cockatiel mate

Question

-------------------------------------------
The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
I have a male cockatiel and I bought him a mate. I don't know if she is a female or male but I call her a female. Well, Murphy goes after her and Peaches at times wont let him eat. Well, I tried to remove her from his cage but when I go to take her out of the cage he starts screaming and if take him in a different room she starts yelling. Both of them are hand tame and little sweethearts but they get aggressive towards each other they don't hurt each other but I don't know what to do. Murphy still comes to me when he wants to mate. He tries to mate with my big toe. He sings to it and everything. Do you think these two cockatiels are bonded or just tolerating each other?
-----Answer-----
Hi, Denise.  Thanks for posting!

I need more information in order to answer your question.  How long have you had Peaches?  Have you seen the male feeding your female beak-to-beak?  Do they preen each other or otherwise show affection toward each other?  Can you describe her coloration (or send a link to a photo) so I can try and determine what sex s/he is?

Thanks.

Chrys

Chrys,

I could not find a place to post the photos at but I will describe peaches in great detail. She is a Lutino, she has a yellow face with orange cheeks, a bright yellow crest, her feathers on her back are white with yellow spots everywhere, the tail feathers are plan yellow,her belly is plan yellow and they tail feathers underneath are yellow with some white spots. I do not see them feeding each other, instead Murphy comes up to me and tries to put safflower seeds in my mouth or he tries to take food from my mouth.He nibbles on my skin and plays with my hair but he wont touch her at all. Does he think I am his mate and if so how do I get him to do that with her? Thanks for any help you can offer. By the way Murphy is a normal gray if that helps any.

Answer
Hi again, Denise.

It doesn't sound like these 2 birds are pair-bonded to me based on the information you provided.  Birds prefer other birds to humans, so this is most likely why they have fits when either is taken away from the other.  If/when they pair-bond, you will see the male feeding the female beak-to-beak.  They may be buddies, but just not pair-bonded.  Pair-bonding has to occur before they will mate.  

Sounds to me like Peaches is female.  Lutino's can be difficult to sex visually, but with the yellow spots everywhere on her back, this means she's a lutino pearl, UNLESS she's less than 1 year old (pearlies are always female).  If less than 1 year old, she hasn't molted twice yet, so the yellow spots could go away.  If they don't go away after her second molt at about 12 months of age, she's female.  Also, the majority of yellow on this lutino indicates she is likely female.

If Murphy is "mating" with you, then he is bonded to you.  This might make it difficult for the 2 birds to bond.  However, since birds prefer other birds to humans, it may not take long, depending on how long you've had Peaches.

How old are these 2 birds?  I'll finish answering your question when you tell me how old your birds are.  Sorry, I should have asked that previously.  Do they preen each other at all or show other signs of affection toward one another?

Thanks.

Chrys