Parakeet gender

[Nightmaretaz]

I am new pet owner. This is my first pair of parakeet. They both are with me for 2weeks now. Second one is more friendly then the first one. But I can't tell if they are male or female by their cere. Can any of you help me please?

 

[LeslieA]

https://m.wikihow.com/Identify-Your-Budgie's-Sex

Birds Online - General facts about budgies - Introduction

are two good sites. Please know that it is almost impossible to tell until after the first molt unless you're an AV, etc.

The second site makes for some interesting reading, too.

 

[Nightmaretaz]

Thanks for your reply. Can you please estimate how old this parakeets are? I got them a week ago. I have no clue about parakeets. But they seem kinda friendly since they eat seeds from my finger and seat on my finger and hand but doesn't want to come out of cage.

 

[Owlet]

The one in the first picture is very young I think but I don't know about the 2nd. I heard that stripes on the front of their head means they're fairly young and they disappear / move back as their bird gets older but some budgie color types don't have the stripes so I don't know..

 

[lplummer52]

Both are very young I'd say. They will come out of their cage in time. Lots of bars and big black eyes says they're young. They should be in separate cages if you want them really tame.

 

[Nightmaretaz]

Thank you. I didn't know they were young. I thought my parakeets are just skinny cause the pet shop didn't feed them well. I got another question. Is it ok if I steam vegetables before feeding them or it has to be raw? I know I should never give them salt.

 

[Owlet]

cooked is generally better I think but raw is still good. I cook all of Lincoln's food before putting it in his chop.

 

[Nightmaretaz]

Awesome. One of my friend said I shouldn't cook food for my pet. Then again he doesn't have any pet

 

[EllenD]

The Budgie in the first photo is between 6 months and a year old; the Budgie in the second photo is most-likely at least a year old or older...You can tell by the black-lines on their heads, or lack there of, going down their forehead; the closer the black lines are their cere, the younger they are, the more white they have on their foreheads, the older they are...Generally when the black lines are about half-way down the forehead, like the Budgie in the first photo, that puts them at at-least 6 months old, and with this one they have already started receding back away from the middle of the forehead, that's why I'm saying at least 6 months old but not a year...With the second Budgie, it's entire forehead is white, and the black lines have receded beyond the forehead, so it's at least a year old, but based on it's eyes I don't think it's much older than a year, maybe a year and a half...

****Incidentally, as far as sexing them goes, the Budgie in the first photo is too young to sex, as right now I'd call it a female, but if it's cere turns completely pink in roughly the next 6 months, then it's a male, if it stays tan/cream colored after 6 months or so, then it's a female. The Budgie in the second photo is definitely old enough to sex, however the lighting in that photo makes it hard to tell if it's cere is pink or tan/cream colored, if it's pink then it's a male, if it's tan/cream colored then it's a female...

 

[LeslieA]

Life would be easier with blanket answers! Most produce can be fed raw. Sweet potatoes should be steamed. Be safe (I'm just waiting for someone to scream PHYTOTOXINS.) and stick to greens, kale, broccoli heads, apple and berries.

In case somebody tells you otherwise, lose any grit. Avoid onion and bulbs (allums), tomato (nightshades), dairy (including yogurt), avocado, chocolate.

Another way to play it safe is wait to guess gender until you've had them 3 months. If you really are anxious about gender, check out that wikihow site or visit a vet with budgie experience.

It's probably another controversial topic to debate, but studies have shown that budgies don't need to be separated to form individual human bonds. The time spent together actually helps them form stronger bonds with their human.

 

[Nightmaretaz]

I am not anxious. I was just curious. The more I learn about them the more I want to know.

 

[LeslieA]

Remember, an Ecclectus has different dietary needs than your budgies. Even so, frozen fruits and veggies that have been thawed work well, especially if you mix in chia seeds to absorb the liquid. Make sure you let those chia seeds soak in that liquid a short while or you might have constipated budgies. Haha Raw broccoli is easy because if you cut off the little flowerettes, you have seed-looking morsels. Kale and greens hung wet make great bathing material that can be eaten at the same time. Yum

 

[Nightmaretaz]

Thank you I will start feeding vegetables from tomorrow again. Was holding it off since I thought steaming them might be dagerous.

 

[LeslieA]

I figure parrotlets and budgies are like Lays potato chips... One is not enough. They're just so cute!