# Budgie trying to rub pin feathers on mirror



## les8ean (Oct 23, 2021)

We have 3 budgies. Two of them get along just fine, and will preen and feed each other.
But the third is a bit of an oddball. She's our oldest and we've had her for the longest, and we had her alone for a few months before the other two joined the party.
VP (the oldest) is very friendly, hand-raised, loves being around humans, HUGE talker.
But she doesn't at all get along with the other birds. Not fighting or anything (although sometimes one of the others will chase her off >:[ ), but she never wants to spend any time with them. She prefers to be with humans. Sometimes we joke that she thinks she's a human too, and doesn't recognize the other budgies as being the same species as her
But she won't let us preen her either. She's fine with stepping up onto hands and flying to us and sitting in our fingers, but anytime we try to go near her head she flies off. Which is understandable, she's a small bird and we are big humans. The only thing she lets us do is occasionally boop her on the beak :]

Usually VPs pin feathers aren't a huge problem, but she's gotten a lot of them recently, and we've noticed a new worrying behavior.
VP has a pink travel mirror that she ADORES. She loves that mirror more than anything or anyone else. She spends as much time as she can talking to it and sometimes even sleeps in front of it. We do take the mirror away sometimes, because we know that it can be bad if a bird gets _too_ bonded to a mirror.
But recently, VP has started rubbing her head against the edges of the mirror, trying to clean her pin feathers, which of course, doesn't work.

VP is a white spangled budgie, while the other two are fairly standard budgies, blue and green. We worry that her different-ness is what's causing the other budgies to be distant to her, and vice versa.
Would it help to look for another white spangled budgie to introduce VP to, in hopes that she'll let them preen her? Does anyone have any advice?
I'm worried about my lonely little bird :[


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Pin feathers are itchy so it is not unusual for a bird to try rubbing against any object, does she like to bathe, that can sometimes help during a molt.


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## les8ean (Oct 23, 2021)

Cody said:


> Pin feathers are itchy so it is not unusual for a bird to try rubbing against any object, does she like to bathe, that can sometimes help during a molt.


She does enjoy bathing and showering! But only if she can do it in our hands at the sink lol. She never bathes in her water bowl, but the second she hears the tap come on, she'll be flying over to us and running down our arms.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*How old is VP?
What are the genders of the other two budgies?

It is not unusual when you have three budgies for two to bond closely and one to be left out, but in your case, it sounds as though this is VP's choice...

Depending on the genders of your other birds, it may be best that you get another female budgie friend for VP, BUT there is no guarantee that she will bond with that budgie either. Every budgie has a unique personality and temperament and VP may simply prefer being a solo bird. 

Offer her more baths while she is molting. 
As Cody indicated, the fact she is rubbing her head on the mirror's edges is not anything to be concerned about.
However, if you could wean her away from the mirror and give her a different toy so she does not become obsessed with her reflection that would be best for her.*
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