I need to choose... female or male. Help!

[intog]

I will be bringing home a hand fed IRN in about 3 to 4 weeks.

I originally set out to find a baby blue male and I found a breeder in my area. At the time the DNA test results weren't in and I told the breeder I wanted a male but it didn't matter too much. So I choose the older of the two that showed blue feather emerging. So now a few days later the baby I put a deposit down on DNA tested as a female and the other one turned out to be a male.

So now I have questions...
I read through the FAQs and the myths about irns but I still have questions about any behavioral differences between male and females. Through my searches on the internet and youtube, it seems that the males are more active, vocal and more social with other birds than the females. The females seem more quiet and affectionate. I know parrots are individuals but I was wondering if that was a somewhat accurate observation?

I have a dusky conure that is very quiet and cuddly, and I think I'm looking for another bird that is the opposite... loud and active. Should I see about making a switch to the male irn or do the females have the same potential for upsetting the peace and quiet in the house (in a good way)? Would this upset the breeder if I change my mind?

Thanks for any advice!


Harper, my 9 month old Dusky Conure (sex: unknown)


Baby girl Indian Ringneck @ 4 weeks

[pinkdevil]

Awwww...Harper looks so sweet.

And that baby girl is a heart breaker lol.

[intog]

I'm hoping whether I end up with a male or female that the new baby will bond with me as well as get along with my growing bird family. I have Harper, the conure and I forgot to mention Sammy my untame baby budgie (well he's tame, but would rather spend time alone). My girlfriend is also getting me a handfed Blue masked Lovebird in a couple weeks as soon as he/she is weaned!

As a teenager I had several small/mid sized parrots but once I moved on my own into a small apartment, I had to give my friends away because of the noise. It's been over 10 years and now I'm re-discovering the pure joy of having lots of little guys running around and playing. Now they can be as loud as they want in my house... I love the noise!

[iluvringnecks]

From my experience the males make much better pets. My three males are very gentle and loving and never bite and never
throw tantrums. My female on the other hand wants to be with me more than the males but she has big mood swings,
bites very hard when she gets mad with no warning and beats up the other birds when she feels like it. She attacks me when I put my hand in her cage . For myself
I prefer males and think they make much better pets.

[pinkdevil]

From my experience the males make much better pets. My three males are very gentle and loving and never bite and never
throw tantrums. My female on the other hand wants to be with me more than the males but she has big mood swings,
bites very hard when she gets mad with no warning and beats up the other birds when she feels like it. She attacks me when I put my hand in her cage . For myself
I prefer males and think they make much better pets.

I am shocked. That behaviour is soooooo un-female like!!!

[iluvringnecks]

[quote
I am shocked. That behaviour is soooooo un-female like!!! [/quote]

[ringneck]

LoL! Loved the reply! Too funny!

It all depends on the parrot's personality. I myself choose the female over the male. I just love the spunk they have and they are so much more affectionate.

My males are very affectionate; however, they are just fine being left alone. My females are even more affectionate and can bite sometimes. I guess love hurts--huh?

Best Wishes,

IMRAN-C

[intog]

Thanks for the replies. She is now 9 weeks old and hopefully coming home soon. Since I have other birds in my family, hopefully she is young enough to be socialized with them without being to aggresive to them (or to me and my GF for that matter)

At what age do they usually wean? The breeder says that it depends on when she is ready, but I'm curious about when they usually wean.

Here is the lastest picture of her! They grow so fast!

[intog]

oh and my Dusky Conure, Harper is a male... I think. "he" now tries to pleasure himself on my hand (pretty forcefull about it too!) when I am using the laptop. Is it safe to assume he is a he?

[ringneck]

They usually wean between 10-12 weeks. The more ringnecks present--the faster they wean. A single ringneck can easily go into week 12 and still not wean.

Best Wishes,

IMRAN-c

[intog]

They usually wean between 10-12 weeks. The more ringnecks present--the faster they wean. A single ringneck can easily go into week 12 and still not wean.

Best Wishes,

IMRAN-c

Thanks IMRAM-c. She is no longer in the brooder and is now caged with her brother. There ARE other baby IRNs (greens and violets) that are housed separately but in the same room.