how can i prevent my budgies from breeding?

Question
Hello Chrys,
It's me again. I got the birds at a Petsmart in Tulsa,Ok. Can you tell me(if you know)they gave me a 2 week receipt to take them back if i'm not pleased with them. Can I take one back if I don't like the gender i chose?
Also, if i get 2 boy parakeets, will they fight more than a boy and a girl would?
Thank you again for the info.  It is well appreciated.
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Followup To

Question -
Hi, my name is Jesse.
A little over a week ago, i bought 2 budgies.
I thought both were boys. And then i got to looking around some more on the internet, and now i'm not sure of their gender. Now i think one's a boy and one a girl. Is there an easy way to prevent them from breeding? Or do i have to separate them? One is a "regular" green one with a dark bluish-purple cere. And the other one is a blue/white one with a light blue-white cere. And i think they have both been through their 1st molting season, because they don't have stripes starting at their cere. (just some info to help me figure out their sex). Anyway, any and all help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Answer -
Hi, Jesse.  Thanks for posting.

Male budgies have blue ceres and females have brown/beige/white/tan ceres.  From your post, sounds to me like you have a male/female, but I can't be absolutely positive without seeing them for myself.  They would moult at about 6 months of age and again at 12 months of age their first year, then once per year after 1 year of age.  

If your birds are indeed male/female, you can bet they will eventually lay eggs!  The ultimate way to keep them from breeding would be to get 2 birds of the same sex or keep them in separate cages.  If you choose to house them together, only allow them exposure to light for 10-12 hours per day, do not put up a nesting box or have anything in the cage they could lay eggs in (some even lay right on the bottom of the cage), and keep the temperature in their room cool (warmer temps are a que that it's breeding season).  Even with these precautions, they could still lay eggs if/when the 2 would pair-bond.

Come back with further questions.

Chrys

Answer
Hi again, Jesse.

I don't have any idea if the pet store would allow you to take one/both back...you'd have to check with them regarding their policy for pet returns.

Would 2 boys fight more than a male/female would?  Maybe!  It depends on the personalities of the individual birds!  Two males might get along just fine or they might fight.  Take your time when choosing birds.  Watch them at the pet store and see how they interact with each other and pick the ones you like.  Don't allow the employees at the pet store to "hurry you up" in your selection.  Even if you have to go to the pet shop every day, don't buy until you feel sure in your heart those bird(s) are the ones you want.  In most cases, it's best to let the bird(s) pick you (you'll know what I mean when this happens).  If the store gives you any problems during the selection/decision process, go to a different store.  Better yet, it would be best if you could find a local breeder of parakeets and buy from a breeder.  A breeder would be able to visually sex the birds better than a pet shop would in most cases and you'd likely be getting better quality birds that have been handfed (and likely tame).  If you buy 2 males, sometimes it's best to buy clutchmates, i.e., birds from the same parents.  They've been raised together and are familiar with each other.  Usually, too, clutchmates won't breed with each other if you'd happen to select a male and female.

First though I'd make sure of their genders before you decide to take either one back.  Moving can be stressful for a parrot and can also result in illness if their immune system becomes compromised (which stress can cause).  Your keets could be too young to sex yet, which happens sometimes if the birds are younger than say about 4 months of age.  Do you know how old your keets are (do they have leg bands or did the pet shop say how old they are)?  If you're looking for a keet breeder, ask the pet store where they get their keets...some stores buy from local breeders.  Or you can look in your local newspapers, phone books, and some veterinarians will give you references.  

Chrys