# Budgie cere colours



## till (May 31, 2015)

Hi everyone, my budgie Lemon's cere has a bunch of different colours: white, light blue, light purple and brown. I understand the first three since she's moulting and is a female, but what's with the brown?? Apparently she should be in breeding condition or something but I read somewhere budgies only breeded at a year old and there are no male budgies in the cage or anything?? Also should she be moulting and in breeding condition at the same time? Or does the brown mean something completely different? Here are some pictures, sorry they're so blurry it was hard to get in focus that close:


The top bit is white, then blue, then purple and there are spots of brown


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## Jonah (Feb 3, 2013)

I don't have a lot of expertise in this area so I will just say that hen's usually see the cere change from the 6-8 month of age time frame, but it can happen earlier. As far as being in condition when they are molting I have had my hen's be in condition and molting at the same time. I'm sure some of our other member's can offer a little more insight...


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hens can come into condition multiple times a year whether or not there's a male present. Diet, season, temperature all play into this. My little one has a dark, chocolate brown cere all year long, and she has since her first moult. 

I don't think there's any reason to worry! Lemon might be a little grouchy as her moult comes, but she'll be fine, it sounds normal


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## till (May 31, 2015)

Oh, that's a relief! I thought something was seriously wrong with Lemon for her to be moulting and breeding at the same time, especially since this is her first moult. She won't lay eggs if there's no male around, right? Because I seriously don't want her to be laying eggs that would be a disaster!


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## aluz (Jul 24, 2011)

till said:


> Oh, that's a relief! I thought something was seriously wrong with Lemon for her to be moulting and breeding at the same time, especially since this is her first moult. She won't lay eggs if there's no male around, right? Because I seriously don't want her to be laying eggs that would be a disaster!


Just because her cere is beginning to tan and eventually will get the dark brown colour it doesn't mean she will start to lay eggs. Female budgies will naturally come into breeding condition and come out of it (when cere reverts to creamy white colour) and this happens according to the way their bodies function.
You can see this coming into condition just like a woman's menstrual cycle.
As long as you don't give Lemon any hiding places nor anything that she could use as a nest (like those birdie tents, for example) then chances are very low that she will ever become broody and consider laying eggs.


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

:iagree: with Aluz. Chronic egglayers are not as common as one might think. I've had my single hen for three years and she's never laid a single egg. I'm sure Lemony won't, either


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