How to tell my bird's gender and if its odd beak means it's sick?

It looks like Ruby is pretty young, and it is hard to determine sex in young birds. If the cere is turning pink, brown, or crusty, Ruby could actually be a female that is becoming sexually mature. If the cere becomes very deep blue, that is usually the sign of a mature/active male. However- in some color variations cere color doesn't always indicate sex correctly. If the brown is separate from the cere, is discharge, or you're seeing any signs of illness, then this could indicate an issue such as a respiratory infection which should be checked out by your vet.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to PetCoach! Your budgie who's cere was pink and is now light blue is female. Males usually have a lavender to dark blue cere. We have an excellent webpage devoted to information about budgies; I've put the link below: https://www.petcoach.co/article/budgies-melopsittacus-undulates-species-profile-american-an/ I hope this is helpful! Let us know if you have any other questions!

Poor Violet! Some crusting around the nose and a sudden cere color change can indicate the possibility of an infection going on, especially if there is discolored discharge or crusting stuck to the nose. Cleaning the nose and removing any debris may make things more comfortable for Violet, however if it returns or she begins to show signs of illness, having a vet take a look is best. They may need to flush the nostrils of any debris, or start Violet on an antibiotic or fungal medication to resolve the issue.

Thanks for reaching out about your parakeet and including pictures. This appears to be a condition called cere hypertrophy. It is most often associated with females being hormonal. After the ovary stops secreting hormones, the thickening should decrease or slough off. If your parakeet shows signs of respiratory disease, a veterinarian is needed. Good luck.

If they are at least 12 months of age, you can determine gender by looking at the color of the cere (nose). In males, the cere is a blue color. In females, it is tan/brown. If they are younger, you will need to wait or you can have them sexed by DNA using blood or feather samples.

Thank you for the additional pictures! I see what you mean about the purple coloration around the top of the cere (around the nostrils). Just below the nostrils, there looks to be a darker rim - as mentioned before, this looks like it may be starting to turn brown. Typically when we see male budgies start to turn colors, that it is more of a true blue color initially and not as much of a purple color. Based on this, I still think that Snowflake is mostly likely female. Thanks again for the additional photos!

A male albino budgie will have a flesh colored cere instead of the bluish colored cere. Females will have a brown cere. If it is perching and moving in the cage normally, I wouldn't worry. A young bird may not have the gripping strength that a mature bird may possess. However, any new bird should be examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating birds.