1 year old suddenly aggressive in cage

[Michele27]

Hi All,

Max is just over a year old and is so friendly and usually never wants to be in the cage. However, he has a serious addiction to mirrors and reflections. We think he "bonded" to his reflection and since turning 1, it has triggered some very aggressive behavior. He even found a reflection in the black plastic at the bottom of his cage and if we are out for a few hours, will come home to him in the corner of the bottom of his cage, looking at his reflection in the black plastic, and then become insanely aggressive towards us and not come out of the cage. My husband sanded the shiny plastic to remove any reflective properties but he is still doing it. My sweet bird is unrecognizable when he's like this. He will lunge and hiss at me and even at my husband who Max is obsessed with.

Any advice for how to break this trance he seems to go into? We work hard to not let him see reflections about the house but he's super smart and always knows where to look. Its the cage issue that upsets me the most bc its completely out of character for him. Like a curse or spell that needs lifting.

Thanks you!

 

[BirdyBee]

Hi All,

Max is just over a year old and is so friendly and usually never wants to be in the cage. However, he has a serious addiction to mirrors and reflections. We think he "bonded" to his reflection and since turning 1, it has triggered some very aggressive behavior. He even found a reflection in the black plastic at the bottom of his cage and if we are out for a few hours, will come home to him in the corner of the bottom of his cage, looking at his reflection in the black plastic, and then become insanely aggressive towards us and not come out of the cage. My husband sanded the shiny plastic to remove any reflective properties but he is still doing it. My sweet bird is unrecognizable when he's like this. He will lunge and hiss at me and even at my husband who Max is obsessed with.

Any advice for how to break this trance he seems to go into? We work hard to not let him see reflections about the house but he's super smart and always knows where to look. Its the cage issue that upsets me the most bc its completely out of character for him. Like a curse or spell that needs lifting.

Thanks you!

Bumping this thread for you so that someone with experience can help

 

[zERo]

Hi All,

Max is just over a year old and is so friendly and usually never wants to be in the cage. However, he has a serious addiction to mirrors and reflections. We think he "bonded" to his reflection and since turning 1, it has triggered some very aggressive behavior. He even found a reflection in the black plastic at the bottom of his cage and if we are out for a few hours, will come home to him in the corner of the bottom of his cage, looking at his reflection in the black plastic, and then become insanely aggressive towards us and not come out of the cage. My husband sanded the shiny plastic to remove any reflective properties but he is still doing it. My sweet bird is unrecognizable when he's like this. He will lunge and hiss at me and even at my husband who Max is obsessed with.

Any advice for how to break this trance he seems to go into? We work hard to not let him see reflections about the house but he's super smart and always knows where to look. Its the cage issue that upsets me the most bc its completely out of character for him. Like a curse or spell that needs lifting.

Thanks you!

Welcome to the forums!

Sorry your sweet baby is being this way, it’s always tough for everyone to have to deal with.
First thing, limit his interaction with any type of reflection, sanding the black plastic was a good idea.

To manage his hormones, ensure he gets 12 hours of sleep. Don’t pet him anywhere but the head or neck.
Have you looked into training? Especially target, trick, and flight training.
Also, his diet is crucial too, limit excess sugar and carbs if you can.

 

[Free as a bird]

I'm not sure but this may be a symptom of the "terrible twos".
Yes the tiel is only 1 but that means it's in its 2nd year of life and has just become an adult.
This tiel has developed an obsession with mirrors and I don't have a clue how to help apart from removing the reflections which has been done.
My tiel is in his 2nd year now and his changed a little bit too, his become more aggressive and bites me now when he doesn't want to step up but his still cool with me

 

[LoveMyFids]

He went hormonal due to age & the mirror. They think it's another bird-potential mate & go hormonal. You need to remove all mirrors, reduce the amount of light per day & increase sleeping hrs. to a min. of 12. 13-14 can be better. Don't give any paper or shreddy toys because it stimulates nesting behaviors, caves to sleep in, & reduce sugary foods & carbs in his diet. Do these things consistently daily & the behavior usually gets much better in a month, but you should see improvement overall in a week or so.