Charlie, boy or girl? Any guesses.

[millijade]

Hi all,

I got a ring neck 3 months ago, im his 3rd owner and on one can tell me anything about him or her. The last person who had him said he was unfriendly so she left him in his cage for 3-4 months with no interaction. I dont mind telling you that he was pretty nasty even to other birds! All i know is, the woman i got him from said she was told it was a boy and he was approx 9 months. He was hand raised but he didnt respond to her so she forgot about him. No DNA test has been done as i thought i'd get an opinion first.

Everyone tells me its a boy but i think it acts like a girl. If i was given the right age then the bird is 1 yr old now. It likes to put its head back and tail down when being given a scratch, it clucks like a chicken and whimpers high pitched like a puppy while lifting its wings up slightly so i can scratch under there. I have plenty more photos including one of it as described as above but they are too big to up load so can email to anyone interested as i have nothing to edit these photos to make them smaller.

[dog_glenn123]

Hi there.

Charlie is a boy and in about 6 to 12 months it will get its ring by the looks of it.


Males get there ring between 1.5 years and 3 years of age.

It is a blue mutation (obviously)

It is probably nasty because its bluffing they grow out of that with patients and time.

Ta Glenn

[millijade]

Hi,

Thanks for that. I've never had a ringneck before but im loving it!

Charlie is good now but i think most of his nastiness came from not being handled for 3-4 months and me being new to him he needed to settle. He doesnt bite me anymore and when i speak to him directly he clucks, chirps or sighs always putting his head down. He is a very dominant bird, i can scratch under his wings, hold him upside down, touch his tail and scratch his head and belly but he hates his wings being extended so im working on it as its easier for clipping.

I've heard you cant tell the sex until at least 3yrs or through DNA but i've read that ocassionally you can tell visually and i was hoping someone could pick it.

Any ideas on how i can get him to reduce the screaching when im not paying attention to him? He's fine when he's with me but if i put him down and do dishes, have a shower etc he screams so i cover him over for time out until he can settle. (usually 5 mins) I've been told he does it as i spend too much time with him and he is over indulged.

[dog_glenn123]

Hi there in his eyes you are his mate! so leaving the room probably freaks him out.

Covering him is probably your best option but always be concistent.
They way he may start to learn right from wrong.
At the end of the day his a ringneck and they screach some people have to deal with from sun up to sun down.

Its amazing how much you can handle him some birds are just made to be companions and some arent.

Regarding the sexing of the bird to be 100% DNA is the only way.

But most breeders have there own way of telling with at least a 80% strike rate.

Picture 2 is a give away!!!

Ta Glenn

[millijade]

Im surprised at what i can do with him, its only been 3 months! He sits on my laptop when im typing, watches tv, rips leaves off trees when im doing the gardening and investigates noises in other rooms wether im in that room or the same room as he is. he even gets down on the floor and plays with my 12 week old kitten.

When do the males sexually mature? He's only just started trying to sit on my head in the last 3 weeks but i wont let him. I get pooped on enough! He also has started hanging off the bottom of his cage door, upside down and flapping. Is he just stretching his wings? Sometimes he does it on top of the cage too!

He is very agressive to anything he can see his reflection in. Mirrors, windows, computer screen, my mobile phone and anything shiny including sunglasses and tv screen. Im assuming he is fighting off another male?

Thanks for all your help, im happy with all the info!

Cheers, Cara

[millijade]

Thats what i was thinking but im still very much learning about these birds. The agression at its reflecction doesnt matter if he's with me or at his cage, sometimes he talks to it but mostly its beak bashing and screaming till i remove him or the object. He's 1yr at the moment.

He also has agression to his toys if i touch them, he never used to, we used to play together on the floor but now he goes spacko if i touch them and will proceed to attack the toy and throw it around till it lands on the floor then he climbs down and continues to attack the toy on the floor until he flings it far enough out of his reach.

I can also touch him while he's sitting on my shoulder attacking the bathroom mirror but if i give him a toy or a small hand held mirror its watch out fingers.

P.S charlie doesnt flap often as he is only in a cage of a night, i just thought it strange that he did it hanging upside down from the cage door.

[tnu2mom]

OH dear!! my blue looks about the same....I so don't want a male, as my yellow is a female for sure and she's laying. They are not in the same cage. I DO NOT want to breed!!

[lutino]

Hi,

Your bird looks sooooo much like mine The breeder thought she was a he, but dna said female. So jasper has a boys name haha. She gets very aggresive with objects and reflections, she also clucks alot.

Do you know for sure the sex of your bird, or just waiting?

Sarah

[millijade]

Hi Sarah,

I dont know the sex of my bird, i decided to wait so the closest place i can get DNA sexing done is 40 mins way and my car doesnt have heating or air con so im too scared i'll stress the bird. He/She also doesnt like being handled by anyone but me so i figured a long car ride and strangers touching him will only cause stresss.

I got 2 years to go and counting, i have noticed a huge difference in size between charlie and my friends bird splat, Splat is male as he has a red ring but charlie is heaps bigger. I dont know if this indicates anything or not, i just know that charlie is a very dominating bird even towards splat so my friend thinks perhaps it is female. I called the bird charlie so it wouldnt matter if it is male or female.

[hisandy]

My IRN "Brett" also looks exactly like Charlie! He/She is a little over 1 year I think. Some days I think that the behaviors indicate a female, others a male? It doesn't matter to me, Brett shares a cage with 2 adult male lovebirds.

Sandy

[mikeb]

Hi millijade you can do the dna test yourself you just have to pull a few feathers or clip a toenail just a little short so that it bleeds and dab it on a card and which ever way you do it and send the sample off and here in the US results come in a couple days by email then the paper works come a few days latter just do a web search for avian dna test find a place and they will send you free test kits no 2 year wait or traveling involved mike

[lutino]

Jasper got DNA testing done the feather testing way So i just had to take some feathers to the university im at...im guessing you could send some feathers