A parrot is a very exotic and special animal, both for its color and for its ability to speak as if it were a human, exotic animals and animals that we have all dreamed of having as a pet in childhood.
For these reasons, it is becoming more common to buy parrots as pets, but the parrot has the particularity of having internal sexual organs, that is, we are not able to see with the naked eye if the parrot is male or female, and this it can cause many doubts and problems when buying this exotic pet.
There have been cases of parrots with misdiagnosed sex and customers regretting their purchase, if you are desperate to know the sex of your parrot and you are unable, don’t worry, we are going to offer you some advice to know if our parrot is male or female.
What do you need to know if my parrot is male or female?
- Owning a parrot, if you are visiting this article, surely you own one, although it can also help a friend.
- Have a great capacity for observation, to observe behaviors and colors.
- Do not be afraid to touch the parrot (to perform pubic palpation).
- Gloves (optional), to make it more comfortable and hygienic for you to perform pubic palpation.
Instructions to know if my parrot is male or female
- Aggressiveness: It might seem like an exaggeration but the truth is that female parrots are more aggressive than male parrots, so by observing their behavior we can already have an idea of what sex the parrot could be, although it is not 100% sure so other detection methods should be considered.
- Size and color: In adult parrots, the male is usually larger than the female, especially considering the size of the head. If we talk about colors, the most colorful and most garish colors usually belong to the male, as in the previous indicative, you have to take into account the other detection methods to make sure.
- As in all oviparous animals, they reproduce through eggs, which the female will lay whether or not they are fertilized. After the parrot is 2 years old, we can tell its sex by looking at whether it is laying eggs or not.
- Pubic palpations: this method is the one that can best indicate the sex of the animal, but we must be careful and tactful with the animal to be able to do it safely. First we must hold the parrot and put it in a face down position, then we must touch the bones of the parrot’s pelvic area, if we can see a small separation in the pelvic area, the parrot is female, and if instead they are practically together is that he is male.
- If we have not resolved our doubt, we must go to a veterinarian specialized in this type of animal, the veterinarian will be able to carry out various studies to find out the sex of the animal. Either with a more reliable pubic palpation than ours, with DNA studies from an animal’s feather or a sample of its blood, or even endoscopy.
Tips to know if my parrot is male or female
- Make sure before buying: It is common to find out the sex of the animal in the first months of life, so if you are only interested in a parrot of a certain sex, you should make sure before buying.
- Be careful: At the time of palpating the parrot, you must be careful when picking up the parrot, because if we hold it too gently it could escape, if we hold it too tight we could damage the parrot, and if we hold it badly we could suffer a peck or scratch by the animal.
- Be patient and observant: Many of the indicatives cannot be observed well when the parrot is still small, so many times, waiting for adulthood (2 years) can clear up all doubts, you must also be observant, both from the color and behavior, compare your parrot to parrots you already know to be male or female and see which one is most similar in appearance, size and behavior.
- In case of doubt, go to the veterinarian: If you think that you are not prepared to perform the palpation or if you have doubts about its result, it is better to go directly to the veterinarian, since he is a professional who knows perfectly what he is doing and who can get of doubts about the animal’s sex quickly.
