is my budgie sad?

[kathybaxter]

I wonder if anybody can help.
I got my budgie about 1 month ago. At night he is quite cheerpy he use to come on to my finger when I put it in the cage now he doesn't, he will jump away. He is always looking in a mirror we have got him and talking to it. now he will hang his head on the side near the mirror as if he is sad. we talk to him. sometimes he will come out and do one fly and then go back in his cage. His door is left open from when we get up till we go to bed. Is he sad? How can we train him? we seem to have come to a stand still. Thanks for any advice.
Kathy

[spiro]

I have a bird and it's very bad to put a mirror in his cage because he thinks it's an other bird and probably gets horny and that is not good for your bird and his health

[honeythorn]

well it sounds as though your bird has become more attached to his reflection than to you! i dont think he's sad i think hes probably trying to keep communicating with the reflection. basically he doesnt realise that he's looking at himself , all he sees is another bird through the frame, and he wonders why it's not talking back!
his natural insticts urge him to talk and chatter to this " other bird" as this is how he would behave in the wild, he may try regurgitating food to try and feed his reflective friend.
budgies are extremely social little birds and love the company of their own kind .in their native australia they live in enormous flocks , and are often considered as pests by farmers!
I think if you want your budgie to be more people orientated then you should remove the mirror and spend more time training him and talking to him, or perhaps if you have the time and space you might try getting him another real budgie as a friend and train them both . his flocking instinct would be satisfied more easily with another budgie to play with!
so good luck with him ,let us all know how you get on!

:blackbat: *honeythorn*:blackbat: