Hi Emily,
Depending on the color mutation, the cere may or may not be an indication of gender. The dilute, pastel and solid color mutations typically cannot be sexed by cere color. So you might recommend DNA sexing if this is the case. Even if they have no interest in breeding in the future, it is a benefit to know the sex. If these birds came from the same place, it is highly likely they are related, so they should not be allowed to reproduce. While they may mate and lay eggs later on, the owner should be encouraged to discard the eggs as they are laid.
At their age, the female is definitely at a high risk of egg binding if her hormones are triggered. My advice is based on what breeders who raise budgies for show recommend. They really should not be paired until they are about 2 years old – 18 months at the very earliest. While this pairing may not have been intended, and even if the owners are not interested in breeding, the facts are once you have a male and female together, bonding and mating are likely. However if these birds are not tame and are the only companions for each other, it would not be ideal to separate them. If they are tame, I would recommend separating them to prevent mate bonding so that they remain tame. The birds could still be allowed to interact outside of the cages under supervision. As for laying eggs, if the hen’s hormones are triggered, she will lay eggs regardless of having a nest. The lack of a nest does not contribute to egg binding. The age and not being fully developed physically would be the issue. She may look fully grown, but there is still some physical and emotional development going on. The same with the male – he would be more interested in mating until he is closer to two than caring for a mate, so he can actually become a nuisance to the female if he starts acting hormonal.
Yes, there are changes that can be made that can discourage hormonal behavior. It works with some birds, and with others they just become breeding machines without intervention.
The client should do all of these things to discourage mating and egg laying. Keep in mind that to lay eggs, she needs longer daylight, warmer weather, abundant food, and a quiet, private environment. The goal is to reverse these conditions. In the wild, they get signals from nature to end breeding season, but in captivity, if ideal conditions continue to be provided, a hen will literally lay eggs until it kills her. It’s good for the client to understand that wild budgies only breed once a year, and typically only raise one clutch per year.
Limit her light to 8-10 hours by covering the cage early each evening
Do not give her anything to use as a nest – no bird huts or tents, no box, bowl, etc. If she decides to sit in a food bowl, remove it and replace with smaller cups.
Do not give her anything to shred such as paper or cardboard.
Rearrange the toys in the cage frequently.
Move the cage to a different place in the room. Move the cage about once a week, or whenever she shows signs of nesting – settling on the cage floor for example. This disrupts her idea of having a stable place to lay eggs and raise chicks.
If you feed a lot of fresh foods, stop offering any for a couple of weeks, and then only offer them in small amounts about 2 or 3 times a week. You can resume normal feeding later when the birds aren’t being hormonal.
When the pair is let out of the cage, do not let them get in any dark cozy places and don’t give them free roam.
When you handle them, limit any petting to only the head and neck – do not pet a bird on the body. Only a bonded mate is allowed to groom the body. We can’t be a mate, so touching the body is off limits.
If there is no metal floor grate, then do not use any bedding or paper in the cage tray – leave it bare and clean it daily.
If the hen does start laying at some point, and continues to lay clutch after clutch, then a hormone implant or shots should be considered. The implant is proving to be very effective with most chronic egg layers.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
