Female ignoring nest box

Question
hi.  i just got two budgies and we kept them in separate cages for a while, but then decided to move them into one.  after we moved then together they started showing signs of breeding behavior.  now they are almost matching the description of breeding behavior except the fact that both the female and the male are ignoring the nest box we put in.  Is there any way to bring the nest box to the females attention?  How can we encourage them to start breeding?  What kind of food is needed. if you could answer these question it would be great.
thanx

Answer
Hi, Christoffer,

What is your definition of breeding behavior?  

Birds must be pair-bonded before they will even think about breeding.  Pair-bonding is when the male feeds the female beak-to-beak.  If your pair is doing this, then this is a great start!  If not, then they aren't ready to mate.  

Did you put any substrate in the bottom of the nesting box?  If so, this is most likely why they are avoiding the box.  Normally, the male will go in/out of the box preparing it the way he wants it to be, making sure it's safe, etc.  The female will go in next and inspect the box, deciding if she wants to lay her eggs in there.  If so, mating occurs (if it hasn't already) and about 10-14 days later (give or take a day or two), eggs should appear.  However, if you've put shavings of some sort or straw, etc., in the bottom of the box, most budgies will ignore the box.

The birds will mate/breed in their own time.  You can't control this.  The only thing you can control that might help is to give them access to lighting 16 hours per day (in order to simulate the long days of spring time breeding season).  Your birds should already be on a healthy diet to prepare themselves for breeding and raising young.  All-seed diet is a poor diet if this is what they are being fed.  However, you can't change their diet and allow them to breed at the same time...too much stress.  If your birds are molting, they won't breed (again, too much stress on their bodies).  There are products on the market for birds that claim to stimulate breeding, but I've never used any of these products.  There are also vitamins available to enhance breeding.  My opinion is that if ones's birds are healthy, fed a healthy, nutritious diet, and are otherwise well cared for, nothing "extra" or "special" is needed.  Mother Nature will take her course.  There are also other things to consider, such as other pets in the home, location of breeding cage, etc.  Some birds won't lay eggs if they feel their offspring could be in danger.  However, most of the time it's due to substrate being placed in the nesting box, birds too young, birds not pair-bonded, or unhealthy birds.

Chrys