mirror in ringneck cage

[Joshua]

hay guys I currently have a mirror in skyscrapers cage and I have recently read that you should not have mirrors in the cage because they will get attached to the reflection and not you

 

[wenz2712]

I have a mirror in Codie's Cage and I have never had any problems with him getting attached to it.

 

[antoinette]

Same here, Mishka loves chatting to his mirror.

Below is an interesting link pertaining to mirrors.
http://feistyhome.phpwebhosting.com/mirrors.htm

If you notice any of the above mentioned symptoms remove the mirror.

 

[Joshua]

hay guys thanks for the replies and thanks for the great link Antoinette! sky is a bit territorial over the mirror and i fear she spends way to much time with it so i am going to remove it thanks guys

 

[Jtbirds]

I can second wenz I have had mirrors in many bird cages and have had I issues with them getting attached t it, but if it is a real issue then remove it

 

[MarciaLove]

I never give my birds mirrors they will get attached and become aggressive toward anyone else. plus I feel bad for them cause they think its another bird friend and its not it must be frustrating for them

 

[Jtbirds]

Parrots pass the mirror test, they know it is them in the mirror. African Greys epically pass this. Pigeons are one of the only other birds that do pass the mirror test. I have mirrors in for Romeo because he lost his forever friend Juliet and I felt the mirrors would help him and they did as it gave him a reassuring feeling I believe. It never made him aggresive though he just talks in them and laughs at himself really.

 

[OolovebirdiesoO]

My birds have mirrors and I've had no problems with them. They all love their mirrors and admire themselves. They don't favour the mirrors over their other toys but like to take the occasional look at themselves now an again

However we did have a cockatiel, Cookie that was given to us because he needed to be rehomed, he came with a mirror. He sat by the mirror, talked to it and sometimes attacked the mirror. Cookie wasnt tame but was fine around people once he was out of the cage. Anyway one day I decided to take the mirror away because it worried me how much time he spent next to it. He did not like me taking it away one bit and tried attacking me, I then had to sneak the mirror away because he watched were I was placing it. Anyway Immediately after Cookie said "cookie! cookie!" and "pretty bird" with the occasional wolf whistle. He played with his other toys and was alot more active after!

After we took the mirror away he was a totally different bird! It was the strangest thing ever. true story

 

[Mash]

i am going mad! its been two years and my grey female ringneck still hasnt figured out that its her reflection in the mirror. she dances in front of it all day, flaring her wings and regurgitating food( trying to feed it). i read that that means shes trying to mate. iv never kept her in a cage. shes always been free to fly around the house. only goes to her cage for food. obviously i cant remove all the mirrors in the house. i got a male ringneck thinking it would solve the issue but she attacked it on first sight andf kept at it for a few days. he would run away frightend.then she stopped and started being very friendly but then the male started attacking her and she would fly away and its been going on for ages. i am at my wits end!

 

[MonicaMc]

There's a reason I don't recommend mirrors...

The Problems with Mirrors

1. The bird often doesn't know they are staring at their reflection
2. Birds may become aggressive over their cage because of the mirror
3. They may develop an unhealthy bond to the mirror
4. Thinking their mirror buddy is an actual bird, when presented with a real bird, the real bird does not look right, does not act right, and may not even "sound" right!

Sorry, but I think it's best to get rid of mirrors and/or cover them up.


It may be difficult to get a mirror attached bird to act appropriately to a real bird because they may no longer know how to act right in a flock type situation where the real birds do not mirror their actions and may respond to behaviors differently than the mirror buddy.