Hi again,

Can someone who knows more about parakeets help me with a couple questions about the three I am fostering?

1 - All three have blue ceres - that means they are boys, right?

2 - I think I remember that you can tell a young 'keet because they have bars on the top of their heads. Is that right? If so, can I get your "guestimates" on the ages of these three, please?

Bars: Click to view attachment

Snowflake (He is missing part of his cere - he came to us this way): Click to view attachment

Ojos (He had a SEVERE infection in both eyes which has healed now, but the infection left him with "scar tissue" around both eyes, which doesn't seem to bother him at all!): Click to view attachment


THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR HELP!!

Michelle

Yes blue is male
Yes the bars when very young go down to their Ceres and go away as they age..Not sure how to estimate age by the bars...been a long time sense I have had budgies.. great pic's

Yes, they lose the bars on their forehead with their first moult at about twelve weeks of age. Their eyes are solid black until three or four months when they turn a light grey/brown with dark irises. After that, I don't think there is a way to tell how old they are.

Can't help ya out, Chelle, just wanted to say that they are gorgeous!!!! I just adore budgies...they are SO cute!!!

THANK YOU ALL!

So QPDad, would you say that Bars is young, while Ojos is older?

I can always count on the three of you for help and advice...and it is appreciated!

Actually, from the pictures, it looks like Ojos still has traces of the forehead bars while I don't see any on Bars' forehead. The bars further back on Bars' head are not an indication. It's the ones in that forehead region.

They might be about the same age at slightly different stages of developement.

ah its like 2 kids the same age with different growth spurts.