Ticka may be a girl! :o

[Brodie]

So, cockatiel owners and breeders, what's the easiest way to figure out male or female without being DNA sexed? I am going to get him done very soon, after talking to a man at a pet shop today.
In the pet shop they had a few cockatiels, healthy, good diet, and clean roomy cages. I was happy with this, especially in a pet shop, you don't see this often. Anyway I asked the hop owner if he knew how to tell the difference between his males and females, he said without getting them DNA tested, the easiest way he can tell is by looking at the underneith of their tail.
Apparently males have stripes, females don't? I don't know how accurate this is but that's why I'm asking!
Ticka has no stripes. Although he did when he was a bit younger.
I said sorry Ticka, but you may be female, I have lied to you for the last year accidentally. Lol.

 

[weco]

Brodie, I wouldn't worry about having to apologize to Ticka, because I'm pretty sure (s)he knows what gender they are.

Now I've only been involved with birds for twenty some odd years, but I've found the easiest way.....for me to determine a monomorphic bird's sex was to wait to see if it lays an egg.....if it does, I know for sure it's a hen.....

Not sure what you're referring to about stripes, but if it's bars/lines across the tail, those are usually referred to as stress bars/lines and generally appear in chicks tail feathers. They can be caused by some type of stress during the feather's growth or from some health problem, but usually moult out during the first moult, as Ticka's apparently did.....and these bars can show up in either gender.

 

[Brodie]

Thanks!
Huge help, although I will be getting him DNA tested ASAP! I want to be sure.

Nice to know the owner of our local pet shop knows his birds well... -.-

 

[MonicaMc]

Ticka sounds like a male. I don't see the point in DNA sexing him.

With the exception of some pieds, pearls and albino cockatiels (and maybe a couple other mutations), *ALL* males should have bars across their tail feathers as chicks.


Here's a very basic guide to sexing cockatiels (from Susanne Russo). Does not work with all mutations.

 

[weco]

Just for information sake, Susanne's new book Cockatiel Mutations: A Bounty of Color came out in September & is available on Amazon, if anyone's interested.....

Only know this because I'm working with her publisher down in OZ.....

 

[DannyA93]

Ya it sounds like the guy at the shop has his info backwards lol the females and young babies have bars and if they're males they'll lose the bars and if its a female she'll keep them so im possitive you have a boy

 

[Brodie]

He talks aswell, alot. And I heard males are more likely to talk then females. And he picked it up really quickly too.
His a cinnamon albino type thing. I'm not really sure. I will upload pics a bit later.

 

[MonicaMc]

Photos would help... baby photos and adult photos particularly. Those of head, underneath tail feathers and perhaps wings, too. Would love to see him!