet from a specific category of species.
For example, if it is a non-pigmented parakeet, including lutinos, albinos, etc, then it may require a complicated method. An experienced professional can help you conduct a DNA test. Here we have mentioned some easiest ways for how do you tell a male from a female parakeet:
DNA Method
When the first thought of how to tell the gender of a parakeet arises in your mind, you feel the need for a veteran who can tell you the gender of the parakeet. Remember, if you are dealing with a complicated species, then you may need help from a professional.
Otherwise, there are also some easy methods available that can help you out. One of the most popular and scientific ways to know your parakeet is male or female is DNA sexing.
In this method, the common and popular way is collecting the blood samples. It is preferred to check the gender of parakeets before pairing them together for the purpose of reproduction.
The professionals extract the DNA cells, amplify and then combine them with a specific type of DNA markers. It will help you come to know whether the samples exhibit ZZ chromosomes or ZW chromosomes.
Moreover, other than collecting blood samples, eggshell and feather samples also play important role in finding out the gender of the parakeet.
• In this technique, less stress and risk are involved. However, you should keep in mind that only freshly obtained feathers can provide you with an accurate result. Therefore, avoid providing the fallen feathers to the lab assistant.
• On the other hand, the eggshell strategy is comparatively complicated and stressful than the other two methods mentioned above.
Endoscopic Technique
It is a surgical way to check the parakeet gender. It is also named surgical sexing. In this technique, an endoscope needs to be inserted into the abdominal air sacs and skin of the bird.
Applying this technique to the parakeet makes the entire abdominal system of the bird visible including the reproductive organs. In this way, the Veteran can examine the gender of the parakeet. It is one of the most accurate and precise methods to check if the parakeet is male or female.
However, you should make sure that you are taking help from an experienced and well-trained doctor. Moreover, apart from finding out the gender, this method can also let you know about the health issues if your parakeet has any.
Therefore, if you are comfortable putting your bird under the endoscope, then you can go for this fastest method. Here we will discuss in detail the points involved in the visual sexing technique:
Visual Technique
Visual sexing is another convenient way to determine the gender of the parakeet but the condition is that it should be at least one year old. Therefore, you should avoid checking the newborns with visual sexing as it can cause discomfort to them.
In this technique, the appearance and physical structure are examined like size, weight, and external appearance. One thing that is unavoidable to mention is that this method is not very precise and accurate though it is the easiest and fastest method.
Here are a few things you need to keep in mind:
- Don’t use this method if you don’t have any prior experience.
- Only the color of the feathers will not decide the gender of the parakeets.
Here we will discuss in detail the points involved in visual sexing. So, read till the end to know about how to tell if a parakeet is male or female?
a) Age of the Parakeet
It is almost impossible to tell their gender until the parakeets are at least one year old as they both look indistinguishable before turning 12 months old. For example, in newborn parakeets, the color of the cere is the same as pink or purple. So, you cannot judge even at looking the cere color whether is a girl or a boy.
Furthermore, cere color is not the only factor the is linked to age. However, other things like characteristics and body structure are also linked with age. Besides this, eye color is another way to find out the gender of the parakeets.
Step 1: Notice the Behavior
If you are struggling with the problem of how to tell a parakeet gender, then you can start noticing the behavior of your parakeets. For example, you can pay attention to the style in which your parakeet communicates with the humans and other birds. You can effortlessly understand the body language of your parakeet pet.
However, at the same time, it is important to mention if this is the first time you are owning a parakeet as a pet. Because in this case, it can be a challenging task for you to detect the gender of the parakeet.
You can take help from the parakeet owners in your social circle. And follow the videos on the internet that can assist you in a better way for this process.
Here are some behavioral traits that can allow putting your parakeet at the right place in the parakeet gender chart:
- Females make loud noises but do not sing.
- Male parakeets have the habit of bobbing his hand against the cage and are more social.
- Female parakeets are comparatively aggressive whereas the males are calmer.
Step 2: Compare the Singing Sounds and Noise
The next step is comparing the noise and singing sounds of the parakeets. Then, you will find that the male parakeets love to sing, talk and mimic more as compared to the female ones. Moreover, the males are noisier than the females. Therefore, you can easily find out the gender by noticing the sound of the parakeets.
Furthermore, you will also notice the males love to chirp or sing throughout the day. On the other hand, the female ones may sound angry and less musical to you when compared with the opposite gender.
It is your duty to carefully hear and find the difference between the behavior of the parakeets when they make the noise. The male parakeet makes a chattering noise when he is trying to chase a female.
Yes, don’t mix the chattering with chirping and singing as it is completely different. Therefore, pay attention to each and all sound parakeets make.
Step 3: Sexual Dimorphism
You can spot the difference in the bodies and heads of the male and female parakeets without even touching them. Sexual dimorphism helps you to see the difference in terms of external looks and the physical structure of the body.
The first difference that is quite easy to spot is size. Yes, the male parakeets are comparatively bigger in size and weight. They are stronger and have larger heads than the female parakeets.
However, the size of the head of a male parakeet can be small due to some other reasons like stunting, inbreeding, etc. Also, you can get a clue about the parakeet gender by seeing at the feathers.
Male parakeet’s feathers are vibrant in color than female body feathers. But you can also don’t ignore that there are some male parakeet breeds that have non vibrant and muted feather colors. When the parakeets have non-wild type feather colors, then the colors included are light green, pale yellow, sky blue, etc.
Step 4: Check the Cere
Checking the cere of the parakeets is another useful trick to find out the gender. It is fleshy skin slightly raised on the nostrils. The color of the cere can be purple, pink, or blue if it is a male parakeet.
If the color of the cere is white, tan, or light blue, then it is a female parakeet. The colors of the ceres of male and female parakeets are completely different. So, pay attention to this. Male parakeets have ceres of darker colors and the females are with lighter cere colors.
The color of the ceres changes when they get matured. Thus, it will be difficult to detect the gender based on the color of the ceres when the parakeet is newborn. You should wait at least one year so that the parakeets have properly defined cere color.
Another point that is important to note is that the color of the cere of the female parakeet turns dark brown and rich when she is ready to mate.
Step 5: Notice Feet and Legs
By looking at the feet and legs of the parakeets, you can make an accurate estimate of whether it is a female or a male parakeet. The legs and feet also change with age due to the hormones. So, the cere is not the only visible part of the parakeet body if you are interested in knowing the gender of the parakeet.
The hormones are responsible for changing skin color at the feet and legs. The feet color of the male parakeets may be similar to the color of the cere.
In addition to this, the feet color of the female parakeets can be either brown or pink. However, you have to wait for the parakeets to be mature and at least turn 12 months old.
Step 6: Eggs
As we know that females are responsible for the egg-laying in all the species. So, here also as soon as the parakeet mate, the female parakeet lays the eggs.
And this usually happens in the spring season. Females tend to lay eggs in the presence or without the presence of the male. Therefore, if you see your parakeet laying the eggs, then it is a female parakeet for sure.
Conclusion:
If you have brought or are about to bring a parakeet to your home, you can check the gender of your parakeet at home by applying the above methods without investing much time or money.
However, if you don’t have enough experience, the last choice would be taking help from some knowledgeable person or a professional. It can be the most accurate method to go for. So, you will not be left with any doubts!
