Keeping this in view, should I give my budgie a mirror?
If you only keep a single bird, a mirror can be a useful social backup when there's pressure on your budgie quality-time. Once there are two or more budgies in the cage, the mirror is not usually an issue: it adds to the illusion of more birds, and that's a good thing.
Secondly, why does my budgie lick the mirror? Budgies do this when they become obsessed with their reflection, and oftentimes, the attachment can have negative impacts on their mental, physical and emotional health. Budgies who bond closely with mirrors tend to be more withdrawn, aggressive, and less eager to interact with people.
Accordingly, are Mirrors bad for birds?
A mirror can be psychologically damaging to your bird. Mirrors create a false perception of reality – the bird thinks it's talking to another bird when, in reality, it's talking to a reflection of itself. If the bird doesn't become obsessed with the mirror, it can be a fun form of enrichment though.
Do budgies Recognise their own reflection?
Budgerigars and parrots are well known to react to mirrors. But their behaviour suggests they do not understand it is their own reflection in the glass. On a number of occasions they succeeded in scratching the stickers off, and only then did the mark-orientated behaviour stop.
