And then there were 4....Age and Gender?

[BudgieLoverNY]

Hi,

I am a long time reader of this forum and have a learnt a LOT from all of you. Thanks!

I started with one budgie (Twitter) from a local shop about two months ago. I then added a second (Kiwi) three weeks later since I wanted Twitter to have a true birdy friend, even though I was spending lots of time with him. It paid off seeing how happy he was when I added Kiwi -- they kissed and preened right away and stuck together for days feeding each other, it was a sight to see and very rewarding.

Recently Twitter has been asserting himself as boss, i.e. pushing Kiwi away from any food dish Kiwi is eating from every now and then and Twitter wants first picking (there are 4 feeding stations - see pic - so go figure...). I feel bad for Kiwi but the breeder said it's to be expected for there to be a dominant one. He suggested maybe adding two more to even things out which I did today, about three weeks after adding Kiwi. The new additions are Snowy (the white one) and Dressy [edit: now named "Sweetie" as she really is a little sweetie]
(the gray wing).

My question is, can you please help me figure out their age and sex?

Thanks!

BudgieLoverNY


The Cage







First there was "Twitter"...












Then came "Kiwi"....














Then came "Snowy"....









And finally "Dressy" [edit: now named "Sweetie" as she really is a little sweetie!]...













And for some fun - Twitter and Kiwi after a sink rump with the water:





As it is summer here in NY I take them out in the warm weather to dry and catch their breath... 

[ffiscool]

Welcome.  Lovely buds and names. Sorry not got my glasses in but are they just in your hand outside or in a cage?

[BudgieLoverNY]

They are on my finger(s) as their wings are clipped from the shop. they behave real well on my finger and we have special time outside, each on their own and sometimes together, enjoying the fresh air and warmth.

[BudgieLoverNY]

A pic of them all together for the first time today:

[lemonade]

Hi there!

They look very young. Under 3 months. I'd say Twitter is a boy. Kiwi - not sure but I'm swaying more towards girl. Snowy I'd say girl and Dressy also possibly a girl! That's my uneducated guess!
Your cage looks lovely

I know the store clipped their wings but will you let them grow out?

[BudgieLoverNY]

I plan to. I am happy they did come clipped though so I have a chance to tame them (and myself!) while they are more dependent on me

[BudgieLoverNY]

Adding some cere close ups:


Twitter:
















KIWI









Dressy [aka Sweetie]














SNOWY

[BudgieLoverNY]

Forgive me if this was asked before. Do budgies have a specific breed name or unique look/characteristics?
Meaning do any of our 4 belong in a certain group of budgie classification or are they all from one big pool?
i.e. I noticed one of mine (Dressy) has a flat top head and the others are more rounded.

Can anyone with knowledge on ID'ing tell us which one's we have along with best guess for age and sex?

Thanks!

BudgieLoverNY

[starlingqueen]

I think all male except Snowy, but that's not set in stone, time will tell as they get older.

[Hezz]

From the last lot of photos, I agree with SQ - three boys and last one girl.
The flatter head is just something that is there sometimes; there is a suggestion that the girls have a flatter head, but it doesn't stand up to scrutiny, really.

[BudgieLoverNY]

Jul 2, 2015 1:01:47 GMT Hezz said:

From the last lot of photos, I agree with SQ - three boys and last one girl.
The flatter head is just something that is there sometimes; there is a suggestion that the girls have a flatter head, but it doesn't stand up to scrutiny, really.

Thanks! Am I to worry that I have one female and three males? Is that a recipe for trouble down the road?

[FFG]

Hi. I thought I had 4 male budgies but it turned out that one is a female. So far I have had no problems at all. Mine are all under a year old so still quite young too.

[Hezz]

Jul 2, 2015 6:06:04 GMT FFG said:

Hi. I thought I had 4 male budgies but it turned out that one is a female. So far I have had no problems at all. Mine are all under a year old so still quite young too.

I thought this might grab your attention, Gareth.

Jul 2, 2015 2:05:58 GMT BudgieLoverNY said:

Jul 2, 2015 1:01:47 GMT Hezz said:

From the last lot of photos, I agree with SQ - three boys and last one girl.
The flatter head is just something that is there sometimes; there is a suggestion that the girls have a flatter head, but it doesn't stand up to scrutiny, really.

Thanks! Am I to worry that I have one female and three males? Is that a recipe for trouble down the road?

Not necessarily; a lot will depend on the individual personalities of the birds, most particularly the female.

[FFG]

Deja vu Hezz

[BudgieLoverNY]

Thanks all!