# Question about DNA sexing.



## Kai (Jan 28, 2008)

So I requested some DNA testing supplies and they came in the mail today. I asked for on feather and one blood DNA sexing kit. Now to decide which one to use. I'm looking for some advice from people who have done either one. I am used to clipping my cats claws to the blood DNA only scares me because I'm afraid of cutting too much. So... have you done DNA testing? What method did you use? Any pointers and tips?

lol I just want to figure out male or female so that I can name this adorable bird. (I'm leaning towards female. She is just soooo quiet)


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Laura has done it. I believe she did blood and said it was quite simple. I'm sure she'll explain it to you.


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## Laura (Jul 30, 2007)

Yup I have done 3 of my 4 with the blood, it was actually quite simple to do my advice is if your doing the blood just go slowly I was really nervous at first I didn't want to cut to much so I just did a tiny bit at a time and would give a little squeeze to see if any blood would come out, mine were really great about it there was no screaming so I know I didn't do to much, make sure you have everything prepared ahead of time I sterilized the clippers had flour ready but I didn't even need it there was just not that much blood with the way I did it I found by going slow and just taking a tiny bit at a time and squeezing to check made the difference in not cutting to much and having all this blood come out.


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## devilangel09 (Feb 5, 2008)

what about doing it to a parrot lol. i want to get its sex tested but worried because doesnt liike its nails being clipped how would i do it?


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

Surgical sexing is a better way to go, it is 100% accurate 

I'm not sure how many ppl around here know about Dr. Scott McDonald, but he's an avian vet that travels all around to different states, he was just in my area a few weeks ago doing Check ups, sexing, etc at a local Pet shop (that only sells food, toys, cages, dog beds etc no pets) and for a medium bird to get surgically sexed its only $15.00 and he then gives them a small tattoo under the correct wing 

I can't remember off the top of my head which is which but if it's a girl it goes under one wing if its a boy it goes under the other 

but that is just my opinion, I've heard too many stories of ppl getting their birds DNA tested to later find it it was the opposite gender of what the DNA test said.


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## Kai (Jan 28, 2008)

Thanks for the tips Laura. Do you think I can use the nail clipper I use on the cats? or should I use a human one? The cat one is of the guillotine style of clippers. Round opening at the end that you insert the claw into.


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

The cat one sounds fine. Just disinfect it with some rubbing alchool first and clip a little at a time as she explained.


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## Kai (Jan 28, 2008)

Sounds good. I will be doing that when I get home tonight then. And then I will finally know ... male... or female.


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## Laura (Jul 30, 2007)

Kai said:


> Thanks for the tips Laura. Do you think I can use the nail clipper I use on the cats? or should I use a human one? The cat one is of the guillotine style of clippers. Round opening at the end that you insert the claw into.


I would not use the guillotine ones, I have those as well for my dog she is actually smaller then most cats...lol and there is to much that can go wrong with them I would stick with the small human clippers tiels nails are much smaller then a cats and not as thick those guillotine ones are made for thicker nails.


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## Kai (Jan 28, 2008)

Okie Dokie! =) I have human clippers too so I will use those instead.


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Are these what you guys are calling guillotine style?


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## Kai (Jan 28, 2008)

Those are exactly what I have Aly. lol Not really sure if they are the guillotine type after all...


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Yeah, Laura's right. It'll be easier with a normal nail clipper.


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## Sophia (Aug 11, 2007)

Good Luck on the clipping, male or female?? Any guesses!


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## Keet1976 (Jan 2, 2008)

I just sent my blood samples in from a kit I had requested. I went with the clipping of the nail instead of the feather...feather plucking sounded really bad.

I help my friend clip her quakers nails and it always seems that one bleeds a little and we just have the quick stop around and it is never a big deal. Her quaker hates everyone but her and hates getting its nails trimmed.

I just felt more comfortable with making the nail bleed. I did two budgies and my tiel. They say to soak the blood through the card, which I found was hard. I never cut the nail so that is was squirting blood every where, I just hardly nicked it so I would get the tiniest bit of blood, so I had to hold the bird still for another drop to form on the nail and then dab it again and so on and so forth. I am hoping I did eventually get enough blood on the cards to get results. I should have my results in a few days.


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Sophia said:


> Good Luck on the clipping, male or female?? Any guesses!


None of this one from me....well, I'll take a guess but that's all it is. Girl/Boy..there. I guessed.


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## Kai (Jan 28, 2008)

lol Aly. If I had to guess, I would say female. She is just soooo quiet! You would hardly know she was there.


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

You'd know better then any of us since you're there to see how..she? acts. She's just a baby so maybe her attitude hasn't kicked in yet.


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

my girls used to be quiet, then Shyanne started tweeting to me from behind the play gym( I guess she was too shy to chatter. tweet at me face to face LOL) , now shyanne, Star, goldie & Nibbles all do it and when i was sitting in the room the other night whistling at them, my b/f told me Lucy (lutino female) whistled back at me 

they're getting to be like the budgies,making more noise then the boys do


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Good luck on the dna test, just take it slow and you should be fine


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## DeBree420 (Nov 14, 2007)

i dislike the ideas of feather plucking/nail clipping and i have heard that surgical sexing can be invasive and uncomfortable for the bird..
when i dna tested my babies to find out what sex they were, i used a method that involved a sterile needle and a small paper swab, you pierced the skin above the nail with the sterile needle (my guys didnt even flinch) and a tiny drop of blood comes out, then you touch the paper strip to the blood spot, and it soaks it up, then it goes into a sterile vial and you get the results in about a week...
that was by far the best way to do it, in my opinion!


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## Kai (Jan 28, 2008)

Thanks DeBree... I've heard of that method but couldn't find an order form for them. I'm about to go get my baby and get her done. Wish me luck.


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## DeBree420 (Nov 14, 2007)

Kai said:


> Thanks DeBree... I've heard of that method but couldn't find an order form for them. I'm about to go get my baby and get her done. Wish me luck.


mine were done through Molecular Diagnostic Services...
good luck!
it feels so much better when you know for sure


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## Kai (Jan 28, 2008)

Well I tried the clipping.... and since I live alone I couldn't get her wrapped up, held still, claw out, and clipped... I tried it a few times and only managed to clip a tiny bit of the claw off without any blood coming out. I'm not sure if I can do the claw technique on my own. I'm not going to try again tonight. She was really calm throughout it all but I don't want to stress her or myself out. I'll try again tomorrow and we shall see what happens then.


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## Laura (Jul 30, 2007)

You really need someone to hold her/him for you will you do it there is no way I could have done it on my own thats great that s/he was so calm about it


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

I'm sure you can use the blood test kit they sent to do the method Debree was talking about but you'd need a sterile needle.


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## DeBree420 (Nov 14, 2007)

yeah you could get a sterile disposable needle from a local hospital
if you send the cliped bit of toenail, that wont work, but if they want you to wipe blood from the toenail onto something they provide (sterile), you could do the needle test yourself... great idea Aly!


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## Keet1976 (Jan 2, 2008)

Yeah I think that the nail kit you got works with blood from any where (well as long as it is from the bird you want tested, LOL) so if you can get the needle and do it that way, that would be great! We have Farm and Fleet by us and they sell ag medical supplies and stuff...we give our horses their spring and fall shots and buy them from there, so if you have one of them you might be able to get a needle from there.

I did my birds on my own. The tiel was easy and the budgies were harder. I didn't use a towel to wrap them up cuz I found it harder to hold them and keep them still. I held them on their backs with their heads on my palm (closer to my arm) and then I used my finger tips on that same hand to stretch out a leg and open up the foot, then I used my other hand to clip with the clippers. Oh yeah and I held them close to my body. The tiel after he got used to being on his back, which is something we work on any way (but he still doesn't like it), he was good...matter of fact I clipped all of his nails cuz they were getting too long and getting hung up in my shirts when he would climb on me...When I did the budgies they did bite me but I have pretty tough hands so I just let them bite down on me and it helped keep them still.


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