Hello all,

 

I have two new budgies and I am completely lost when it comes to their sex, colors, age, etc... Any help would be greatly appreciated. If it helps, as I was doing some research, I came across the "string and nut" sexing method... and the conclusion was that the green budgie is a male and the white budgie is a female. I am not sure of the accuracy of this method... I just wanted to include the results to see if it is indeed correct... or not.

 

Anyways, here are some pictures of their cere and feather colors.

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

Budgie #1

 

Budgie #2

Hi L1B2, welcome to the forum!

 

 

 

When I first heard of the "string and nut" method, I thought it was hocus pocus. That was because I thought they meant a nut like you would eat, from a tree! Turns out that you use a metal nut, as in hardware. And I guess if it is accurate, it has something to do with magnetic fields that may be given off differently by males and females. And that causes the nut, when it is dangling from a string, to move differently. From what I have read since then, I believe it may actually be accurate, but I don't think 100%.

 

So, looking at your two, I would say that yes, your dark green dominant pied is a male.

 

 

But the recessive pied I'm not so sure if it's a female. In some of your photos it looks one way to me, and in other photos, it looks the other way. Just goes to show that a photo can be innacurate, depending on lighting and angle.

 

 

 

Well, a recessive pied male will not get a blue cere. It will stay pink, or sometimes a pinky lavender color. A recessive pied female will have the same color cere as all the other mutations have for female, that is, white or light blue with white, up until they go into breeding condition, when it will turn to brown.

 

Would you describe the cere as more of a pinkish color, or more of a blue and white color? Because this photo looks like a male, but the kind of male that gets a blue cere:

 

 

For a recessive pied, it shouldn't be so blue, but rather more of a pinkish lavender.

 

(Your other photos make it look like blue and white, which would mean girl.)

But if I had to guess based on these photos, then I would say he's a boy.

well, in some lights the cere looks pink and in others it looks a light blueish white... I will do my best to post more pictures later...

Both birds are male

I agree with Neville. Both are males.

okay... here are the new pictures as promised. I took them in a new room this time, in hopes of getting better lighting.

 

I have read that any white is an indication of a hen... does this count as white around the nostrils? I was told that they are probably 4-5 months old. I am happy either way... just trying to figure it out. Also, would the pied gene cause the white and blue cheek patches?

 

 

Here is the white again... and I am positive that he is a male...

 

Thanks again!

still say both males

okay thanks!

 

 

Edited February 18, 201213 yr by L1B2

 

Oh I love this picture. If I had seen it in the first place, I could have saved myself paragraphs of typing!

 

 

 

I liked Neville and Kaz' answers. Short and to the point. How come I always have to drone on so long?

 

 

I think he's a cinnamon, too, isn't he? Oh, and to answer your question above, no it isn't that any white at all indicates female, it's more like an overall whiteness does. A tiny bit of white around the nostrils doesn't mean anything, but because there is a "rings around the nostrils" myth floating around, it just throws people into confusion.

 

Usually when I am sexing a budgie, I go by what the majority of the cere looks like, and I ignore the tiny nostril rings, if there are any. The only way nostril rings matter is if they are so big, they cover a large portion of the cere, but they wouldn't just be rings then, would they? (Oh dear, droning on again... )

Hi Oh my god!!!!! The nuts lied. Your supposed to use a gold wedding ring on a silk thread

It has a guaranteed 50% accuracy .Trust me I'm a Sexologist. (part time)..B.J.

lol... thanks guys! yes, he is a cinnamon color... He has a few violet patches too... which is why I brought him home.... I think it is very pretty. And Finnie... droning on is fine... I am still learning and I appreciate all of it!