Mo's progress

[ventry]

Mo is starting to settle a little.
That is, he is no longer stalking the house maniacally shrieking looking for Jezza (rip).
However I believe he is still missing the company of another bird.
A lot of things cause him to start shrieking.
A bird flies by outside and if he hears their call then he calls back multiple times. (darn my ears)
A sound on the TV not sure which although umpire whistles seem to cause it but, there are others.
Any sound from either my wife's or my computer speakers. This is new as it never seemed to bother him before.
Etc. Etc.

How do bird people feel about mirrors??
We have a cabinet in our lounge that has a mirrored back and he seems to enjoy standing in front of it looking at himself.
We also have a coat rack next to the front door which also has a mirror and a little ledge in front of it and the same here.
He sits in front of the mirror preening and sometimes pecking at his reflection.
He seems to not care about the "outside" birds as much when in either of these places.(bit early to tell ATM)
I know this all points to what I mentioned before (missing other bird company) but, I can't say when I'll be ready to have another bird.
Might be awhile.

I am being patient and hoping he will work through these things and settle into a better pattern in time.

Anyways thanks for reading.
Cheers
Leon

p.s.
Yesterday wasn't a good day. However today so far has been good.

[avinet]

Aug 3, 2013 13:18:08 GMT 10 ventry said:

How do bird people feel about mirrors??
We have a cabinet in our lounge that has a mirrored back and he seems to enjoy standing in front of it looking at himself.
We also have a coat rack next to the front door which also has a mirror and a little ledge in front of it and the same here.
He sits in front of the mirror preening and sometimes pecking at his reflection.

Hi Leon,

I have never been especially keen on mirrors for pet birds.  Budgies in particular can become pretty obsessed with mirrors to the extent that they no longer want to interact with their owners.  Cockatiels from my experience tend not to be that interested in mirrors, although an occasional one will get a mirror obsession.

Having said that there can be circumstances where a mirror may be helpful when a bird has lost a mate or is suddenly being left alone for extended periods.  In the case of Mo it may be that a mirror in his cage or surrounds may be a good idea for a while.  Perhaps worth a try

cheers,

Mike

[ventry]

Aug 5, 2013 17:59:28 GMT 10 avinet said:

Aug 3, 2013 13:18:08 GMT 10 ventry said:

How do bird people feel about mirrors??
We have a cabinet in our lounge that has a mirrored back and he seems to enjoy standing in front of it looking at himself.
We also have a coat rack next to the front door which also has a mirror and a little ledge in front of it and the same here.
He sits in front of the mirror preening and sometimes pecking at his reflection.

Hi Leon,

I have never been especially keen on mirrors for pet birds.  Budgies in particular can become pretty obsessed with mirrors to the extent that they no longer want to interact with their owners.  Cockatiels from my experience tend not to be that interested in mirrors, although an occasional one will get a mirror obsession.

Having said that there can be circumstances where a mirror may be helpful when a bird has lost a mate or is suddenly being left alone for extended periods.  In the case of Mo it may be that a mirror in his cage or surrounds may be a good idea for a while.  Perhaps worth a try

cheers,

Mike

Thanks for the reply.
I have decided not to get a mirror for Mo.
The cabinet is enough and limited time with the coat rack mirror.

Mo is getting better. It's been 2 days since he has had a shrieking fit.
He still shrieks when he hears birds outside or when one of our family arrives home but, it's only a couple and he settles quickly.
He continues to shriek when he hears a sound from computer speakers. Regardless of what that sound may be. Strange.
He is settling with regards to TV sounds.

Cheers
Leon

[ventry]

Update:
Mo getting better all the time.
Limited time with mirrors seems to be helping.
However, have not provided one for his cage.
The only outstanding issues are that my wife is a night-shift worker and has to sleep during the day.
On the days when I have to work and Mo is in his cage he gets very upset and shrieks consistently to be let out.
I am going to try a mirror for these times only to see if that settles him.
The other is for some reason Mo doesn't like music anymore?
I say "anymore" because it never used to bother him.
If we play music through the computer or the audio system in the lounge he starts shrieking.
Odd??
However we are trying to wean him off this behavior by putting ear plugs in and letting him go for it until he gets sick of it.
So far it seems to be working. Slowly.
Hopefully, soon, he will give it up. i don't mind a couple of shrieks it's that consistent continuous shrieking we don't need.
My soul feels so much better now Mo is in turn settling.

Cheers
Leon

[avinet]

Glad to hear that Mo is improving

cheers,

Mike

[ventry]

Quick message to say Mo is great now.
He has settled in nearly every way.

Cheers
Leon

[avinet]

That's great to hear,

cheers,

Mike