Can You Have A Hermaphrodite Budgie :|

[Guest Hellybell]

okay i bought my budgie a few montsh back as a boy. Within a few weeks its cere had turned pink and you all agreed with with white holes around her nostrils she was definately a girl. ( she was 6 montsh old at the time.)

 

Now shes jsut ahad a moult, nothing serious and her nose was starting to go a lil crusty... yesterday i noticed that half the pink had kinda peeled off and now its all gone and her cere is back to bluey/green.

 

PLEASE PLEASE tell me whats going on with girl?!?!

 

Its back to the same colour it was when i bought her but she no longer has that white ring around her nose!!

 

I really like the name Talullah and shes desperately in love with my lil man Pepsi so please tell me she is infact a she and not just one hellova confused birdie.

 

Also something worth mentioning is that she's been nesting like crazy lately and acting rather oddly, excited at everything, spinning circles around her perches ( she does it anyway but shes doing it heaps atm) Could this be some sort of hormonal thing due to being in heat or summin? She does have a little coconut that she kinda huddles in... shoudl i be worried?

 

okay just need anyone to say anything as its totally frying my brain

 

Thanks in advance

 

Bye for now

[*Nerwen* 0]

It sounds like the moult she just had took her out of condition to breed, this happens at least once a year and the brown(pink) crusty cere peels away to a bluey/white colour. It takes about 3-6 months to get back up to breeding condition with the crusty cere back.

 

Also did you know when they first started to breed budgies in England they used coconuts? She might see her 'toy' as a nesting site. Also with the season of breeding just starting for the wild it's not a good mix.

Edited September 1, 2006 by Nerwen

[Guest Hellybell]

But what does that mean? she is either out of condition or is in heat?

 

Or do you mean she might want to mate but isnt condition to do so so it wouldnt be healthy for her?

 

Cause i dont let her in with Pepsi, so they wont actually mate but... she does have her coconut...

 

oh i'm so confused :|

Edited September 1, 2006 by Hellybell

[*Nerwen* 0]

sorry I keep forgetting how confusing it can all sound. Out of breeding contition means she isn't in the peak of feritily cycle. They can still breed and lay eggs but there is a bigger chance of the eggs being clear. If a hen thinks she has a great nesting site she can start to lay eggs even if she isn't in a cage with a male, I was just letting you know she might see the coconut as something more than just something to chew.

 

Does that help some more?

[Guest Hellybell]

yea sure, definately something to think about.

 

Thanks

[Elly 0]

If she is doing a lot of nesting I would remove the object you don't want her to lay eggs to just lay hens will do that under the right conditions without a mate. Once they start it can be hard to stop them just ask one of our members Pheobe.

 

To also decrease the behavior less light works wonders so cover them up a little earlier during the evening or keep the cover on longer in the morning.

 

There are different factors that can throw a hen in egg laying.

[Guest Hellybell]

Can i ask what you guys consider nesting? Cause it might jsut be normal female behaviour. She is shredding the rope in her cage and tearing up stuff and spending alot fo time in her coconut jsut sitting in there looking around but she might jsut like destroying things and taking a nice break in a nice lil house...

 

What is normal nesting? Cause having writtern that i wonder if its that all just normal.

[Elly 0]

yes that is nesting behavior I personally would remove the coconut shell or arrange it where she can lay in it. Continue to give her things to shred etc...that is okay behavior. But settling down to lay down is nesting.