My ~3 month old budgie Pixel has discovered where the mirrors in the house are. There are 3 main ones he flys to from his cage if let out and has no where to perch so wears himself out - huffing and puffing when he does land and slightly lifting his wings to cool down (I think he does it to cool down).

It is worrying behaviour and something I desperately want to discourage. I really want him to sit on my shoulder or play with his toys/play pen outside of his cage. I have just caught him (rather aggressively unfortunately as he would not perch on my finger and allow me to put him back in his cage). I put him in the cage, and covered him up and will not uncover him until later. What can I do to discourage him from visiting the other budgie in the mirror? I do not want to cover the mirrors, I can close the doors but in Summer it is much more comfortable for all at home with them open. Hoping this is a 'terrible twos' phase.

 

Regards

Laurie & Naughty Pixel.

I'm not sure how, but try and make him know that the mirror is a wall... like let him go up to each mirror, and let him tap it with his beak, but make sure he doesn't fly into it 0.o

why is he covered during the day? Is that your form of "punishment" for him not doing what you wanted? if so that is so wrong, You can't punish a bird or put them in a "Time out" This will cause behavioral problems

 

if you don't want him going to the mirrors cover them with a sheet or a towel before letting him out(uncover when his out of cage time is over) not being able to find spots to perch is not good either. Give him more area's to perch and play you don't even have to buy more Play gyms Make your own with safe things around the house.

 

Safe Tree branches can be made into a great place for birds to play

Safe wood items such as Wine racks Have been made into Play gyms with great success

Make home made T Perches and place them around the room for the bird to perch on These can have toys hanging off of them.

 

You can't "make" A bird do anything it doesn't want to do. and if the bird does not have complete trust in you , They won't do anything you want them to do any way.

 

Birds Fly around, they sit around, they play, they forage, they roam around and scope things out this is what birds do it is Our job as their owners to make their "play areas"/rooms 100% birdie safe A bird is a bird it will never be anything but a bird let the bird be who he is and you make the room safe for them and you'll have a happy healthy bird.

Edited January 27, 201213 yr by K&M Breeding

I'm not sure how, but try and make him know that the mirror is a wall... like let him go up to each mirror, and let him tap it with his beak, but make sure he doesn't fly into it 0.o

 

 

Sorry, Flip-trainer, this will never work. The reason mirrors drive budgies crazy is because they just can't understand that there is no other bird there.

 

 

Laurie, can you take him to a different room, away from the mirrors, and away from his cage, for his training sessions? Some room that he is unfamiliar with, so that he comes to see you as his "safety zone".

I'm not sure how, but try and make him know that the mirror is a wall... like let him go up to each mirror, and let him tap it with his beak, but make sure he doesn't fly into it 0.o

 

 

Sorry, Flip-trainer, this will never work. The reason mirrors drive budgies crazy is because they just can't understand that there is no other bird there.

 

 

Laurie, can you take him to a different room, away from the mirrors, and away from his cage, for his training sessions? Some room that he is unfamiliar with, so that he comes to see you as his "safety zone".

 

 

Hmmm... Well it worked for my Uncles Indian Ringneck *.*

 

 

Hmmm... Well it worked for my Uncles Indian Ringneck *.*

 

 

I wonder if Ringnecks are different, maybe not as obsessed with their reflections? I know a budgie can learn that a window is a wall, and not a passageway, when they get used to the rooms they fly in. But I guess I thought this was more of a problem with the budgie being obsessed with the "other bird", not so much about him crashing into the mirror.

Hmmm... Well it worked for my Uncles Indian Ringneck *.*

 

 

I wonder if Ringnecks are different, maybe not as obsessed with their reflections? I know a budgie can learn that a window is a wall, and not a passageway, when they get used to the rooms they fly in. But I guess I thought this was more of a problem with the budgie being obsessed with the "other bird", not so much about him crashing into the mirror.

 

 

Maybe, but when you think about it, Mirrors are technically not that different from windows, in the fact that they 'continue' onwards

Laurie, can you take him to a different room, away from the mirrors, and away from his cage, for his training sessions? Some room that he is unfamiliar with, so that he comes to see you as his "safety zone".

 

If we take him out the back room he will usually only fly around that room and not really fly to where the mirrors are. We aren't too worried about the behaviour at the moment, hopefully he grows out of it.

Thanks for the suggestions

Cheers

Laurie