Female IRN obsessed with her own reflection

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ArletaT
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Joined: Wed Aug 06, 2014 7:50 am

Female IRN obsessed with her own reflection

Post by ArletaT »

Hi, I'm hoping some of you can give me some guidance.

I have a female IRN, Coral, who is 11 months old. I've had her for 7 months. She is I think a pretty well adjusted, happy bird, getting along great with myself and both of my kids, no complaints. The only thing that worries me is her obsession with her own reflection.

She does not have a mirror in her cage (as our avian vet recommended), but that doesn't really matter. She finds her reflection in EVERYTHING. I've replaced her stainless steel bowls with plastic ones, but she still sees herself in the plastic. I've sanded down the shiny lock on her cage, because she's spent inordinate amounts of time staring at herself in it. Now she's discovered she can see a piece of herself in the tiny space of the washer that attaches her perches to the cage walls. And that's just her cage. When she's out of her cage, it the same thing. My coffee mug, plate, glass of the windows, countertops, etc. You get the picture.

She clucks at it, regurgitates, acts angry towards it, stares, and gets upset when I approach and try to distract her. It's been going on for months. Is that normal behavior? Is there anything else I should be doing? I can't sand down my whole house...

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Arleta
Arleta

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Turquoise IRN, Coral
hatched, 4/7/2014
Donovan
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Location: North Carolina

Re: Female IRN obsessed with her own reflection

Post by Donovan »

just let her have a mirror so she can enjoy herself. Or ration it out to her if you're really worried about her bonding too closely to it. Let her have some Me time if she wants it.

I have two birds.. one is totally impressed with himself and the other is not. There is no harm in letting her see herself.. plus she enjoys it.. That's the main thing.
ArletaT
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Aug 06, 2014 7:50 am

Re: Female IRN obsessed with her own reflection

Post by ArletaT »

Donovan wrote:just let her have a mirror so she can enjoy herself. Or ration it out to her if you're really worried about her bonding too closely to it. Let her have some Me time if she wants it.

I have two birds.. one is totally impressed with himself and the other is not. There is no harm in letting her see herself.. plus she enjoys it.. That's the main thing.
I was worried, because both the breeder and the avian vet told me that females should not have mirrors because it can trigger behaviors related to reproduction, even laying empty eggs, etc. So I've been really trying to eliminate all reflective surfaces near her.

The funny thing is that in one room I have mirrored closet doors, and she really doesn't even notice them. It's almost as if seeing my reflection too, she realizes it's not real.
Arleta

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Turquoise IRN, Coral
hatched, 4/7/2014
InTheAir
Posts: 2040
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:24 pm

Re: Female IRN obsessed with her own reflection

Post by InTheAir »

Hi Arleta,

I wouldn't be giving her a mirror either. It sounds like a real challenge to limit her access to anything shiny, so teaching her to do other things might be a good idea.
Does she forage for her food?
What is she like with other ringnecks? How long has she been alone?
I know most people on here disapprove of getting a second bird for the bird's sake, but I think that anyone who buys a social species should realise that they should be getting it a companion sooner or later. On saying that, don't run out and get another bird without some serious consideration either! I brought it up as a point to consider and look into further :)
I have a friend who I met at parrot club with an 8 year old male who has had similar problems, she seems to be having some success rehabilitating him (though part of it is she did get another male irn for him to hang out with- it has taken a year for her birds to start interacting well with each other too). I can ask her if she has any tips if you like?

Regards,
Claire
ArletaT
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Aug 06, 2014 7:50 am

Re: Female IRN obsessed with her own reflection

Post by ArletaT »

InTheAir wrote:Hi Arleta,

I can ask her if she has any tips if you like?

Regards,
Claire
Hi Claire,

Thank you for your advice. I will not be running out getting another bird right away for sure, although it does make sense. Maybe I can just work on finding her some playdates... We have a cockatiel living two houses down the street, and we have been wanting to get them together for a while.

Coral has been alone since I brought her home from the breeder at the beginning of August of 2014. I am home quite a bit and interact with her a lot, as do my kids. Sometimes it almost seems like she is happy to go to her cage and hide for a while from us :)

If you can check with your friend for advice, I'd greatly appreciate it! Thank you!
Arleta

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Turquoise IRN, Coral
hatched, 4/7/2014
AJPeter
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Re: Female IRN obsessed with her own reflection

Post by AJPeter »

Hi Arleta

I have an Alexandrine Hen and she has a large wall mirror behind the cage, some times she displays towareds it, but she never fed her image, she talks a lot to her self when l am out of the room. She did lay a lot of in fertile eggs last year but only 3 so far this year, she is coming towards the end of moult. I feel sorry for birds who have a tiny round mirror they can only see their heads.
InTheAir
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Re: Female IRN obsessed with her own reflection

Post by InTheAir »

Hi again,

I asked my friend what she has done that worked and she outlined the same things I've mentioned already.

Does your bird forage for all her food?
MissK
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Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Re: Female IRN obsessed with her own reflection

Post by MissK »

Checking in with an observation from our house --
In years past, Rocky has been a real practitioner of seasonally feeding his toys - and last year's season went on for quite a long time. He never fed the mirror and only seemed to notice it now and then.
This year, since late last Spring, Rocky has a friend in the cage next door. He and Sinbad seemed thrilled with each other from the get-go. He did virtually no feeding of anything until quite recently. I moved him into Sinbad's cage for a trial and after a few days it seemed he wanted out. So I sent Rocky back to his own cage and BAM! Now he is feeding his mirror.
Rocky and Sinbad are both mature male Ringnecks. Sinbad doesn't seem to want to feed anything, which is interesting to me, as I suspect he used to breed. The boys did not indicate wanting to feed each other, but I wasn't there to watch them every second, either.
-MissK
ArletaT
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Aug 06, 2014 7:50 am

Re: Female IRN obsessed with her own reflection

Post by ArletaT »

Thanks everyone for your input. Claire, she does forage some, and loves it, but not for all her food. I will make a point of increasing her foraging time. Thank you also for checking with your friend. I guess I will not worry too much about her obsession, and try to provide something more fun for her to do. As a first-time bird owner, I have to say that those goofy creatures are a ton of work! It's all fun work though, so it's ok! :D
Arleta

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Turquoise IRN, Coral
hatched, 4/7/2014
InTheAir
Posts: 2040
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:24 pm

Re: Female IRN obsessed with her own reflection

Post by InTheAir »

ArletaT wrote:Thanks everyone for your input. Claire, she does forage some, and loves it, but not for all her food. I will make a point of increasing her foraging time. Thank you also for checking with your friend. I guess I will not worry too much about her obsession, and try to provide something more fun for her to do. As a first-time bird owner, I have to say that those goofy creatures are a ton of work! It's all fun work though, so it's ok! :D
Hi,

I haven't seen how your bird really acts, so I might be imagining something way worse than what is really happening, but any kind of obsessive behaviour really sets alarm bells ringing for me (if it is year round or inhibits the birds normal behaviour). Female ringnecks definitely show some signs of ocd when breeding is their goal! I think it is our responsibility when we get parrots to ensure that we provide an environment that encourages as much normal behaviour as possible, which includes strategies to avoid stereotypic or maladjusted behaviour...

As well as lots of foraging, fresh browse can be another way to keep them busy. My ringnecks go crazy for bottlebrush nuts, grass seed, dandelion flowers, golden cane palm frond stalks, pine cones etc. I also offer a huge variety of different bark covered perches, which my guys strip the bark from. The play gym has 5 different types and they bounce around taking a bite here and a bite there :)
ArletaT
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Aug 06, 2014 7:50 am

Re: Female IRN obsessed with her own reflection

Post by ArletaT »

InTheAir wrote:
Hi,

I haven't seen how your bird really acts, so I might be imagining something way worse than what is really happening, but any kind of obsessive behaviour really sets alarm bells ringing for me (if it is year round or inhibits the birds normal behaviour). Female ringnecks definitely show some signs of ocd when breeding is their goal! I think it is our responsibility when we get parrots to ensure that we provide an environment that encourages as much normal behaviour as possible, which includes strategies to avoid stereotypic or maladjusted behaviour...

As well as lots of foraging, fresh browse can be another way to keep them busy. My ringnecks go crazy for bottlebrush nuts, grass seed, dandelion flowers, golden cane palm frond stalks, pine cones etc. I also offer a huge variety of different bark covered perches, which my guys strip the bark from. The play gym has 5 different types and they bounce around taking a bite here and a bite there :)
Do you bring in branches from the outside? I don't know much about the outdoor plants/trees, and I worry I could give her something that could harm her... I've looked around on google for parrot-safe trees/bushes/plants, but really don't feel very comfortable just bringing in branches from the outside. I'm in the Midwest, so right now everything is still under the snow anyway... How about pesticides? It seems like every patch of grass anywhere is sprayed with some kind of chemical and I have no idea where I could find uncontaminated dandelions :?

Anyway, I digress. Maybe her behavior is a fairly normal bird behavior, I just don't really have a point of reference. Overall, she does seem like a happy little gal, loves being pet, knows a trick or two, and seems comfortable with all of us. I'll just continue to keep reflective surfaces away as much as I have been and give her lots of other things to do. And with spring coming, I will have to investigate the outdoors a bit more.
Arleta

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Turquoise IRN, Coral
hatched, 4/7/2014
SkyeBerry
Posts: 270
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Location: Vancouver, BC Canada

Re: Female IRN obsessed with her own reflection

Post by SkyeBerry »

I think whether or not a mirror is provided depends on how the bird reacts to it. In your bird's case, and the fact she is female and you don't want her to lay eggs. I agree with NOT providing a mirror especially since it sounds like she becomes possessive of it. You do not want to encourage any behaviour - ie) protecting her mirrored reflection - that may cause her to bite you. Even if appears to be a 'bluff' at first, this behaviour could and likely would escalate to biting if it has not already.

Although she gets time out of the cage, I do not believe you have stated how much exercise she gets. Is she flighted? Does she fly around the room or down halls? Although precautions and extra care are required in keeping a flighted bird, it is Mother Nature's best exercise. And tired bird's have less energy to waste on looking at themselves in a mirror. :wink: If she is not flighted, you should have her 'flapping' on your arm. I looked up a couple bird exercise sites for you.

http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-diet-an ... birds.aspx

http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-behavio ... rcise.aspx

https://companionparrotonline.com/exercise.html

You may also what to teach your bird additional behaviours and 'tricks.' I am sure the entire family will enjoy this as well as the bird. You may find that the bird practices some of these behaviours on her own. Claire - In the Air - has lots of information on this site with regards to training and it is another subject that is easy to research on Google. With lots a praise and positive reinforcement, most parrots seem to enjoy it. They are intelligent creates and I am sure they enjoy having the opportunity to show it. Once you teach a few basic tricks, it will be easy to come up with your own behaviours.

Personally, I do not like the word 'tricks,' simply because some people see it as a negative thing to teach a bird. The reality is the reward - treat or praise - is just encouragement to try and get a bird to try new things. The behaviours/tricks you teach a bird can all be very natural behaviours the parrot would do in the wild if he/she had to fend for him/herself.

Climbing branches, vines (ropes/plastic chains), reaching up/down to forage. My bird will hang from a finger to get a piece of millet and then pull himself up. A sort of birdie sit-up. But is it realy an different for reaching for a cherry? The point is he is using muscles the way they were meant to be used. I used some millet and taught him to turn a circle on my arm in both directions just by having him follow it. He loves this! And lately it seems he wants to see how fast he can go. It exercises his feet, his ankles, and legs, improves balance. In the Air has video of her birds flying through hula hoops. Birds need to maneuver through obstacles in the wild. Bird agility courses - once again Claire has video and I am sure your kids can come up with other ideas. Just start slow and simple and always keep the birds safety in mind. Oh, and simply allowing the bath to bathe or have a birdie shower takes up their time because they generally rest while drying and then have to spend the time to preen their feathers and get them back in order.

I really hope this helps and gives you some ideas.
Mary
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