Boy or Girl? Please help end the confusion!

[slwilson]

Hello everybody.
Please help me out as to whether my Budge is a girl or boy..

I thought it was a boy in the early stages with the blue cere (as seen in photo)


but have since had people say it's a girl and the cere is now brown (other photo)



Also the feathers on the crown use to be smooth and pale.. but now the cere has changed the feathers have become somewhat spikey with black tips
I would appreciate any help or information - i have read that brown ceres can mean an over-oily diet and i would like to change this if that is the case - or whether my budgie is simply in breeding season
Thanks !!

[BudgiesBuddy]

Hi and welcome to forum

You have a beautiful female and it's evident by both pictures.

There is nothing wrong with the feathers. She is molting and that's it

[BudgiesBuddy]

Molting is periodic replacement of birds' feathers by shedding old feathers while producing new ones. The ones you see as tipped are pin feathers, which will open up in few days.

[Rachael Kellett]

BB is right, a lovely girl

[stace]

Aw. She's just gorgeous. As the others have said, she is simply going through her normal moult. They'll do that once or maybe twice a year. Sometimes they'll little mini moults when you'll notice just a few of those little pin feathers poking through. They can get itchy and maybe a bit grumpy when they moult. It's both hormones and the irritation from the hard keratin that is wrapped around the new feathers. As the keratin sheath gradually comes off the new feathers show through.

[slwilson]

Thank you so much for all the comments! It's a relief to know "she" is all good and well i have noticed she's a bit pecky and itchy and now i understand ..thank you

[Hezz]

A light misting with tepid water will help ease her itching. Using a spray bottle that has only ever been used for water, or a brand new one, just spray the water over her and allow it to fall on her rather than spraying directly at her. She may not like it at the time, but it helps soften the keratin and allows her to rub it off more easily.

[Marianne Marlow]

Welcome swilson

As others said definitely a pretty girl

[slwilson]

Great advice thank you! Will try spraying her. Does anybody know anything about the brownness of her cere and whether this is expected to be a permanent thing? I think she is still quite young so it may change with time

[barrieshutt]

the cere will continue to change colour through out her life , from whitish clue to nur brown and every shade in between , this is all down to her breeding conditions .

[rkkennedy]

beaudiful. peepers