# Cockatiel experts up....



## Jonah (Feb 3, 2013)

So I have been talking to a tiel breeder and he tells me he has this cinnamon available. 5 months old....any guesses on sex.....


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## BirdCrazyJill (Jan 12, 2011)

*too young to tell for sure, you have to wait until they go through their first molt to be able to tell visually. Do you have any other tiels? if not then I wouldn't worry about it, both genders make great pets *


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## Jedikeet (Feb 3, 2014)

Aww such a cutie and same cinnamon pied as Rhaegal. To be honest, it's quite tough to tell his/her gender visually. Better to feel its pelvic bones


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## Jonah (Feb 3, 2013)

I have no other tiel at present. Have had both sexes, and agree they make great pets. I kind of want a male though because I love their whistle.

Breeder says he is pretty sure its a male because him and his wife have both heard it singing. Looking at pictures on the web, I am not so sure. Thx Jill....


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## Jonah (Feb 3, 2013)

Jedikeet said:


> Aww such a cutie and same cinnamon pied as Rhaegal. To be honest, it's quite tough to tell his/her gender visually. Better to feel its pelvic bones


Yeah...good looking bird...I wouldn't know what I was feeling brah....and I don't want to drive an hour and twenty minutes to find out...


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## kwatson (Jan 19, 2014)

I want to say male that was my first thought, you can do as Nick suggested..Feel the pelvic bone, that may help  He is a cutie pie that's for sure


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Beautiful bird and it does look a lot like Rhaegal.

Perhaps you could ask the breeder to record the bird singing so you can hear it yourself before you make your decision.

I wouldn't want to drive and hour and a half to try to check the bird's pelvic bones if I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be feeling either! *


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## Jedikeet (Feb 3, 2014)

jonah said:


> I have no other tiel at present. Have had both sexes, and agree they make great pets. I kind of want a male though because I love their whistle.
> 
> Breeder says he is pretty sure its a male because him and his wife have both heard it singing. Looking at pictures on the web, I am not so sure. Thx Jill....


Then it does raise the chances that he's a boy. Females chirp and do flock calls but don't really make melodious songs


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## dianapalmer (Oct 23, 2013)

My male tiel sings; my female only flock calls.
His crest looks yellow enough to think he's a male.


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## Jonah (Feb 3, 2013)

kwatson said:


> I want to say male that was my first thought, you can do as Nick suggested..Feel the pelvic bone, that may help  He is a cutie pie that's for sure


Yes...for sure a nice looker...



FaeryBee said:


> *Beautiful bird and it does look a lot like Rhaegal.
> 
> Perhaps you could ask the breeder to record the bird singing so you can hear it yourself before you make your decision.
> 
> I wouldn't want to drive and hour and a half to try to check the bird's pelvic bones if I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be feeling either! *


Well, there goes the idea of getting you to come along for the pelvic bone test....



Jedikeet said:


> Then it does raise the chances that he's a boy. Females chirp and do flock calls but don't really make melodious songs


I agree brah. However, the female I had years ago would sing a little. I saw this add on hoobly, and breeder was advertising two birds, and when he sent me pic's it doesn't look like either. Guess I will have to decide what I want to do....how big a deal it would be if I get it and it ends up being a hen...



dianapalmer said:


> My male tiel sings; my female only flock calls.
> His crest looks yellow enough to think he's a male.


Thank you Diana....


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## eduardo (Jul 24, 2011)

*Ya know, it's up to you, but if it were me, I would be already driving there, smoke behind my tires... Just sayin' :evil:
Either way, it's a nice looking bird. I hafta tell you, brother, I love my female- so much more cuddly than my little barbarian male. :laughing:
Also, if it turns up to be a girl, you can easily look for a boy as a companion to her. *


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## Jonah (Feb 3, 2013)

eduardo said:


> *Ya know, it's up to you, but if it were me, I would be already driving there, smoke behind my tires... Just sayin' :evil:
> Either way, it's a nice looking bird. I hafta tell you, brother, I love my female- so much more cuddly than my little barbarian male. :laughing:
> Also, if it turns up to be a girl, you can easily look for a boy as a companion to her. *


....And now, my mostest favorite tiel owner in the world weighs in....and of course every last word of what she has said, makes perfect sense to me....


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

The only way to tell with a pied is to either DNA or surgically sex. The pied markings tend to remove all the normal sex markings of a tiel. But personally it looks more like what is usually called a split pied but is actually a badly marked or lightly marked pied. You could try checking under the wings and seeing the spots. With a normal coloured bird the spots for a female go all the way up to the equivalent of the armpit, but with a male they only go half the way or the equivalent of the elbow.


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## aluz (Jul 24, 2011)

I have no idea on the gender, but I do know that it's a cutie! I hope you will get him/her!


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## BirdCrazyJill (Jan 12, 2011)

*Both of mine are girls and they are wonderful (except for the screaming  ) but you said the breeder sent you pics and neither looked like the bird in the ad? that's strange and unsettling*


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## Jonah (Feb 3, 2013)

Kate C said:


> The only way to tell with a pied is to either DNA or surgically sex. The pied markings tend to remove all the normal sex markings of a tiel. But personally it looks more like what is usually called a split pied but is actually a badly marked or lightly marked pied. You could try checking under the wings and seeing the spots. With a normal coloured bird the spots for a female go all the way up to the equivalent of the armpit, but with a male they only go half the way or the equivalent of the elbow.


Thank's Kate. I am going to check those underwing spots...


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## Jonah (Feb 3, 2013)

aluz said:


> I have no idea on the gender, but I do know that it's a cutie! I hope you will get him/her!


I am probably going to check it out tommorow...:fingerx:


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## Jonah (Feb 3, 2013)

BirdCrazyJill said:


> *Both of mine are girls and they are wonderful (except for the screaming  ) but you said the breeder sent you pics and neither looked like the bird in the ad? that's strange and unsettling*


The screaming would not be good for me. Even though I am building a well insulated, hopefully soundproof, room/aviary in the basement, I could have issues if it annoys my wife. I tend to trust people and take them at their word, until they prove otherwise, so I will be checking the seller out as much as the bird. Will have to see how meeting goes...


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## BirdCrazyJill (Jan 12, 2011)

*It's not an all the time thing, but it can definitely be obnoxious at times. Ours are super attached to us so they flock call if they can't see us but know we're in the house. We are in a small apartment, so we have to shut ourselves in the bedroom when we want to make a phone call. And lately Chewy has been whining at night, not screaming but just a constant chirp. It's like when a human baby cries and you can't get them to stop. Every bird has a different call though. Muffin's is different than Chewy and she is definitely less vocal than Chewy. But her "fire engine call" is ear piercing lol she lets out 2 high pitched screams when she is scared by something, which is very rarely. Just a warning. We have been noticing it more lately because my fiance works long hours and they just want to be all over him when he gets home (and we can't shut them up) so it's kind of been an issue *


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## Jonah (Feb 3, 2013)

BirdCrazyJill said:


> *It's not an all the time thing, but it can definitely be obnoxious at times. Ours are super attached to us so they flock call if they can't see us but know we're in the house. We are in a small apartment, so we have to shut ourselves in the bedroom when we want to make a phone call. And lately Chewy has been whining at night, not screaming but just a constant chirp. It's like when a human baby cries and you can't get them to stop. Every bird has a different call though. Muffin's is different than Chewy and she is definitely less vocal than Chewy. But her "fire engine call" is ear piercing lol she lets out 2 high pitched screams when she is scared by something, which is very rarely. Just a warning. We have been noticing it more lately because my fiance works long hours and they just want to be all over him when he gets home (and we can't shut them up) so it's kind of been an issue *


Good info Jill. I want a single tiel that I can hopefully have somewhat of a bond with. Sounds like your birds are used to a lot of attention, and I have to be considering that too, because I have days where I work long hours. If I have to build a heated outdoor aviary because of noise, I guess I will....


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## eduardo (Jul 24, 2011)

*Randy, one cockatiel will flock call a lot; they are very needy little birds. Two may not so much. They will have each other. The reason I got Tony was that Candy was flock calling for us like crazy, when we first got her. She was very attached to us and would go nuts if she couldn't see us. Then we got Tony. With time, they learned to stay together and stop calling for us all the time. They still occasionally call, especially if they hear me opening a bag of chips but it's more peaceful now because they have each other for birdie company. 
Yours may be content to have budgies for company though.*


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## Jonah (Feb 3, 2013)

eduardo said:


> *Randy, one cockatiel will flock call a lot; they are very needy little birds. Two may not so much. They will have each other. The reason I got Tony was that Candy was flock calling for us like crazy, when we first got her. She was very attached to us and would go nuts if she couldn't see us. Then we got Tony. With time, they learned to stay together and stop calling for us all the time. They still occasionally call, especially if they hear me opening a bag of chips but it's more peaceful now because they have each other for birdie company.
> Yours may be content to have budgies for company though.*


Oh my....I would hate to have to get a second tiel...

I will be showing Vickie this post if our tiel isn't quiet....


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## kcladyz (Apr 8, 2014)

I hope I am not hijacking the tread by asking this but you mention you like the males whistle? Does that mean female tiels are quiet?


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## kcladyz (Apr 8, 2014)

eduardo said:


> *Randy, one cockatiel will flock call a lot; they are very needy little birds. Two may not so much. They will have each other. The reason I got Tony was that Candy was flock calling for us like crazy, when we first got her. She was very attached to us and would go nuts if she couldn't see us. Then we got Tony. With time, they learned to stay together and stop calling for us all the time. They still occasionally call, especially if they hear me opening a bag of chips but it's more peaceful now because they have each other for birdie company.
> Yours may be content to have budgies for company though.*


great excuse to buy more birdies!!!! :budge::budge::budge::budge::budge::budge::budge:


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## Jonah (Feb 3, 2013)

kcladyz said:


> I hope I am not hijacking the tread by asking this but you mention you like the males whistle? Does that mean female tiels are quiet?


Only time I had tiel, I ended up with one of each. They both sang and whistled like they were males but the one was a female (laid an egg) It seems from everything I have read that females don't usually do that...:dunno:


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

They can Randy. You occasionally get a female that will be as vocal as a male even to the male mating song. Some females will even talk.


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## Jonah (Feb 3, 2013)

Kate C said:


> They can Randy. You occasionally get a female that will be as vocal as a male even to the male mating song. Some females will even talk.


Thank you Kate. I am of the mind right now that if it turns out to be a boy, fine...if not, fine too. I love my budgie girls, and I will love a tiel girl too. Hopefully getting it tommorow....


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

Randy I have always found females to be more cuddly than the males. I have kept both as pets as well as breeding and hand raising them and the female can be just as interesting and playful as the male.


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## despoinaki (Aug 4, 2012)

Days ago I saw a handsome tiel in the local pet store, just like yours! I felt I was in love again  He was screaming like crazy! The shop owner told me he was a male.
Boy or girl, it's a beautiful bird! I really hope you bring this bird home


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## eduardo (Jul 24, 2011)

*


Kate C said:



Randy I have always found females to be more cuddly than the males. I have kept both as pets as well as breeding and hand raising them and the female can be just as interesting and playful as the male.

Click to expand...

I agree. Candy is so sweet and cuddly. Tony loves scritches too and is attached to me, but he can be moody and have an attitude, lol.*


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## eduardo (Jul 24, 2011)

*


jonah said:



Thank you Kate. I am of the mind right now that if it turns out to be a boy, fine...if not, fine too. I love my budgie girls, and I will love a tiel girl too. Hopefully getting it tommorow....

Click to expand...

Anxiously awaiting further developments, Randy *


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