How can I tell the sex of my African Grey without DNA sexing?

Question

I just got it, and its about 6 months old

Answer 1

Without DNA sexing you can't find out with 100% certainty at this time. You can get DNA sexing done though without a blood draw and fairly inexpensively (you can find companies that will allow you to mail in a feather clipping - they charge about $25).

As your bird gets older and reaches sexual maturity you might be able to find out without a DNA sexing test. I'm not sure what subspecies of African Grey you have, but most hit maturity around a year and a half to three years of age. I've had single females lay eggs - so maybe you'll be lucky enough to get an unfertilized egg. Males often tend to get quite frisky when they hit maturity. Many will try to mate with you, your hand, their toys, etc. I have some males that constantly regurgitate to everything trying to feed it. I've never owned or seen a female display this kind of behavior. I've had several males who have. Females also often display a more pronounced nesting behavior - trying to climb under and roost under furniture or siting in food bowls.

I can tell you from personal experience to not assume that you have a male/female based on colorings or markings. After years of owning, rescuing and being involved with birds I would think I'd be as good of a guess as the next guy, and I find myself constantly wrong in birds that are not obvious. Also, I read the post that said that you can tell by which sex of human the bird bonds to. That's a joke!!!!! I have a male eclectus (a dimorphic bird[meaning that sex can be determined by color alone - males are green, females red] who is totally 100% bonded with my husband. Mating rituals are never displayed to me - only to him. That's just one example of 100's I could give about birds bonding with the same sex.

Hope some of that helps!

Answer 2

Withut DNA or surgical sexing there is no definate way to tell, but if its not going to be used for breeding it does not really matter. The bird does not realise that you may be calling it a name that is linked with the opposite sex. I have a grey that was called Max when I got it but I suspect that it is a female because it will not tolerate women in general. I have retained the name and it always will be Max. Even if it should be Maxine.
Some females never lay eggs untill they are paired and they usually mature at five or six years of age.
Some times a breeder will tell you that the shape of the white bare skin around the eye will indicate a male or female, males being roughly circular while the females comes to a point at the back of the face. I would not rely on this. Same with width of the pelvic bone being wider on females, or using a crystal to devine wether it spins for a female or swings for a male.
All these are unreliable except surgical or DNA sexing.

Answer 3

DNA testing will be the only sure way,
however, a less accurate way is to see whether the African Grey prefers male/female company. Being intelligent, and without the company of other birds, the African Grey will bond with a human, usually with dedication similar to a mate. So preference will go to the opposite sex. This could take a few months to figure out though.

If you can find someone who has been dealing with birds for a long time, they can occassionally judge by the structure of the 'hip' bones whether the bird is male or female, (females will have a wider spacing, but it takes a trained eye to judge the difference).

Hope it helps!

Answer 4

There are particularly 3 the right thank you to tell the intercourse . the 1st is with the help of DNA attempting out. the 2nd is to have it surgically sexed, and the 0.33 it to attend till ultimately breeding season and see if it lays any eggs (even regardless of the undeniable fact that that technique isn't fool evidence as all women won't lay eggs without a male, just some).

Answer 5

okay if the vent of the bird has red tail feathers its normally a male but DNA testing is the mosr accurate but not all ways right. my african grey is male we think bacause of the color of the feather around the vent.Toby is about 3 now and he plucks but thats not because of us his prevoius owner kept him lovked away in the laundry room and he had no attention from humans the only thijg close enough to human contact with the answering machine. the Best of luck to you!

Kytra

Answer 6

hi i had an african grey that was about thirty years old naned barney at about 25 yrs he layed an egghe is now bernadete i heard you can have a blood feather tested to find out male or female