# Sexing a baby cockatiel



## chompie-puppy (Mar 1, 2008)

I would just like to know if it is possible to tell the gender of a very young cockatiel. I will eventually be getting a baby from a breeder and would love to have a little boy. Is there a way to tell? I read something about tail marking...?

Oh, and if by some chance I end up with a little girl instead (because I don't know how to sex them), is there much difference between the two genders? Are female cockatiels more moody like other female animals can be (eg. horses and budgies).


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

You could get the breeder to do a dna test on a young cockatiel, that you decide on  Some cockatiels can not be visually sexed and some can after their first molt.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

Unless you get it DNA sexed you won't be able to tell. With some mutations you can tell by genetics depending on what the parents are (e.g. cinnamons and lutinos will be female if neither parent shows that colour, or only the dad) but there's no visual way to sex baby tiels. 

In the end males and females are both awesome pets.  Females are quieter, less hormonal and they are complete cuddle monsters (generally speaking). Males are total chatter boxes, learn to whistle, but are known to go through nasty hormonal phases (just look at Boomberry's Noo, and Plukie's Dooby ). You will always get the ones who don't match up with those generalizations, but that would be a very basic guideline.


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

What Bea and Spike said. It's quite hard to tell when they're babies since some cannot even be vissually sexed, and the behaviors haven't really developed yet.


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