Do pet stores take back parakeets or other birds I can't keep?

Most pet stores will not "buy" back animals. Each one may have a different policy, so you would need to contact the store directly and speak with a manager. Contact the local humane society and ask if they have any people looking to adopt a bird. You can do the same with local veterinary clinics. If there is an avian vet nearby, contact them or check the office bulletin board. There may be options there.

Most pet stores will not take pets back unless they were purchased very recently. Looking to see if you can rehome them though a local ad, or contacting a local animal shelter may be your best option. A local shelter may be able to get you into contact with a bird rescue that can take them and adopt them out to a new home for you.

If you are hoping to raise babies, then providing nesting material for the parents is best so that they can make a safe nest where the eggs are less likely to fall or break. The parents may also break eggs or discard them if they aren't viable or they are young parents that don't know what to do. Because the eggs need to be incubated, they need to remain in the nest with the parents in order to hatch. You can keep letting both parents try to raise a clutch (and be sure to provide a calcium supplement for the mother), or, if you don't wish to raise babies, can just remove and discard any laid eggs.

Expect more eggs. Budgies will lay one egg every 24-48 hours until they have a clutch of 4-8 eggs. A hen does not need a male in order to lay eggs. Discourage breeding by removing any nesting boxes or bowls that she can lay eggs in. Move her away from windows and decrease the amount of light she is exposed to during the day. Do not remove any eggs until she is done laying. Removing them early may cause her to lay more eggs. You do not need to do anything to "take care" of the clutch. If you do not want chicks, wait until the clutch is laid then remove and discard them. Replace them with dummy (fake) eggs. These can be purchased in most pet stores. Leave the dummy eggs in place until the hen loses interest then remove the.

Leave them in the nest or nest box for a couple weeks, then remove one egg each week until they are gone. Removing them too soon or all at once may trigger more egg laying. You can also lower room temperature by a few degrees and limit her exposure to light. Shorten her days by using a cage cover in the early evening.

It may be that the egg was actually pushed out of the box as it is not viable. If they will not let you in the box (where there may be other eggs), or the egg is not viable, you can simply remove it. Otherwise, waiting until night when both birds are calmer and quiet may give you a chance to place the egg into the nest.

My condolences on the loss of your male budgie. Do not throw the egg away without replacing it. This may spur her to lay more. You can replace the egg(s) with dummy eggs. Find them in the Avian section of the local Petco. Leave the dummy eggs in the nest box for 2-3 weeks, then remove one every few days until none remain. Hens will lay eggs regardless of whether or not they mate. To stop egg laying, limit exposure to daylight (use a cage cover or move them away from windows, light sources, etc.) and lower room temperature by a few degrees. To prevent mating, you will need to separate males from females.