Do budgies (parakeets) need to be in pairs before they mate?

Question

I have one male and two females. The male tries to make moves on both of them but they don't let him go all the way. I've read that they need to be in a large flock before they start mating. Is this true? I have a nest box but they just sit on top of it and don't go inside. None of the females have laid any eggs. They are 3-4 years old.

Answer 1

Yes, they need to be mated pairs or a trio like you have.

Google:  Breeding budgies.

Answer 2

It's probably because they are a little older. Just make sure you have bedding in the nest so they know they have a place to lay eggs. The same thing happened w/ mine. Or maybe put only 2 in , and see which one the male will mate with.

Answer 3

From personal experience i had 2 parakeets for almost 7 years. we always joked they were married but then after 7 years all of a sudden the female started laying eggs... and they were fertile. 25 babies later... so it might just depend on the birds.

Answer 4

Some older birds won't mate up if they are not given the opportunity when they are juveniles. Most need the parakeet chatter that comes with a flock of keets. There are exceptions to this rule. I know a guy that has six pairs of birds and they breed like rats, while another fellow has about a dozen or so pairs and they won't breed.  Some of them have been put up for six or seven months. It just depends on your birds.

They necessarily don't need to be mated to lay eggs. They do need to be mated in pairs and in a cage of their own before they will lay. If you can find a nest box with a nest block in the bottom this is the very best type of nest. They don't need any wood shavings with a nest block and the hen will have a better hatch rate with a block versus nesting material. It is easier for the hen to keep the eggs under her with the block. Sawdust makes it hard to roll the eggs around like a parakeet likes. An odd bird in the cage will s***w things up also. An occasional bird will raise babies by themselves but it is a oddity when they do. Some males will feed a nest of babies out if something happens to the hen. Then I have had them let the babies starve and never go in the box when something happens to the hen. A single male and a single female in one breeding cage. It is best to hang the box on the outside of the cage. This facilitates cleaning and checking the babies. Also this keeps the parakeets from chewing the nest box up. People like to use wood shavings in the nest so they don't have to clean the nest as often. I would rather clean the nest box every few days versus letting it build up in the shavings.