Males vs. Females as Pets

[Violet]

Hey guys, I have a question. I am wondering if there tend to be differences between males and females in regards to behaviour as pets? The reason I am asking is because I plan to get a Crimson Bellied Conure down the road, and am not sure which sex to request.

I have had two lovebirds, and by far the male was a nicer pet. While I recognize that the female was not hand-fed as a baby, through my own online research it seems to be the general consensus that male lovebirds tend to be less moody and nippy, and make more even-tempered pets. Is this the same in conures? I ran across a website yesterday that said the opposite - female conures tend to be cuddlier, less independent and 'sweeter' pet birds than their male counterparts. I would love to hear input from people who have owned multiple birds of both sexes or breeders, as I am really curious.

While I know every bird is an individual, I would like to stack the deck in my favour (so to speak) and get the sex that is less prone to moodiness and nippiness. I figure if I am investing so much money and time in preparing for the bird, what's an extra $25 for the DNA test

Thanks!

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I've found that the the opposite gender to what you are is the best but not everyone agrees on this and it may be influenced by the gender of their hand feeder.

If given the choice I would always pick the male because it removes any egg complications. Eggs can be life threatening and deplete calcium if your bird happens to lay one.

 

[caliopi]

I was chosen by a male. I was originally getting female but when I put my hand in the cage she bit me, Puffin was in the same cage and he jumped right on me and he was the one!

 

[FutureDVM]

I think it really depends on the individual bird. With a crimson bellied conure, I think you'll probably be happy with either sex. I know what you mean about the lovebirds, though. I used to have a female lovebird. She was a wonderful and friendly little goofball, except when she was nesting! She became very cage aggressive and would bite HARD when you tried to get her out of the cage.

I haven't heard of anything like that with conures, though. Penny is my first conure, so I can't give insight on what it's like to own a male vs. female.

One thing I have noticed is that Penny seems to prefer men. I don't know if this is because she's a female or if it's just because she's used to being around me all the time (I'm a male, by the way ). She will eventually warm up to just about anyone she meets, but she seems to take to men more quickly. As I said, every bird is different, so don't let my experience sway you too much one way or the other.

 

[Violet]

Thanks for the insight I think I will probably opt for a male because I just feel more comfortable with them based on my experiences, but good to know not to be disappointed if the batch of babies are all girls

 

[cdog]

I just finished handfeeding my baby gcc's a few weeks ago and the female is more laid back and likes to snuggle in your hair. My two boys are very active and they love to completely destroy their toys. My boys tend to nip more often but my female bites harder. The female likes to play with her toys and argue with them but she doesn't spend all day trying to destroy them like the boys. The girl is also a lot louder but my breeder female hardly ever makes a noise. I would go with a male purley because they wont lay eggs and potentially get egg bound. But some single females never lay eggs so that might not be a problem. I think you shouldn't get them Dna sexed and just go visit the babies and let one pick you, then, after you get one,if you want you can get it Dna sexed.

 

[Violet]

I think you shouldn't get them Dna sexed and just go visit the babies and let one pick you, then, after you get one,if you want you can get it Dna sexed.

Unfortunately I don't think I will be able to meet them before I make a decision, as the type of bird I want is not being bred locally. I will have to make a choice and hope it is the right choice

 

[Bobioden]

I had a choice of 7 gcc's when I was looking from mine. It was never a choice, Maxx chose me, and we have been happy ever since.

 

[raleej337]

I have a tendency to choose a male pet over the females. So my biased opinion is to get a male.