Feeding mirrors

[jellybean]

Sam has started doing this, for the past few mornings I've had to clean every mirror.

I know this is common behaviour, but should it be discouraged, or will he grow out of it.

I don't want him getting sick with this, he doesn't re eat it he just feeds it.

[skysmum]

I always worry about this with Bailey jellybean , they can get a crop infection from constantly regurgitating to the mirrors. If Bailey is in that mode, and it's usually when he's been in breeding condition, i do remove them. At the moment he is just happy to chat to his mate in the mirror

[Hezz]

I think this is more of an issue if the bird is re-eating his offerings, which thankfully Sam isn't doing. Like any animal that vomits a lot the constant regurg can cause it own set of problems, but birds are predestined to do this to feed their mate or the chicks so they are less likely to be as affected - the food is coming from their crop, not their stomach.

I'd take away his mirrors and only leave him with other shiny things that don't give him a full view of himself such as a disco ball. Does he regurg to a bell? Some do, some don't. Or any other shiny metal such as a teaspoon which will distort his image.

[jellybean]

Thank you both for the replies, skysmum, he is DEFINITELY in breeding mode   I've got to hide his favourite " jiggy" toy sometimes.
He only started the feeding about a week ago, before that it was just a mirror obsession, which I used to my advantage, I would remove said mirror and he would fly out the cage after it, so this became a game.

We kept this up, and he has become so tame, if I lay his mirrors on the floor, he allows me to get on the floor with him to play, I can even pick him up from a standing position and hold him, he is just the sweetest wee guy.

I have put out a new selection of toys on the floor which he came over to investigate, but none of them had mirrors, so off he trotted to the stainless steel legs of my occasional tables, I have covered these with a throw as he feeds them too.

I really don't want the start of a crop infection, so will try and keep the mirrors hidden.

Any idea how long breeding condition lasts?

[Marianne Marlow]

Bertie has been doing this, I have had to remove all mirrors.

He was sitting in one cage and spitting on them (all 3) all day long, not interacting with his friends, even his bestie Blithe.

[jellybean]

I hardly ever cleaned gunk from a mirror with Ben & Max, but Sam......🤢😮

[willowsmum]

jellybean it sounds like he has great fun playing You've caught the mirror feeding early which is good news, he's a little tinker finding the table legs though! I agree, it would be good to know how long breeding condition lasts and how often they come into condition.

[jellybean]

willowsmum, he would play all day as long as there is a mirror 😅

Ben & Max used to play on the floor, but they would chase each other, I could never get near them, they would always fly away, so Sam allowing me to interact and play with him with his toys is a new experience for me, and one I'm loving.

Ben still gets his play time with me too though, I could never leave him out 😘

[tweetiepiesmom]

jellybean it sounds like you are having fun with Sam - enjoy it! Hopefully the "feeding" the mirror so much will die down but he'll keep playing with you. The first budgie my family had when I was a teenager fed his mirror but only with the treats we gave him - funny isn't it!

[willowsmum]

jellybean it's so lovely to be part of playtime

[jellybean]

Thanks tweetiepiesmom, I'm hoping that's the outcome too.

He's been better today without the mirrors, interacting more with Ben.

I got down on the floor this afternoon beside the toys and down he flew to see if there were any mirrors 😅😅
There was a small one, so that kept him happy, but glad to say he never felt the need to feed it 😂

[jellybean]

May 5, 2020 18:33:03 GMT willowsmum said:

jellybean it's so lovely to be part of playtime

Isn't it just, they bring so much pleasure.

[willowsmum]

Good news about today's playtime jellybean !

[skysmum]

Sam sounds adorable jellybean . Bailey is certainly the worst mirror feeder that i have ever had, it is funny how some are worse than others. It sometimes got to the point of having to clean all mirrors multiple times a day so i had to start stopping it at the start of each session, some of these sessions can last a very long time. I think it starts at breeding condition time but then becomes a habit which we have to break by removing. Down side is, as you have found out, they will move on to something else, Bailey will feed ANYTHING shiny, the last resort being the cage door catch .

Iris has actually asked him to feed her when he has been on a session but he just moves away, she looks at him as much to say, what a waste

[jellybean]

He's a lovable rogue 😅

What a rough start he had at the beginning, then he had a real bad moult and lost his tail feathers and flight feathers on one side, then the other and was unable to fly for such a long time, he looked like he'd had his wings clipped, he was that bad I actually thought he might have French moult.
But all came good, his new feathers came through, and he's zooming about 😄

But the mirror obsession I turned to my advantage, and having the lockdown means I've been able to put in the time with him. I'm loving every minute.

He's been so good for Ben too.