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I had gotten two parakeets 2 weeks ago. I picked the two out because they seemed to be buddies inside the small cage at the store. Shortly after I brought them home the one kept trying to snuggle with the other but the other did not want anything to do with it. I think they were both females. It got so bad that the one (who did not want to cuddle) started freaking out so much she was trying to force her head through the cage bars.
I ended up returning her and bringing home another parakeet. This one seemed much younger and I'm thinking he is a male but its still hard to tell. I've had the two for about a week and there is absolutely no bonding going on between the two. In fact the older female seems to be bullying the younger one. She is not hurting him but just acting almost like an older bully sister.
I did noticed today that when the little one went to eat seed the older one would fly to the same seed cup and kind of push the little one away. When the little one went to the other feeder the older one would fly to that feeder and push him away.
The older one seems to be petrified of me and any sudden movements, yet the younger one seems to be already bonding with me.
My question is:
Do I need to give these two more time or should I return the older one and get a younger one which is hopefully a male?
Is this natural behavior between an older and younger budgie?
I am just concerned because of the eating situation. The little one does eat but I'm afraid the older one might be bullying him so much around the feeder that he is not getting enough food.
Also, I would like to tame both budgies but I'm afraid the skittishness of the older one may hold the little one back from really trusting me.
Please, any advice asap would be great.

First, I have heard from others (although never experienced it personally) that many female parakeets will not accept another female into their "home" unless they are in a large flight/aviary setting. They will fight over the "best" food, the "best" perch, a nesting place etc sometimes actually injuring one or the other bird.

Did you quarantine these birds and give them time to get to know each other from a neutral setting (a cage belonging to neither of them) or just immediately place them into the same cage together? If placing into the same cage immediately then the older budgie is protecting her home. When bringing more birds into a home you need to have at least two separate cages. Begin with a quarantine period to make sure neither bird shows any signs of illness. After quarantining introduce them in a neutral space such as a playgym, a stand, a new cage, even the back of a chair to perch on. If you do not have a separate unused cage then remove the bird from the cage you intend on keeping them both in, change toys, feeders perch etc around until it is a "new" cage. Then place both birds into the cage at the same time or as close to the same time as possible. Keep a close eye on them to make sure they are not fighting and are both able to eat. This will give them a better chance to get along in the future with neither feeling the need to guard their territory.

As far as getting another bird. If you do not have the time or space to quarantine I would try sticking to the same birds you already have. If they seem to be having problems purchase a new "temporary" cage and remove the aggressive one from the home cage. Try starting over with introducing them. Take one into a separate room for a week or so. Then bring the cages into the room together. Then introduce in a neutral space, then make the "home cage" as "new" as possible and try them together again. See if that makes any difference. If aggression or dominance is still coming in to play then you may need to keep them permanently separate where they can still keep each other company from separate cages but you can work with one or both to tame.

Thank you for your quick response. The older one is not aggressively kicking the smaller one off the feeder, she just walks over to it and as she gets closer the little one seems to get scared and flies off. They seem to ignore each other more than anything and they are both very quiet.
Maybe it was my stupidity but I did not quarantine them because they were in the same cage together prior to me getting him and it was only a weeks time before picking up the baby. Like I said my stupidity.
Its just very sad because the little one wants to cozy up to the big one but she doesn't want anything to do with it. I can separate them but doesn't that defeat the purpose of having a pair?
If the feeding issue does not resolve I may have to bring the big one back, get a younger one, keep it in a spare cage for quarantine.
I'm also very nervous about breeding. I've had parakeets when I was younger and never had an issue with them breeding but I may have also lucked out and gotten two of the same sex. I've owned finches in the past and they just bred like bunnies (not something I want to go through again)
I am not someone who just returns animals at the drop of a dime but I want whats best for these two and I feel two separate cages defeats the purpose of having two budgies bonding. Ugh, I don't know what to do. Can you tell me how long it can take for two budgies to accept each other if they do decide to be friends.

I did not quarantine them because they were in the same cage together prior to me getting him and it was only a weeks time before picking up the baby. I did not realize they had already been caged together, that does make a difference, in that situation any problems that one had the other would have already been subjected to. Since pet stores get in new animals all the time I didn't know if the birds were from the same or different "batches".

Its just very sad because the little one wants to cozy up to the big one but she doesn't want anything to do with it. I am really surprised at this, the problem at the feeder sounds more like fear or stress making the younger one leave instead of actual bulliness, and then wanting to cuddle at other times seems surprising??? Not sure why the attitude would change from one time to the next.

I can separate them but doesn't that defeat the purpose of having a pair? Only if you are talking about a breeding pair. Another bird in the same room especially if in cages next to each other can provide just as much companionship. They can still vocalize and possibly even preen each other through the bars (if they chose) but could still be separate so there would be no dominance issues/fear/or stress.

If the feeding issue does not resolve I may have to bring the big one back, get a younger one, keep it in a spare cage for quarantine. Again if they are from the same batch and no new ones have been introduced into the cage at the pet store than quarantine is probably not necessary. If it is either a completely new set of birds or if new birds have been placed into a cage near the others than quarantining should be practiced.

I'm also very nervous about breeding. We have had aviaries full of budgies of opposite sex and have also had small cages wit opposite sex budgies. We made sure to offer no nests in their cages and keep daylight/nightime hours consistent. We have not had a real problem with breeding. They will sometimes go through the motions and we have had a very occasional egg laid on the floor but no real extreme amounts of breeding. With finches and lovebirds on the other hand we may have a female with no males in sight and she will lay eggs constantly. SO we have to keep switching toys, perches etc to keep her from going into season again. So either way it can be curbed if not completely stopped.

I feel two separate cages defeats the purpose of having two budgies bonding. They may not bond as closely in separate cages which can be both a good and a bad thing. They can still offer companionship when you are away and will usually be easier to handtame if in separate cages but no they will not bond to each other as closely.

Can you tell me how long it can take for two budgies to accept each other if they do decide to be friends.Just like with anything it can take varying amounts of time. Some may accept each other immediately, others may take several weeks. As long as they are both eating then if you want to keep them together, great. If the one is not eating enough to be healthy then they do need separated whatever you decide on keeping the second one.

I forgot to note that the cage is very large and I did change things around when the baby was introduced. Moved the feeders around, changed the toys, even moved some of the perches. I thought changing things around before putting the babe in would make it feel like a brand new cage to the older one.
One more question (and I'm sorry for all of these, I just don't remember having some many problems when I owned them when I was little)
When can I let them out to fly? Should I wait until they are hand tamed or should I let them out to get exercise asap? I just don't want to freak them out anymore since I've only had the older one for 2 weeks and the younger one for 1 week.