sex of my lovebird ?

[clk666]

would anyone be able to help me find out the sex of my lovebird? i dont really want to take her to my vet if there are some other things that might give me a clue on what the sex is. i was told by the person i got her from that she was female because it was with another lovebird and they had no babies, so they were both female. but im just not sure. so anyone have any ideas how to figure out the sex without dna testing ?

[Mummieeva]

Only way is if eggs are laid. Some think that by feeling the pelvic bone you can tell.. But I have seen that fail many times.



Steph

[Pips mom]

There is no 100% sure way. For me, I think I can get a pretty good idea of the sex from behavior, at least with Pip, seeing as I've had him now this July will be three years.....if you take the time to get to know your bird over time, I think you can get a pretty good idea of their sex.....still, it's no guarantee. I don't want to put my lovies through getting blood or feathers for a DNA test either, so I sit back and watch them all the time for any little clues I can see! So far, it's looking alot like both of mine are males. Pip humps all the time, even tries to mount Ivy at times! he does the famous clickey dance that mostly males do, but he has shown one behavior that's more of a female kinda thing....he's cage territorial. I watch for every single behavior and then I decide.....I have a boy! and am happy with the fact that I have probably figured it out on my own! but always knowing in the back of my head.....I could be wrong! Rudy humps toys as well and regurgitates on them.....I think he's a boy too, and he's not cage territorial at all.....the others can all land on his cage and he doesn't go after their feet!
I am a big believer that if you spend the time with your bird and really get to know them, watch the behavior over at least a year's time, that you can get a very good idea on the sex. Still not 100%, but I feel quite certain that both of mine are boys, just from behavior and knowing them like I do!

[Chickobee]

Ha ha! Look up the post on Jack, the male lovie who lays eggs!

The pelvic bone method is sure to be correct 50% of the time.

If you only have the one lovebird you can wait to see if he/she eventually lays an egg or shows some of the more definitive signs of being a male or a female. Since you won't be worrying about babies, if you only have the one bird, it may not be important to you to do a DNA test to be sure. You can make a pretty accurate guess by behavior when your bird is mature.

In a mature lovebird there are some behaviors that are more common in males or females. Pips Mom listed some of the male behaviors. Female lovies tend to be more adept at shredding paper into long strips and then tucking them into their rump feathers. They are also more likely to be cage territorial than males.

Even two birds of the same sex will mimic the behaviors of a male/female pair during breeding season so it is not possible to be certain by behavior alone. Unless your hen lays an egg, a pair lays fertile eggs, or two hens lay in the same nest so you have 8-10 eggs in ten days, etc. you can't really be certain without a DNA test.

But, maybe a good guess is all you need, and you can wait for the telltale signs when your bird matures.

[personatus]

I would say the pelvic bone test is more like 90-95% accurate... - when they are in breeding condition only though. I tend to judge them on build and behaviour.

[Chickobee]

Do the bones on the female spread apart farther during breeding season?

[linda040899]

Do the bones on the female spread apart farther during breeding season?
Yes, when the hen goes into laying condition, the first thing that happens is the pelvic bones will spread apart approximately the width of your index finger before you ever see the egg. Once she's done laying, the space between the bones closes back up.

[personatus]

I had one female who I was convinced was a male, her pelvics were touching, almost felt like one bone. Then one day, whoosh, they were wide apart! :D I found with mine, the bones move much less with birds over 18 months old.

[clk666]

well my bird is 2 years already, and im not exactly sure what to feel for with the pevic bone test. i do have dna tests coming in the mail so i guess i can wait. but ive never felt a male pelvic bone so i cant really compare lol

[bookworm0550]

i think dna is the best way. that's what we did w/ pan. we plucked his feathers cuz we didn't want to make him bleed w/ his toes...either way, it was traumatizing for us and for him. we never felt so bad in our lives. now, i just try to watch out for behavior and so far, i'm pretty sure i'm right about which bird is which sex.