Jul 11, 2012 9:57:45 GMT
gjtysoe
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 23
|
Post by gjtysoe on Jul 11, 2012 19:24:40 GMT
I've always been convinced my bird Joey is a boy but whereas his cere was beginning to look very blue a month or so ago, it has been turning a darker shade of brown over the last few weeks. The local pet shop say the colour should be pretty obvious by six months and their own male birds have very bright blue ceres at a younger age. He is also a bit of a pipsqueak....doesn't seem to get any bigger though otherwise very happy and free flying most of the time. Could he be the runt of his batch or just a smaller variety of budgie than most i have seen? His sister (allegedly) brought by my daughter at the same time, has always kind of dwarfed him I'd also say he's more friendly... Attachments:
|
|
Jul 11, 2012 9:57:45 GMT
gjtysoe
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 23
|
Post by gjtysoe on Jul 11, 2012 19:27:51 GMT
this is a more recent pic taken a few weeks ago...I'd say his cere is even browner now Attachments:
|
|
|
Post by BudgiesBuddy on Jul 11, 2012 19:51:40 GMT
Hi and welcome to forum A beautiful female. The cere would keep changing color whenever she is in and out of breeding condition.
|
|
Jul 11, 2012 9:57:45 GMT
gjtysoe
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 23
|
Post by gjtysoe on Jul 11, 2012 22:20:50 GMT
can I ask why you think female?
|
|
|
Post by stace on Jul 11, 2012 22:28:25 GMT
can I ask why you think female? It's because of the brown cere. Only females have brown ceres. When they go out of breeding condition the cere can change to be a kind of washed out muddy blue colour. But a boy's cere will be bright blue. When they are young, it can be hard to tell which sex they are, as their ceres are similar in colour until they get a bit older - sort of pinky blue mostly. At a young age, the female's cere may seem blue-ish, but there are tell tale signs that she is a female, like a kind of white colour around the nares (nostril holes). Later it will go brown, and in different shades of brown depending on her condition.
|
|
Jan 12, 2012 22:54:32 GMT
Nicola
Senior Spangle
Poppi, Digger, Daisy, Mawson, Cleo, Casper, Romeo, Georgia, Melmen, Rosalie, Willow, Alice and Finn
Posts: 1,148
|
Post by Nicola on Jul 12, 2012 1:01:15 GMT
Definitely female Nicola
|
|
Jul 11, 2012 9:57:45 GMT
gjtysoe
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 23
|
Post by gjtysoe on Jul 12, 2012 23:25:31 GMT
Another thing that made me believe he was male was his behaviour around his 'sister'. He seemed to be very sociable/ interested in her when they wete together around Easter time ( judt under 4 months) but she was quite aggressive towards joey when he got close. At one point he got behind her and put his foot on her back which i had read can be common male mating behaviour. Then i wasn't sure if they were just too young. I'm going to have to get used to having a female if that's the case. Thanks for the help...any further opinions welcome
|
|
|
Post by BudgiesBuddy on Jul 13, 2012 11:13:09 GMT
Most of my young do so with brothers and sisters.
|
|
Apr 24, 2024 10:30:50 GMT
birder
Guest
|
Post by birder on Jul 16, 2012 20:58:00 GMT
I see a male in both pictures - in the second photo, the cere isn't brown, it's a dark violet, almost red. To me it looks like he has a hormonal problem & you should get him checked out. www.birds-online.de/allgemein/geschlecht_en.htm (scroll down for examples)
|
|
Jul 11, 2012 9:57:45 GMT
gjtysoe
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 23
|
Post by gjtysoe on Jul 17, 2012 22:13:06 GMT
that's rather worrying especially as I've just read it can also be a sign of testicular cancer . Can you be more specific as to why you say you 'see a male in both pics'. It's all a bit confusing and this is my first bird. I will obviously have him checked over... I will try also try to post more recent pics or video where his cere is clearly brown.
|
|
Jul 11, 2012 9:57:45 GMT
gjtysoe
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 23
|
Post by gjtysoe on Jul 18, 2012 0:18:16 GMT
Can anyone tell me how common growth of a feminizing tumour is in such a young bird-8-9 months old and whether hormonal imbalance is always linked to cancer?
|
|
|
Post by Hezz on Jul 18, 2012 0:45:04 GMT
It isn't always, no, but fairly often, from what I can gather. I have recently lost my best friend to an abdo tumour/cancer which also caused enlarged liver and kidneys.
Before you start to think the worst, there is something else that can cause the cere of a male to change and that is hypothyroidism. Does your bird have access to iodine? Iodine deficiency is the biggest cause of hypothyroidism. If you wish to try this, there is no harm to your budgie if it's problem ISN"T hypothyroidism.
|
|
Jul 11, 2012 9:57:45 GMT
gjtysoe
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 23
|
Post by gjtysoe on Jul 18, 2012 15:06:27 GMT
Thanks Hezz. He has cuttle fish and a mineral block. The first he has never been interested in, the mineral not at first, but i would say he's been using it more over the past few months. I will get a separate iodine block and try to locate an avian vet. Would they be able to confirm cancer if there are no obvious signs of a tumour? Can I also ask for the name of a good rescue remedy should I need it in the future. I've read something on here about a good one here in the UK but don't remember the name. Also anything else I can give my bird that would benefit his overall health. He is a complete seed junkie-not interested in any of the variety of fresh foods I've tried to introduce. Other than that he seems to be healthy happy and active albeit a bit on the small side.
|
|
|
Post by Hezz on Jul 19, 2012 3:01:00 GMT
I think you are thinking of Guardian Angel. It is a great pick-me-up for budgies who have been ill, on antibiotics etc. If you are willing to have your bird xrayed they should be able to pick up whether there is a tumour or not. To have him x-rayed may require him to be anaesthetised, depending on how up to date your vet's equipment is. Unfortunately for our budgies there isn't a lot they can do for tumours, due to the small size of the bird, their small quantity of blood and the lack of room in their bodies - it is all pretty crowded in there, with not a lot of room for extra masses. If you do get him to a vet, ask about iodine deficiency - they may recommend a iodine tincture supplement to be added to him water for a time, to see if this makes a difference. As for diet - fresh greens are always good; don't give up too quickly. Often it takes ages for a seed-junky to even begin to try anything else. Here are a few things that almost all budgies like: carrot (small rounds or grated to start with), sweet corn, broccoli. Also if you can try him on grasses, safe twigs etc. If you are able to sprout some of his seeds and feed these to him too.
|
|
Jul 11, 2012 9:57:45 GMT
gjtysoe
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 23
|
Post by gjtysoe on Jul 19, 2012 18:15:07 GMT
thank you to everyone for your advice...much appreciated!!
I emailed photos of my bird to a friend who has been breeding for several decades, along with a couple of recent videos to show his/her behaviour and they are convinced that Joey is a hen. I think I'm going to stick with this view for now as I don't want to traumatise my bird with medical procedures when she currently seems so healthy and active. I'm going to give some iodine supplement for a while and keep a close eye on any changes to the cere. As far as the diet goes Hezz I will keep trying to tempt with veggies and look into trying to sprout some seed. Would it be ok to try some supermarket organic seeds/ sprouts in the meantime? I've also thought about buying eucalyptus. Should I get a plant or can you buy leaves for birds in the UK?
|
|