Bad idea: Archimedes meets mirror.

[Azure Hanyo]

I just bought my cockatiel Archimedes some toys to help fill his new cage, among them a jingly beaded bird mirror. The moment he saw it, he sat on it and has been sitting there all day. I went to pick him up to play with him and he attacked me and started hissing at me!!!

I am going to have my husband get rid of the mirror tomorrow because I don't want to be seen as the bad guy. And...he is sleeping ON THE MIRROR. Poor guy!!!! Just letting everyone know that I seriously think I screwed up and it's a bad idea to give a bird a mirror, because I assume Archimedes is under the impression that it is his new birdy mate and I am not allowed near it.

Sigh. He is going to be so sad tomorrow when it's gone. Stupid, stupid, STUPID me.

[Kim S]

That's the nr.1 thing people learn when they walk through my door.
Yeah well, lesson learned.

[Azure Hanyo]

That's the nr.1 thing people learn when they walk through my door.
Yeah well, lesson learned.

I feel awful, Archimedes is LOOKING for the stupid mirror. He is OK though, he let me hold him and give him scritches once my husband got rid of the mirrior but still. He shall never get over his first and last love... lmao!

[Red Moppet]

[ He shall never get over his first and last love... lmao!

The perfect summer romance!

[rebeccaturpeinen]

my Joey loves mirrors!!! i have been wondering if he is smart enough to know that it is himself he is looking at or if he thinks it is a buddy.... he just wants to sit there and look at himself for hours... he must know how pretty he is

[Azure Hanyo]

my Joey loves mirrors!!! i have been wondering if he is smart enough to know that it is himself he is looking at or if he thinks it is a buddy.... he just wants to sit there and look at himself for hours... he must know how pretty he is

Yes but does Joey become a protective psycho over his mirror? lmao!!! I am sure some birds are OK with them but..not Archimedes.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Is Archimedes pining away over his lost love?

[Rue]

Two main reasons not to get mirrors:

1. Can promote bird aggression - males see another male - as a potential threat and get frustrated because they can't complete a skirmish...

2. General frustration - see a potential flockmate that won't respond to social cues...

[Kim S]

OK, for all of you who dont get why mirrors are a bad idea:

Birds can have one of these two reactions:
a) they fall in love with the mirror, act like it is a mate, feed the mirror ect.
They can get really possessive of the mirror, attack anyone that comes close to it, let alone remove it. They can become one-mirror-birds and refuse to interact with anything but the mirror. They barf all over the damn thing and then rub their own face in it and thus breathing and swallowing day old puke.
b) they look at the mirror as an adversary, an enemy, somebody invading their territory. Ofcourse that somebody will be needing a big whoop-ass so it will know never to come into his territory again. But sadly enough, the bad guy stays and doesnt mind his daily beatings. It will become a daily ritual, even a fixation of the bird to get that mirror out of his cage. Sometimes it can escalate so that the bird will be driven out of the cage by the mirror and refuses to go in again.

So you see. Either way, its a bad idea. Mentally.

@ Rue: Good thinking

[Azure Hanyo]

Is Archimedes pining away over his lost love?

lol he seems fine now!!! At first he was upset but he got over it.