I have had 3 parakeets in my life, and let me tell you, they are so much fun! If I remember right, you can tell the difference between a male and a female parakeet by looking at the area around their nostrils. A males will be blue and the female's will be a dull brown. Parakeets really do enjoy each other's company, myne used to groom each other all the time. When I had one we had a little mirror in his cage and he always used to look at himself and talk to his reflection and peck at it, so we got another parakeet to keep him company. Keep in mind that parakeets can live up to 12 years. Parakeets often get respritory infections, which caused one of my parakeets deaths, so you need to keep them away from drafts. I hope u get a new feathered friend soon!
Here is a website about parakeets:
http://ca.essortment.com/budgiesparakeet_pbc.htm
and another:
http://www.petcraft.com/docs/budg.html