budgie mating

Question
QUESTION: Hello I had my two budgies for about 1 month and one say i saw them mating on top of their cage because we leave the cage open all the time . does this mean i will be expecting some babies soon ? and if so hat  do i do some tips on how to get ready for a baby and take care of them once they are here. thank you

ANSWER: Hello Laura! You will only be expecting babies if there is a next box in the cage. If not, she will just lay the egg off a perch (if she has an egg in her) and it will be dead.

Hope I helped Laura! If there is a Next box in the cage let me know and Ill give you some tips! Thanks.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Well there is no nest box but im getting one today . Because I dont want the eggs to fall and crack . I will let them hatch and everything but i just need to know everything to do. the cage is really not that big because we got a small one so they wont mate. i heard they wouldnt mate if you had a small cage. and also do i still always leave they cage  door open because last night i heard a thump and i  went downstairs to the kitchen and saw her on the floor so i picked her up and put her in the cage she looked a little freaked but she was alright today. So yeah some tips would help me lots thank you ! from laura

Answer
Hello Again Laura! First of all, before you get a nest box, before you do anything in the direction of getting eggs, you need to get a bigger cage. Leaving the door open and letting them roam around wont give the feeling of security that they need, i.e. when a preditor or something threatening to them comes around, they arnt going to feel secure in such a tiny place. Also, if you put the nest box in a small cage, the father of the chicks may become teritorial and kill the babies once they leave the nest box because he will see that his home is over crowded. So get a bigger cage, and keep the doors closed.

Now, lets say you've bought the bigger cage already. First things first, let them settle in for about an hour or two, and then introduce them their very first nest box. The nest box doesnt need anything on the inside, though some people beleive that if you put pine shavings in the box it will help get the mood around in the cage and get them "inspired" to mate. Some people also beleive that keets dont like it when shavings are present. All parakeets are different, so try it both ways and if your lucky the first try will work out. Now, if everything goes as planned, the male will investigate the box and go inside, around it, on top of it, and just make sure things are OK. Again, if things go as planned, he will give the female the word and let her know that its ok for her to head inside to check things out herself. Once she finds it fit to her liking, she will likely mate with the male again and more often after that until she lays her first egg. When she lays her eggs, they will not all be fertilized. She can lay up to 12 eggs, but it will usually be around 4-8. This is why you need a bigger, God forbid that you have 14 budgies in a cage made for just 1 or 2! That would be a disaster. Anyway, she will lay on the eggs for about 18-20 days until they hatch. Some will hatch, others will not. I would say you should remove the eggs that didnt hatch at about 25-30 days of the mother sitting on them. Then after this, the mother and father do the rest. They will together feed them, and over all take care of them. Make sure they have a good diet of seed, fruits and vegitables, and some millet spray. I wouldnt reccomend hand feeding on the a first time breeding route. However, if you want the babies to be partialy tame, you can hold them EVERYDAY for at least 10 minutes, this way they are used to human contact.

Hope I helped Laura! Dont hesitate to ask more questions. Thank you.