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Question:

March 27, 2023

reflection obsessed


Hi I have a question,

I have a kakarikki, a boy, his name is hawke. Hawke is a very tame bird and likes me and his family. He never had a mirror in his cage but I had one in the room I keep him in. He recently discovered the mirror and got absolutely obsessed with it. So after a week or so I removed the mirror because he had no eye for other things anymore. However, once i removed the mirror he began searching for his reflection everywhere. He sees it in the window, in pictures and even on my phone when it is turned of. He also keeps feeding his reflection and I get the idea that his obsession isn’t healthy for him.
He has a companion so socializing isn’t the problem. He has loads of other toys and foods. When I take him anywhere else in the house he finds a reflection and refuses to get away from it.
Is this behavior bad or abnormal? if yes, what do I do?
Greetings Indira


Answer:

Hi Indira,

This is definitely hormonal behavior. It can be bad for him if he continues this. Usually it doesn’t last more than a few weeks. But some birds get stuck in a hormonal state because there are so many triggers around them. What you can try is limiting his light to 8-10 hours by covering his cage early in the evening. Avoid letting him roam around the house on his own. Keep him away from reflections – cover any that you can. When you or anyone else handles him, limit any petting to only the head and neck. If you pet him on the body or snuggle with him, these are hormone triggers because usually only a mate is allowed this type of contact. Don’t let him have any type of bird hut, tent, house, nest or anything he can get inside of. Don’t let him shred anything like paper or cardboard, no towels or any fabric. If he eats a lot of fresh foods, stop offering those for a couple of weeks, then offer them in limited amounts just a few times a week. Feed him less of his regular food at a time, but of course make sure he always has something in his cage. Hormone triggers are what he would experience in the wild when breeding season starts – longer days, abundant food, a safe nesting place, warmer temperatures and of course a mate. So think about anything that might trigger him in his everyday life and avoid the triggers.

Thank you for Asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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