Two questions about Albino parakeets

[Star]

I have two questions about Albino Parakeets.

How do you get the mutation of Albino? The thought of breeding Star has crossed my mind today, and I have just done some research on things like what is needed and all that but not on mutation. I would like to breed Albinos (if I do but I doubt this is going to happen.)if anything.

AND

Are Albino parakeets rare?

This girl I know keeps IMing me saying "Star has a rare color" and I just don't know. I haven't seen any albinos there since I bought her so..

[Monica]

An albino is the blue lutino, so to speak. I don't really think they are rare birds, but that for the fact that ino is a recessive gene, which is also a sex linked gene. Since it is recessive, a male budgie will need two albino genes to be a visual, where-as the female will only need one gene, since females cannot be split for ino, therefore it also makes it recessive.

Here's a good link to the ino gene mutation explained!
http://www.budgerigars.co.uk/genetic...uestion18.html

As for breeding, you could breed two albinos, however if breeding for size/quality (as per say you were a large breeder and not as a hobby) you would breed her with either a normal male, or a normal male split albino. A normal male will produce normal males split albino, where-as the male split albino has the chance to produce both male and female albinos. Of course if you bred her with a male albino, then you would get all albinos. Or, you could breed her with a male lutino and produce lutinos split blue.

Either way, if you breed her with a green dominant bird (any yellow budgie), you'll only get green dominant chicks (unless the green parent is split to blue). If you bred her with a blue parent (any white budgie), you'll have blue chicks. Since green is always dominant over blue, you cannot get blue split to green.

Okay, so it's confusing, but you can have fun with a genetics calculator!

http://www.gencalc.com/gen/eng_genc.php?sp=0Budg (1.0=male 0.1=female)

[homebird]

Axelforley has an albino as well - i noticed in the album budgie section - maybe you could contact the other owners of Albinos & ask them some questions? I think Star is lovely & unusual.

I was on the TalkBudgie forum & really loved it until my connection got corrupted (they're working on it) - I saw aome very pretty birds there too - I think Star was there(?). One person had very lovely blue & white budgies, like Abbey is yellow & Blk. I imagine that some albino was in them.

Breeding is an exciting occupation but adding to the already large population of birds, for fun, is an issue for me. My Grandmother raised Canaries & loved it as a hobby. She just had one pair in a flight & always someone wanted a baby.

[Star]

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions!!

I have decided agianst breeding as I don't really have enough time to, and the bird population is inclining greatly to. That sounds like a lovley hobby, if I were to breed I would probably keep all of them, if my parents let me. When I get older I probably will breed budgies and keep them all.

Thank you, Monica and homebird for the wonderful information!

By the way, Star is on Talk Budgies and I have the same username on here as I do there.