fleming@acsu.buffalo.edu (christine m fleming) (05/13/91)
I couldn't get this to mail to John, but, he made some interesting comments and i thought that someone may be interested and/or benefit from what he said, so i have posted it. I hope that it hasn't made trouble for anyone! John... Thanks for your comments! They help a lot! >[stuff of deleted] >>As you can tell, we BELIEVE the cockatiel is a male. However, he's not >>old enough to sex. (He is a lutino, and i have heard that i can sex >>the cockatiel by his primaries when he is mature...) As for behaviour >>typing, his breeder believes that he is a male from begging attitudes >>and certain physical characteristics thrown to male offspring of his >>parents. >females have horizontal bands across the TAIL feathers/ a males cheeks >are a brighter color than females[the round orange patch] this is >usally distinct even in babies. Well, i was told that the cheek-patch test isn't really that valid. But, just today in fact i noticed that Rutger (the cockatiel) DOES have bands across her(???) tail... I was told to check the 'tiel when mature and if there were spots on the primaries then the bird was female. I also looked at the primaries, and they seem to have a sort of spot on them every few mm. But, Rutger is only 8 1/2 months old -- aren't immature birds marked the same as females? Does this courting behaviour make sence if the cockatiel is indeed female? >2 possibilities - get a second female - or a male. the female may >provide company for your neglected female and even draw the attention >back of the male back to the females - another male might bond with the >your female - ther may be a little male contesting, but if mr budgie >has taken to the tiel... the female you have now will bond to the new male. >and dumbo/love struck won't notice the difference. Who could be gay? :^) I have been contemplating getting another parakeet for a while. But, i was having a hard time deciding whether to get a female or a male, or perhaps another (though un-bonded) pair. They have a rather large cage, do you think that i could add one or two birds without a war? >>[re a nest box for the parakeets] >>probably to late for this but? maybe next year. If you can sex the >>tiel maybe a mate is in order? try a shrink! vallium! give the male >>a mirror! shock treatments! handle the female keet and make hubbahubba >>jealouse! separate beds! put jewelry on the female keet! new makeup! >>play patsy cline songs 24 hrs a day! put up maddona posters! :^) >>dont give up. The male parakeet does have a mirror. We took it away for a while (6 months) but, put it back when he was just looking in the brass lamps anyway...;) (He is VERY vain! And he always is posturing at the mirror....) I have been paying a lot more attention to Maranga (the female parakeet) in the hopes that either Calysta (the male) will become more interested or she will bond more to me. Anything to make her happy... The cockatiel has no interest in the parakeet. (And i don't think that Rutger would take well to another bird. He/she is a "*i* am a person, what are these flying things..." bird....;) Do you think that separating the 'keets for a few days may make them more interested in eachother???? Again, thanks! I really appreciate your help! >>...jones >>(fleming@sun.acsu.buffalo.edu) <john c.
hubler@galaxy.lerc.nasa.gov (Dale Hubler) (05/15/91)
In article <76195@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> fleming@acsu.buffalo.edu (christine m fleming) writes: >I couldn't get this to mail to John, but, he made some interesting >comments and i thought that someone may be interested and/or benefit > >John... > >Thanks for your comments! They help a lot! > > >>>old enough to sex. (He is a lutino, and i have heard that i can sex >>>the cockatiel by his primaries when he is mature...) As for behaviour > >>females have horizontal bands across the TAIL feathers/ a males cheeks >>are a brighter color than females[the round orange patch] this is >>usally distinct even in babies. > >Well, i was told that the cheek-patch test isn't really that valid. >mature and if there were spots on the primaries then the bird was >female. I also looked at the primaries, and they seem to have a sort > >>>(fleming@sun.acsu.buffalo.edu) > ><john c. A lutino cockatiel is the white tiel. The white color is due to the abscence of melanin, the pigment that creates the grey color. Immature and mature female tiels do have "banding" in their tail and wing feathers. Mature males do not have these bars. Of course, this is much easier to spot on a tiel with grey coloring, but it also holds true for lutinos. In a good light examine the underside of your tiels tail and wing primaries. If it is a female you will see the bars of yellow on the white feathers. Stop in a pet shop and look over the greys so you have a better idea of what you are looking at. Notice the colors on the underside of the tail and imagine them without the grey color. This is also helpful for sexing pieds sometimes. The cheek patch test is not very accurate (if at all) and is very subjective. Dale Hubler -- Dale A. Hubler -- Sverdrup Technology -- (216) 977-7014 hubler@galaxy.lerc.nasa.gov I am logged in, therefore I am.