2 new Budgies

Question
Hey Leah,
I'd just like to say I've been flicking through the web site and found it very helpful, so kudo's on that. I found a Budgie (well she flew into my front room) about a year ago and became great friends with her, she was extremely playful and friendly. I regret to say she died two months ago and I've decided to get another budgie, my only problem is I've a few (novice) and troubling questions:
Firstly, because i don't want them lonely, I'm buying a pair of birds, both just a few weeks old, hopefully a boy and a girl(hard to tell the genders)
1.I was wondering if my choice of cages is ok for 2 new birds,i want to buy a newer one for them:
CAGE (A) DIMENSIONS
29 1/2 "L x 15" W x 21 1/2"H (74.9 CM x 38.1 CM x 54.6 CM) OR
CAGE (B) DIMENSIONS
29 1/2 "L x 15" W x 36 1/2"H (74.9 CM x 38.1 CM x 97.7 CM)
2.From a couple of other questions I've read that birds fight,sometimes even the hen kills or seriously hurts the male,can i prevent this or what can i do with the baby birds?
and also if you could just give me a couple of general tips to for starting with baby budgies it would be a great help, thanks a lot, it means an awful amount, Jake.


Answer
I'm sorry to hear that she passed away.  You really do get attached to them.

Either size should be fine for them.  They should have more than enough space to be comfortable.  Cage B would probably be better if you wanted to breed them though because of the extra space.  That way when the cage gets a few more occupants, they won't get too crowded.

Birds do sometimes fight, and there's not really any way to prevent this.  The hen is usually the one who becomes violent, and unfortunately, deaths do occur.  It doesn't happen often though.  It's kind of like the news: you always hear about murders, robberies, and other disasters, but it doesn't happen as often as you'd think, and most people go through their lives unaffected by them.  You only hear about this sort of thing because it's so tragic.  You usually don't hear about the 95-99% of the time that nothing bad happened.  If they do become violent, separation is usually the only way to stop them.  Don't get too discouraged if they start to fight.  The hen is only trying to protect herself, her nest, and her babies.  After a few weeks of separation, you can try putting them back together and hopefully they'll get along.  This fighting phase usually happens during courtship and mating.  Occasionally it will happen after she has already laid her eggs.  If this happens, just take the male out.  While the male will help her by bringing her food, she is capable of rearing the babies on her own, and separation can keep all of your birds safe and healthy.

If you're planning on getting a pair to breed, it's best to get them young, but you want to be sure that you've got a male and a female.  By six months, you should be able to tell for sure.  While you want to get babies, it may be best to get older ones so that you know their genders.  You should also wait until they are at least a year old before breeding them.  Younger birds are more vulnerable to conditions like egg binding and they're more likely to abandon their nests.  It's sort of like teen pregnancy.  Just because they can physically reproduce doesn't mean that they're mature enough or that their bodies are fully ready.

When you bring home new birds, be aware that they don't adjust overnight.  They often take two weeks or more to get fully settled in, so don't worry if they seem nervous or don't do much at first.  They tend to get settled in better if they have a friend than if they're alone though.  If you get them from separate places (separate stores or breeders), you should quarantine them for 30 days before putting them in together.  Give them toys and things to keep them occupied.  Bored budgies will sometimes pluck feathers (their own or another bird's), chew through perches, or throw food around.  It's best to keep them busy with toys, and it's really fun to watch!  

If you have any other questions, just let me know!