How to tell gender on black-cheek zebras??

[connie]

This post is about the two black-cheek zebras I rescued from the pet store--they both have black cheeks (one a little more pronounced than the other). I have seen them (ahem, delicate clearing of throat) having a date night, and shortly after that the egg laying started. They have filled out a lovely nest and take turns sitting on the eggs--it's very cute and they are very earnest about their duties. But I would have sworn the one that was acting like a male was a female and vice versa just based on the appearance of the cheek patches, or that maybe it was two females. One other amazing thing was that the first egg they layed was in an open cup nest, and somehow they MOVED IT up to the enclosed nest where the rest of the eggs were laid!! Is that even possible???

How can you tell gender in these finches?? The "male" has tail feather bars that are fairly pronounced--the "female" also has bars on her tail, but they're a little blurry looking. Do same sex pairs ever act like M/F pairs? And can they acutally somehow move an egg upward and into a new nest? (still can't figure that out!)
Connie

[DanteD716]

the malle has black flanks white dots, just like normal zebra males but black marking instead, also the males have red beaks. Post pictures and I can verify

[LuxandLolita]

Its possible that you have two females and the egg that was in the nest was pushed. That or she pushed the first egg and laid another elsewhere.

[cindy]

Males look like this

Females look like this

[cindy]

Both have black cheeks the male has a very black breast bar and black flanking with withe spots.

The egg first laid may have broken and they ate it which can happen especially if the egg is not fertile. The egg in the second spot was most likely a new one. Females will lay an egg every day until they are done laying then they will incubate them.

[connie]

Thanks so much for the pictures!!! Based on that, I have two females. Now the mystery of the disappearing egg isn't as interesting as the "date night" activity that was unmistakably mimicking male/female interaction. Is that normal?

Also, if they are two females, what do you do about them so diligently sitting on eggs? Leave the eggs? Will they lose interest when they don't hatch? Take them out? Thanks to everyone for their answers--this forum is amazing.
Connie

[Jeff McKee]

You got a boy and a girl. The male has the chest bars (nice vest). Females cheek patches are often not quite as distinct. Yes, males have rosy beaks and females orange. It's too early to know if they'll give young (they have to like each other and need to be in tip top form - make sure they have a varied diet including some greens). You also don't know their age. Although some birds can have little ones at six months of age, I would suggest it's more common that they really start becoming good parents between one and two years of age. Give them a few nests, so that they have a great chance to feel really comfortable. Black cheek is recessive, so if you pair either of them with a CFW (white bird), the little ones would get a gene for brown cheeks from one parent and a gene for black cheeks from the other. Their babies would have brown cheeks. These babies, when paired with a black cheek would have 50% of their babies having a black cheek. When paired with a bird that has a black cheek gene and a brown cheek gene, they would produce 25% of their babies with a black cheek. Black cheek is a neat novelty, and often used by breeders trying to create birds with really neat colourings. Thus, when you look about, you'll see other black cheeks in various combinations (sometimes with brown in their flanks). Their colouring is pretty neat, all by itself!

[Jeff McKee]

Oops, sorry, those weren't pics of your birds!

[cindy]

Oops, sorry, those weren't pics of your birds!

That is ok...mine!! I have the lots of BC and BC CFW as well...sweet birds! Great parents and fosters!

[cindy]

to learn more about the Black Cheek mutations got to

http://www.efinch.com/species/bczeb.htm

http://www.zebrafinch.com/NewZebra/BlackCheek.html

[cindy]

Connie, they can sit on the eggs for a bit, they will sit after they are done laying. You can let them sit for a couple of weeks, this way they will not continously lay eggs and deplete their calcium reserves.

You can grate some boiled egg and include the shell, it will help build them up after laying eggs.

[Vargur]

if there are not opposite sex
for the birds then
males can bond with another male
and female can bond with another female.
And act like they are in a "normal" relationship!
I have seen female jump on another female
and try to "bond" with her,
also seen male do that to another male.

The finches just want to bond with somebody,
they are social animals.
And its so cute when they find a buddy to cuddle with.


Vargs Álfur Álmosar/Áróruson and Vargs Eros A.Apollons/Arisarson by Elma_Ben, on Flickr


Vargs Þorri undan Vargs Eros og Vargs Evelyn by Elma_Ben, on Flickr

but congrats on your new finches!!

But they dont need a nest to sleep in,
the nest only stimulates them to breed.
And If you dont want that, I would take the nest out.
But because now the two females have eggs in it,
I would wait until they loose interest incubating them.