Opinions on mirrors?

CheshireGrymm · Jan 23, 2014

Just wanted to get some of your opinions about mirrors or mirrored toys such as disco balls and such. Personally i do not like them because i feel that it can promote aggressive behavior and cage aggression.

What do you guys think? Do any of you use mirrors?

JerseyWendy · Jan 23, 2014

Here, check these out.

http://www.parrotforums.com/behavioral/37295-mirrors-really-bad-them.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/27789-toys-mirrors.html

Terry57 · Jan 23, 2014

My parrotlets and finches have mirrors and love them. The budgies hated mirrors. I think so much depends on the individual birds.
Great info in those links, Wendy!

Skittys_Daddy · Jan 23, 2014

I think it all depends on the bird and the owner. Mirrors can be good for birds who live alone in a cage and spend a lot of time there. Each of my birds have mirrors - Skittles only has one, but Peaches has quite a few.

I have heard that it is recommended not to have mirrors in the cage when you are first taming or training them. Not sure how accurate that is - but from what I've heard a bird will think it's another bird in the mirror and may bond with that mirror.

I think you should go with what works in your situation. I do know birds like shiny things, and mirrors are shiny.

CheshireGrymm · Jan 23, 2014

Lol well said, tielfan.

JerseyWendy · Jan 23, 2014

I dare anyone to hold my Ripley (Green Wing mac) while standing in front of a mirror.....just saying......:32:

:54:

Terry57 · Jan 23, 2014

JerseyWendy said:
I dare anyone to hold my Ripley (Green Wing mac) while standing in front of a mirror.....just saying......:32: :54:

I would be terrified to hold Ripley AWAY from a mirror! The big macs scare me to death, which is unfortunate as I think they are sooo gorgeous

Pinkbirdy · Jan 23, 2014

I myself like mirrors [but I have bigger birds]. Tequila [my zon ] loves his mirror. last year I redid the room and didn't put it back up .He banged his beak against the wall till I returned it. I feel bad for my birds that don't have a window [this helps reflect the light] . My LS2 dances and shows off in front of hers . My blue and gold looks at his and says "Rocky" [that's his name

] Owen My Rb2 flies to the one on the mantle and checks himself out. Even my new Eclectus has been checking it out . Guess it depends on the bird.

Kalidasa · Jan 23, 2014

My budgies have a couple of mirror-lantern shaped things, and one little mirror I their cage. However, they are never in their cage. In the warm months they go outside in their cage and occainsionally kiss themselves in the mirror, that's all. I'm pretty sure all my birds have figured out mirrors are just a reflection. I have alot in the house, and one wall in the dining room is a solid mirror. The conure especially seems to get that it's not real and is unfazed by them.

BoomBoom · Jan 23, 2014

Kalidasa said:
I'm pretty sure all my birds have figured out mirrors are just a reflection. The conure especially seems to get that it's not real and is unfazed by them.

Same here. I don't know how, but I think my sun conure knows its him in the mirror. When I show him clips of birds or blondes/red heads on Youtube, he attacks the monitor. When I show him clips of himself on Youtube, he also attacks the monitor. When I take him with me in front of a mirror, he does not attack his reflection nor mine. In fact, he has no reaction at all. Sometimes to experiment, I would make a face at the mirror like I'm asking for a peck, and he would reach out to me (not my reflection) and give me a peck on the nose. I don't know if that's because of his peripheral vision though. I'll see if I can do more interesting experiments with the mirror.

But to answer the OP's question... I too have read that toy mirrors do more harm than good. It could put parrots in a constant state of high hormones. I haven't experienced it personally, but have stayed away from it just to be safe. I prefer his cage toys to be made of natural material as much as possible anyhow.

Skittys_Daddy · Jan 23, 2014

I remember when I had parakeets, they all had mirrors and used to kiss themselves silly in the mirror. Skittles is unfazed by mirrors, though he has one. What fazes him is noisy things. If I shake a pill bottle or anything like that he goes bonkers. He likes things that make noise. That's HIS fascination. So most of his toys, naturally, make noise as a result.

The only time mirrors really tend to pose a significant problem is during breeding season, like 'tielfan' said. I actually have to remove Peaches eggs during the late winter months so it doesn't encourage mating.

Allee · Jan 23, 2014

I leave it up to the birds. My female quaker had severely plucked herself to the point of a bare belly and bald patches, she was underweight and her feathers where dull and scraggly when I brought her home. I put a mirror in her new cage beside one of her perches. I hadn't heard her entire vocabulary at the time. She rushed to the mirror, stretched as tall as she could and started repeating, pretty pretty pretty bird, she purred and kissed the bird in the mirror. It was really sweet considering her appearance at the time. My male quaker has a mirror but ignores it. My U2 stands on his cage door and admires his reflection in a wall mirror. I would say give your bird a mirror and see what happens.

CheshireGrymm · Jan 23, 2014

Its awesome to hear all of your opinions and stories

kiwiS · Jan 24, 2014

Personally I wouldn't put a mirror in there because there are just so many other fun toys. Kiwi loves shredding toys, dangly colorful toys, spiral perches etc… anything that keeps her busy physically. She also gets out-of-cage time with her mom.

I don't see any advantage of a mirror, so I haven't gotten her any. Just my two cents

Skittys_Daddy · Jan 24, 2014

Mirrors can be a more a problem than a necessity. But I don't encourage nor discourage their use in general. I base it more on that particular bird and the situation it's in.

What I will suggest is not having any 'large' mirrors exposed in your living situation. In my experience I've had too many birds fly right into them and they break. Also, just a tip - I use venetian blinds on my windows so they don't fly into them. I do this all based on my own experiences with birds flying into things.

I think it's wiser to invest in toys that will not only help them occupy their time and avoid boredom but will also stimulate coordination and foraging efforts. Giving them things to chew on and destroy helps minimize the chance they'll chew and destroy things they shouldn't.

CheshireGrymm · Jan 24, 2014

I agree totally. I made a whole bunch of foraging toys for sweeney which helped his biting situation a lot.

Skittys_Daddy · Jan 25, 2014

That's great. I found the same thing to be true with Skittles. Every time he has gotten into trouble it's out of boredom. I found that getting him a playstand really helped. He also has one on top of his cage, a giant toy hanging from the ceiling and little toys throughout the apartment. He flies wherever I go, has to keep me in his 'line of sight' so I put little toys in different spots and he goes from one to the other when I move around (unless he's on my shoulder).

It's great when I have to shower, I have asthma and having the door closed made it unbearable with the steam. But I used to have to shut and lock the door ever since seeing the movie 'Psycho', but now I don't have too. Skittles stands guard by the door when I shower and Norman Bates ain't got nothing on Skitty.

CheshireGrymm · Jan 25, 2014

That is adorable!

antoinette · Jan 26, 2014

Mishka loves mirrors
Only one problem.... when he sees himself in the mirror he talks non stop and I am not joking. He was driving us crazy !!!!

I eventually had to take out the mirror our of his cage, and put it on his playpen.

Now he says hello to the mirror when on the playpen and carries on playing.

veimar · Mar 8, 2014

I got my lovely GCC about a month ago and bought him a little cage mirror. He was nipping and biting it for hours, and I took it away. When he sits on my shoulder or on top of my head and I happen to be near a large mirror he starts attacking it and sometimes even puffs himself up and screams at his reflection. It is so hilarious because he is almost never aggressive.

But sometimes he doesn't really bother - he would bite his reflection and walk away to nibble on my hair. Once in a while I put that little cage mirror back to entertain him, and it feels to me that he is starting to understand that it is not another bird.

After biting and pulling for a while he would sit thoughtfully and watch his reflection tilting his head from one side to another. So I don't know - in my case I use the mirror occasionally, but cannot keep it in cage all the time.

Opinions on mirrors?

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