# Gender confusion!



## GandyPigbird (Mar 28, 2013)

Well, I was convinced that my little Gandalf was male ever since I rescued him about 3 weeks ago. She was always doing the male mating dance, cooing and bobbing her head. I bought her a little plush Owl toy from the toy store and for the first few days, she would just attack it and push it out of her nest. Today, I reintroduced it to her and she started charging it with her tail feathers fanned out dragging on the floor. Based on all I knew about sexing birds, I was positive she was male after that!

Then, later tonight she shocked me. I put the plush Owl in her nest and after some cooing and light pecking at it, she lowered herself down by it, still cooing, waiting for it to mount her! She kept at it for over an hour. I finally put the toy on top of her hoping it would give her some relief but she wasn't fooled. She just stayed in that position getting more and more frantic with her cooing!

What should I do? Will it make her unhappy that her new "mate" won't mate her? Should I take the toy away? Or would she be happier having her new "mate" around?

I guess I'll be calling her "Gandy" lol.

Thanks, 
Lauren


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Um ... sometimes with pigeons it happens both ways 

Also, he would probably be expecting his 'mate' to preen him.

Guess time will tell.


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## Woody Pigeon (Feb 3, 2013)

If it is called Gandalf, and you go too near his/her nest, do you reckon it will yell "You shall not pass!" at you.

Yeah, sometimes female pigeons act so much like males another female will attempt to mate with them, and the only way to tell if they are female is if they lay eggs.

Otherwise it could just be a feminine male pigeon, or, extremely unlikely, your pigeon could be a miracle pigeon and be a hermaphrodite.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Woody Pigeon said:


> Otherwise it could just be a feminine male pigeon, or, extremely unlikely, your pigeon could be a miracle pigeon and be a hermaphrodite.


I love it


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

Or maybe hes seen the film, is confused and is playing the part of Sir Ian McKellen .......literally lol.
Seriously though, I have a mated pair that mate normally, but during the process of courtship, the male crouches down and calls for the female. When she arrives, he nuzzles his way underneath her and have actually had them sitting where they are both facing the same way & she is straddling his head ....almost in such a way that shes trying to hatch him lol


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