seperating mom and dad

Question
I was given a pair of breeding budgies as the woman got "tired" of them.<---disgusting! When I went to go see them she had a nest box on and 2 eggs were laid with mom sitting tight. The woman was neglecting them and as she had bred them before and kept 1 baby back. Now that she had the baby she no longer wanted mom and dad. So I took them and ended up with 2 out of 5 hatching (three were clear)
The one baby has splayed legs and I have taken care of that by using a sponge technique. As this is caused by calcium deficiency I have NO intention on breeding them again as I am sure they were bred non stop and they need the break to get their own bodies back to a healthy status and get their calcium and other level back to being healthy. As their were only 2 babies ( 2.5 & 3weeks old now) and I wanted to take that nest box out so she would not reclutch so I pulled the babies a week ago and am handfeeding them due to mom and dad needing the break.
My questions are....
Can I reintroduce mom and dad into a "new cage" with no breeding box without her wanting to be *seduced" or should I keep them apart into separate cages and does it have permanent or can I do it temperarly until breeding season is done or until hormone levels go down if that's possible( as I am sure they were bred non stop they may not even know when time of year that is ) Also if I do have to keep them in separate cages which is where they are now. Is it ok for me to put the cages close so they don't have to scream to hear each other or do I have to separate the cages into 2 separate rooms or can they be within visual or audial range?
Thanks for your time

Answer
I agree, it's dispicable that some people will adopt birds, get "tired of them".  I've adopted a total of four birds because of people like this.

I also agree with you that these birds were probably overbred.  Although splayed leg isn't always caused by a calcium deficiency.  It can be caused by genetic defects, or sliding around on the bottom of the nest box when the cartilage in their legs hasn't ossified and turned to bone yet.

Taking out the nest box is definitely a good idea.  I would separate mom and dad for a few weeks until they're done breeding and then put them back together.  Without a nest box, they aren't as likely to breed, but since they've done it before, they're more likely to try.  You can always separate them again if you have to.  It's perfectly fine to put them close enough that they can still talk to each other.  I did this with a pair of mine that I had a few years ago, and they slept as close to the other as possible, with only about three inches of space between them, and they were squishing themselves against the bars so they could be together!  It was absolutely adorable.

Since they may not know whether or not it's time to breed, just look at the female's cere.  When they get ready to breed, or are breeding, the female's cere is colorful, fleshy, and has an almost waxy texture to it.  Afterward the colors fade and the cere will sometimes become crusty or dry, but this is normal.

Best of luck with your family of budgies.  If you have any other questions, let me know!