Muttering??

[razigirl]

I need some help. What is this "muttering" Miss Daisy does? She has a hanging mirror toy, and she will sit there by it and just mutter for hours. I watch her and she looks like she is falling asleep, her eyes close and she rocks a bit but she just keeps muttering. She puts her head down to the perch now and then, and just does this real low chirpping. Is that bad?

I swear she sounds like she is just complaining to that mirror right and left. I am sure it is all about me and what I have done wrong today. LOL

She is rarely quiet, she is always voicing her opinion about something at all times of the day.

[Buy A Paper Doll]

It's normal for your bird to chatter to herself, even as she's settling down to take a little nap. Some birds are quiet and others are little chatterboxes. :)


I swear she sounds like she is just complaining to that mirror right and left. I am sure it is all about me and what I have done wrong today.

:lol My sister had two budgies who did not necessarily get along very well. Whenever they had a particularly bad "argument" one of them would go and chatter at the mirror. We were convinced that she was telling the bird in the mirror all about that brat of a bird she lived with.

Some unsolicited advice on mirrors: Some people have mirrors for their birds and have no problems at all, others have found their bird to get way too attached to the mirror. Bonding with the 'bird in the mirror' and all. Just something to keep an eye out for.

[razigirl]

thank you.. I thought that is what she was doing, but it is hard to know. I do know about the mirror problem, and I did take it out when I first got her.

I just am not sure what to do. She got very withdrawn on me when I started taking out stuff from her cage that was bad for her. I gave her new stuff and she just avoided those areas of her cage. She seemed sad and it lasted for weeks.

I kind of inherited/rescued her. From what I understand she is about 10 years old. She has had a very rough life. The last year was really hard, she has lost her mate, moved four times and had two different owners. This may be bad but I just want her to be cared for, have stability and routines right now. I really feel bad taking her mirror.

Isn't she kind of set in her ways anyways? She sure seems to be.

[linda040899]

Sounds like your lovebird is bonding with her reflection in the mirror, which is why mirrors are not good for lovebirds. She may think it's her mate and it will get all of her attention, to the point of excluding you.

Choice. If she's not overly friendly, you can find an older mate for her. Now I'm talking about a bird that is at least 8 and it should be a male. She's past the point of egg laying so that's a mute point. The other thing is remove the mirror and give her lots of extra attention. Let her ride on your shoulder and just be with you. It's the attention she's looking for from the mirror and that's all she sees right now. You are pretty much going to assume the role of her companion.

[nfmgirl]

I, too, have heard about the mirror debate with lovebirds. Personally I have given mirrors to both lovebirds I have had. My first one lived 13 years and remained very friendly with me. My current lovie is 6 months and so far there hasn't been any negative response to the mirror. He adores it and chatters to it all the time when he's in his cage, but climbs right into my hand to come out of the cage and is a velcro birdie.

However I have noticed that he can be a little nervous about me getting too close to the corner of his cage where his Snuggle Buddy and mirror both are. He'll let me do it, but when he is sleepy and nestled down up there and I disturb him, he will be a little standoffish and gives me the impression that he doesn't want me too get to close to his corner, although he's never attacked me over it. So he may very well view the combination of the two together as a mate:
http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Odie/SnugglebuddyLargeSmall.jpg

But as he is still very friendly and bonded with me, I don't view this as a negative. It doesn't seem any different to me than if he had a mate that he was protective of, but also remained friendly with me.

IMHO, if she is 10 years old and has had such a traumatic time, you should go with your gut on it. Is it more detrimental to have her with the mirror, or without? Is she friendly to you, or fearful and aggressive? What do you hope to accomplish? I think every bird and every situation is different, and have to be handled on an individual basis.

When I got Odie, I decided that I would "try" the mirror with him and see if I saw any adverse reaction with him. So far it hasn't caused us any problems. And I work full time, so he needs someone to chatter to all day while I'm at work. I take him to work on occasion, but not regularly.

The mirror seems to work well for us...

[razigirl]

Thanks for the feedback. I don't know what I am doing.

Honestly right now all I want to accomplish is for her to be secure and happy. If she needs a friend in the mirror, then so be it. It isn't my preference but I have learned things aren't necessarily going to go my way. She still flips out when I try to get too close. I just don't see that changing, she has never been handled by anyone, just left in her cage alone. I don't see how I can undo that. She isn't a baby.

She doesn't come out of her cage. She won't let me touch her, and so far I can't even get her on a perch I am holding, she just freaks out. No one handled her before, she was just in her cage and up on a shelf and mostly covered.

I am sure I have traumitized her enough in the four months or so I have had her. I have her down at eye level right in the middle of the living room, part of the group. Is just me and my dog, but I talk to her all day long. I take her in my room to sleep at night, I take her outside on the patio with me to listen to the birds. I open her cage door and leave it open for hours, she won't leave but I offer it. I play bird music and tracks of birds singing and she dances in her cage and I clap or chirp along with the music. I am in her cage a minimum of twice a day. She still freaks out about it, but we are working on that. I am trying to teach her that when I say more.. if she just moves out of her treat cup (she sits in it) and across the cage I will wait before I open the door. The few times she has caught on to that, she hasn't freaked out. Just watched me. So there is hope.

I just want her to be a happy and content bird, in whatever form it takes. Is why I asked about the muttering, not sure if that was a happy thing or a sad thing.

[nfmgirl]

As I have never "tamed" a bird (I've always gotten them already tame) or dealt with a traumatized bird, I'm afraid that I can't offer you much advice in that area, other than to suggest that maybe you do things on her terms. Be patient and don't push her.

My father got a traumatized parrot once. The thing would attack everyone. He simply kept it near his chair in the living room and spoke to it, letting it get used to its environment. Then he started leaving the cage door open. Little by little, it worked. The parrot started coming to the door, then it came out onto the cage, then it started climbing down to the floor, and one day it just walked over to him and climbed up his leg.

So I don't have any advice to give on tried and true techniques or bird psychology, since I don't have any experience in that area. There seem to plenty of others on this site who may have some advice for you in that area. All I can advise is to keep taking it slow and gaining her trust. Don't push her. Let her come to you on her own terms. And listen to your gut instincts to tell you whether you are pushing too hard or not.

Good luck. I hope she comes around and realizes how lucky she is to have found someone who wants nothing but the best for her.

[nfmgirl]

I just want her to be a happy and content bird, in whatever form it takes. Is why I asked about the muttering, not sure if that was a happy thing or a sad thing.

Oh, and the "muttering" has always seemed to be a happy and content sound. They are "chattering" with their mate or buddy, sharing whatever they are feeling. I've always loved to watch my birds do this. They remind me of children off in a corner playing by themselves and talking to their imaginary friend...

[razigirl]

Thank you.. that is pretty much what I am doing with her. Just trying to be around and give her the options and involving her in my activities. I talk to her no matter where I am in the house, and she chirps if I don't answer her so, I talk to her, then I take her around with me too, even if she is in a heavy cage. She is part of the group, she just is in a cage.

Great, the muttering is good, that was my worry.. I don't care if she does it, just want her to be in a happy state when she is doing it.

Thanks, I feel better..

[Chickobee]

Are you sure your bird was talking to the mirrow, or could it have been taking a nap? The reason I say this is because my birds chatter away when they take their naps in the daytime. They will have their heads tucked and they make the cutest sounds. Maybe this is what your bird was doing.

I have read that they do this for survival in the wild because it fools other birds and predators into thinking they are awake.

They don't do this when they sleep at night--only in the daytime.

Linda

[nfmgirl]

Oh yes! That's always very cute, too. I don't know about razigirl, but my Odie does both-- chatters to the mirror, and does that quiet chatter when dozing. I wondered what the purpose of it was. Thanks for the info!

[razigirl]

Ohhh.. I bet that is what she is doing. She does it about the same time everyday and I know she is sleeping thru some of it. Well that makes sense. I have even tried covering her for a bit in the afternoon, and she stops it. Must be more secure to sleep with the curtains drawn.

Thank you