DNA Sexing in Pet Birds

Involves sending an appropriate tiny blood sample to a DNA lab for electrophoretic sequencing.  THe process is easy, safe and cheap.

How do I tell the Sex of my pet bird? 

Why is it important to know the sex of a pet bird?

• Being able to name your pet bird.
• Helping understand your pet’s behaviour
• Female reproductive tract disease is common and much easier to diagnose if we know the Sex.
• Being able to understand sexual and reproductive behaviors: like nesting and aggression etc
• Helping to choose a companion bird – gender is often important.

Is my Bird Male or Female?

Some birds, like Eclectus parrots and many African birds, have characteristics that make it possible to identify their gender by their appearance (sexual dimorphism.)

Most Pet parrots can not easily be sexed visually.

They also lack external sexual genitalia.

But the experienced breeder can often tell with amazing accuracy the sex of a bird. (possibly about 80% accuracy)

DNA Sexing?

To identify your pet bird’s sex, test your pet bird’s DNA, a process known as DNA sexing or bird sexing.

It involves the collection of a blood sample placed on a filter paper and sent to a lab for analysis.

Surgical sexing is now outdated – and was too risky.

This is now the gold standard method for sexing out loved pet birds – at the Melbourne Bird Vet facility -in Burwood.