My budgie seems to love mirrors, but are they really good for them?

Taking away the mirror and seeing how Guacamole does may help, especially if he is giving it all his attention and ignoring everything else. Hormones can play a part, however it may just be that the mirror is really fun as well! Providing other toys for stimulation and spending time together can also help keep him active and happy.

Birds do not recognize themselves in the mirror, so this would explain the mating behavior of regurgitating. I know it looks somewhat concerning, but it is more of a behavioral thing and is not concerning from a medical standpoint. If she seems more hormonal (like she's displaying a lot of mating behaviors), then you should expect this to pass within a few weeks. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do to stop her from doing this at this time...you'll have to just wait for this phase to pass. If she doesn't seem to be keeping any food down or is continuing the behavior for longer than a month, then it's best to have a vet check her out. There are a few different infections and conditions that cause chronic regurgitation, so it would be good to rule these out as a cause.

She's regurgitating for the bird in the mirror. Remove the mirror for a week or so. Rearrange the perches and toys. Rotate the selection of toys to keep her environment "fresh". Regurgitation is a normal behavior but can affect health if she does it constantly.

Thanks for reaching out about Tweety. Many bird owners have only one budgie, and the vast majority do well as long as there is mental stimulation. These parrots don't like to be along, so either bird or human company. The problem with adding another bird, is not all birds get along and in a cage there is no escaping aggression. If you have a return policy and get the birds as a trial run, that could work. Also, new birds should be quarantined to limit transmission of infectious agents. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Henry Applesauce and including a photo. There is a book titled "A Guide to a Well Behaved Parrot" that is a good starting point. The mirror is perceived as a mate as budgies can not distinguish themselves in a mirror, so taking away might assist in his bonding to you. Partially converting over to a fresh vegetable and pellet mix has good health benefits that an all-seed diet lacks. Allowing to have meals with the seed then taken away for several hours. The wet food/pellets can then be offered free choice. Good luck.

Without knowing the size of the cage, it is hard to give advice. If they have a large flight cage where they can easily move around and exercise, then that may be enough. Adding in some fun toys to explore, moving dishes and toys around or rotating them out, offering treats to chew on, etc can all help increase enrichment and make things more fun for your birds. If they're kept in very small cages, then looking for a playpen that can fit in the room or on top of the cage may be nice for your birds to climb on or play on. However, finches tend to explore more and may want to fly around, so it is best to make sure they are only let loose in rooms where they can easily be caught again and cannot fly into windows, doors, or other dangerous objects that can cause injury or death.

Cute budgies! If Pluto likes to be out and about, adding in a cage-top or table-top activity center (most pet stores and online retailers carry them) may be a good idea. These often have spots for additional perches, toys, etc that can help Pluto interact and play and have some fun (and give Joy more space to rest and relax if she needs). If both birds are housed together, making sure to place in additional food, water and resting spots for each bird can also help prevent competition over these resources and may give Joy some more places to rest and relax without being bothered. Adding in hanging or preening toys between perches can also help break up the cage into more sections, and provide entertainment and fun to get out extra energy. Budgies are also great at bonding with people, so working with Pluto to teach him to perch on you or talk may also help enrich his world and get out that energy!