# mirror trouble!



## rachel (May 31, 2008)

hi there,im a new member and live in england.Ive only had my teil for a year,hes two yrs old(we think),a male(we guess)and pied(if ive spelt that right).
the problem is i have a huge mirror on my living room wall and everytime i let me teil ,smudge ,out of his cage he flies and lands on it.This is a problem cause the tv and wiring r just below it and we dont want birdy poo on them,hes scratching the mirror and its hard for me to reach to get him down.Ive brought a perch and am trying to train him to stay on it but this is easier said than done.Everytime i pick him up from the mirror he flies back to it again.he will sit on the perch for a few minutes but even food in his bowl wont keep him there and if i try to put him back on his branch to his cage a game of cat and mouse begins!
i know this all sounds very lame but i really dont want to take the mirror down as it will leave giant holes in my wall and i also dont want to take the easy option as i want to train smudge to stay on the perch or his cage.I dont really have anywhere else for him to land in my front room so think this has also caused the prob.he sometimes sits on the frame above my door but still flies to the mirror.Naturally im aware this huge mirror is candy to smudge but wondered if anyone has any pearls of wisdom??


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Is there any possible way of covering the mirror with a sheet/towel/blanket or something like that? that way you won't have to worry about the bird running into it all the time. And you might wanna have your birds wings clipped.


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

I agree with Solace , Cover the mirror, and if he's not already I'd get his wings clipped

then Go about Clicker Training ( I haven't done it But heard rave reviews about it)


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

You could also stick some big drawn eyes or something above where he lands on the mirror to scare him from landing on it. Covering the mirror so it loses it's appeal is probably the easiest though. You would only need to cover it while Smudge is out.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

I would cover the mirror as well


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## rachel (May 31, 2008)

thanx guys.Im going to try blacking the bottom off with sum paper that peels off from the car shop,see if wen he cant see himself anymore it loses its appeal.If not probably buy some material and wrap it round the bottom half so he cant land on it.Hes driving me crackers,counted twenty time got up last night to retrive him.I think he thinks his reflection is another birdie!maybe i should buy him a male friend at some point.
aside from the mirror antics hes pretty good so il leave getting his wings clipped for now unless i get more grief.I know its not a nasty procedure but it makes me feel sad getting that done.


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## Plukie (Aug 26, 2007)

You say you have bought him a perch to sit on.......tiel's aren't like big parrots, they don't like to sit for ages in the same place, they are nosey and like to get into different things. Like the others say, I would cover the mirror and see how that goes, or could you let him out in another room?

I had to clip Dooby's wings for different reasons, it's not a "nasty" procedure, it's only cutting their feathers and they grow back again, just like us getting our hair cut.


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## Laura (Jul 30, 2007)

Plukie said:


> You say you have bought him a perch to sit on.......tiel's aren't like big parrots, they don't like to sit for ages in the same place, they are nosey and like to get into different thing


hehe... mine won't sit still for a minute there like little children always getting into some mischief, it would be almost impossible to train them to stay in one spot not unless there wings are clipped so they can't go anywhere and even then they would still find away to get around.

rachel he is definitely seeing the tiel in the mirror as his buddy they don't get that its themselves there seeing so its natural for him to want to go and see the lovely tiel in the mirror 

You could also try getting a smaller mirror and putting it near or on his cage or perch to distract him it might keep him from going to the bigger mirror you could get him another tiel friend at some point but it probably won't keep him from going to the mirror he will still be attracted to it then you will have two tiels going to the mirror 

I would try like the others said covering it, moving the cage out of sight of the mirror or getting a smaller mirror close to where you want him to be.


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## rachel (May 31, 2008)

Bingo!solved the problem,well temporarly at least.Weve tied string to the bottom of the mirror so he cant land on it and hes also now learnt to land on his perch.I couldnt cover it as its really big and too high up for me to reach the top to throw something over it.I would need a ladder.

The problem now is that he is landing on the top of the door and while i dont mind him being up there,he wont come down when i want to go to bed and flies round the room when i try to pick him up!last night i didnt get to bed till late as it took so long to get him down,which is basically when hes shattered from flying round the room.

The thing that puts me off getting his wings clipped is wen i pick him up he tends to bite me and when he had no flight feathers(fell out once) that didnt change so im thinking if he bites and wont let me pick him up is there any point,and also he will still be able to fly just not as far.

its a real shame though because despite how it sounds hes actually very loving.He comes and sits on the arm of my chair and walks onto me,he also used to let me pick him up from the mirror(he just wouldnt leave it alone!)and he lets me rub his head and hand feed him.its just he likes to walk on me,not me get him.and he hates my fingers!any tips?


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## Laura (Jul 30, 2007)

Glad to hear the problem with the mirror is solved  I would still consider getting his wings clipped to make him more dependent on you, I had this problem with two of mine every time I would go to get them to put them to bed for the night they would fly off soon as I got near them what a struggle that was, I clipped them and the problem was solved they couldn't go anywhere but my fingers, if he continues to bite after you have clipped him I would use a perch to get him to step onto instead of your hands, I had to use a perch to get my Georgie to step up for a good while when I first got her she would just attack my hands when they went near her over time she has gotten better, now I don't have to use the perch anymore.


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## Plukie (Aug 26, 2007)

Oh dear!! This sounds all to familiar...all I'll say is welcome to the club.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

I would clip his wings it may help. I had to get Spikes wings clipped as he would not listen and than he would fly away from me as well.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

I had a problem with one of my tiels, Gracie, she would obsessively fly up on top of high objects. I clipped her wings just enough to stop her gaining that much height, but without stopping her from flying around at waist - shoulder height.  All you would need to do is clip 2-3 outer flight feathers to achieve that.


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## rachel (May 31, 2008)

i think i will have to consider clipping then and train him before they grow back.Since ive stopped him landing on the mirror he has improved already and ive taken away all food from outside the cage as i think this was encouraging him to stay out too late.

Tonight he went back into his cage at seven for his dinner which hes never done,and then back in again at 9.30 so i took advantage of this and closed his door so im hoping he learns bedtime isnt late!i think this is because i didnt feed him any food(he loves popcorn),and without the mirror he was a little bored.Hes sat on the arm of my chair much longer tonight and been landing on his perch.Maybe he will just learn!maybe thats wishfull thinking.


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## babybreau (May 19, 2008)

I dunno about tiels as I'm still anxiously awaiting mine, but my female budgie Mya will fly to my shoulder when it's her bedtime. Kiwi then follows, lol. I guess their previous owners never kept them up late? lol


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