Choosing a sex

[ryknoll3]

I am buying a Timneh and may have the opportunity to choose the sex of the baby that I get. I won't be able to go see them in person (which I'd prefer) since the breeder is quite far away. Would you choose one over the other? How do the different genders relate to their owners? How are they different around the time of achieving sexual maturity?

 

I know every bird is different. I was just wondering if it mattered when it came down to it.

[Codys Mom]

I would get a male , the egg binding that sometimes occurs in females worries me so I always try to adopt males

[Elvenking]

I was open to this when I got Issac. But I also hoped he was a male. Cause he chose me before I had a chance to know his gender, I was ready for whatever..but I knew somehow he was a boy. I would sit on the couch at the breeders house and he would run to me..I knew he was thoe one. I would suggest putting yourself in a situation where you can do this. Short of that..and if it is totally not possible....then i would get a bird and just be the best parronts that you can. Nothing short of magic can come from that.

[Talon]

I have 3 females and I worry about the egg binding and egg laying. Wouldn't have that with a male.....

[Spinner]

As a breeder, I'm asked about sex differences on a regular basis. My response to prospective buyers is that bird personality is much more important than gender. Unlike people, gender-specific personality differences are often insignificant in greys. Our greys aren't like dogs, where gender-induced traits are quite notable.

 

In a specific clutch of babies, there are distinct personalities being presented, even at a young age of two to three months - well before weaning age and when a prospective owner will be picking their companion. But, these personality traits are not due to gender. I'll try to help the owner assess the personality and energy type of grey they would be most happy with. Of course, the best choice is to be able to spend time at the aviary to let the baby "pick" its owner. It's amazing to see it happen and to see it really work.

 

The only other real consideration regarding gender is if you already have grey in your household. If you do, then it's usually recommended to have the same gender simply to remove the inevitable mating issues with pairing up a male and female.

 

Egg binding in females is a very unusual problem and shouldn't take precedence over the day-to-day compatibility from personality. Remember that a female isn't usually hormonally obliged to lay an egg if they aren't in pretty darn good physical shape. Independent egg-laying is not a common enough issue to warrant it to be a selection priority over general personality.

 

My opinion....other's may differ.

[Karcar]

Remember that a female isn't usually hormonally obliged to lay an egg if they aren't in pretty darn good physical shape

I am so relieved to hear those words with my recent rescue just having laid an egg.

[Birdnut]

Most of our birds are female, and we have only had an egg laying problem with the lovebird.

 

Too bad you are unable to meet the babies and choose one in person. Perhaps, when the time comes, the breeder could tell you a little bit about the different personalities. I suppose, if you have nothing else to go on, sex is as good a deciding issue as any. I defer to Spinner for his great expertise in this area. I will note that I have read that the males can tend to be a bit more confident and outgoing.

[Luvparrots]

I have a female grey and she is loving and cuddly and very independent. My male parrots, a zon and an ekkie are more solitary and not as self-assured as my grey. Is it because they are rescues and she was hand-reared, I don't know. But I also found female dogs and cats more cuddly and loving than males. So I always prefer females to male pets.

[Birdnut]

So there you go. The sex probably doesn't matter much ... just the bird's unique personality and how they're handled.