Reaction to mirror?

[ChileanTaco]

How do your dragons react to mirrors?

I thought about showing him a mirror as a form of enrichment for a while. Yesterday when letting him out, I've walked with him past the bathroom and just decided to show him the mirror. His reaction was interested but surprisingly not anything like overly excited, angry, shocked, wanting to hide...
I would guess he knew that's just him and me*, maybe he has already learned that from subtle reflections like in the glass, or when letting him out and there is a reflection in a shiny metal object or such. He once watched me closely when I was doing some crafts with aluminum foil. He hasn't seen a proper mirror, however, until yesterday.

So, how do your dragons react?
Are you using mirrors for enrichment?

(I'm of course not intending to leave him unsupervised with a mirror.)

*Regarding whether animals understand they see themselves in a mirror: I have read some recent publication and they say that the usual "mirror test" with placing a dot on an animal's head (if they ignore it in a mirror, they don't recognize themselves but if they remove it when seeing themselves in a mirror they recognize themselves) shouldn't be considered as a good test anymore. The reaction to the dot is said to come more from they might feel the paint or glue, then from seeing in the mirror something is off. Many animals will recognize themselves in a mirror if shown along with something else, like in the above situation: dragon can see his surroundings (incl. me while sitting on my shoulder) while looking into the mirror and so might better associate "person over there just looks like my person, then this dragon is just me and that's just this weird human object that makes this".
(To me, with some background in biology, this makes sense: If you have never seen yourself in a mirror, how would you know that a dot on your face doesn't originally belong to you so it's "dirt" to be removed, whereas e.g. your freckled skin, spots on your fur... that's you? But getting the clue from "ok, this thing in there is the same as the thing here, and if I move this animal also moves, so this animal, that's just me" (or for other animals, not being able to understand that) seems to be to me a better indicator.)

 

[KarrieRee]

How do your dragons react to mirrors?

I thought about showing him a mirror as a form of enrichment for a while. Yesterday when letting him out, I've walked with him past the bathroom and just decided to show him the mirror. His reaction was interested but surprisingly not anything like overly excited, angry, shocked, wanting to hide...
I would guess he knew that's just him and me*, maybe he has already learned that from subtle reflections like in the glass, or when letting him out and there is a reflection in a shiny metal object or such. He once watched me closely when I was doing some crafts with aluminum foil. He hasn't seen a proper mirror, however, until yesterday.

So, how do your dragons react?
Are you using mirrors for enrichment?

(I'm of course not intending to leave him unsupervised with a mirror.)

*Regarding whether animals understand they see themselves in a mirror: I have read some recent publication and they say that the usual "mirror test" with placing a dot on an animal's head (if they ignore it in a mirror, they don't recognize themselves but if they remove it when seeing themselves in a mirror they recognize themselves) shouldn't be considered as a good test anymore. The reaction to the dot is said to come more from they might feel the paint or glue, then from seeing in the mirror something is off. Many animals will recognize themselves in a mirror if shown along with something else, like in the above situation: dragon can see his surroundings (incl. me while sitting on my shoulder) while looking into the mirror and so might better associate "person over there just looks like my person, then this dragon is just me and that's just this weird human object that makes this".
(To me, with some background in biology, this makes sense: If you have never seen yourself in a mirror, how would you know that a dot on your face doesn't originally belong to you so it's "dirt" to be removed, whereas e.g. your freckled skin, spots on your fur... that's you? But getting the clue from "ok, this thing in there is the same as the thing here, and if I move this animal also moves, so this animal, that's just me" (or for other animals, not being able to understand that) seems to be to me a better indicator.)

Mirrors are not good for dragons- they think its another dragon and will cause yours to stress out --- just like them not being able to see another dragon as well --- it stresses them out ---

 

[ChileanTaco]

@KarrieRee
That's why I would never use this regularly or unsupervised (with any kind of pet/ animal; also "birds and mirrors in a cage" is a huge no-no for me, same goes with any "screen time"). Was just a small enrichment test, so no worry, to rather do things when I'm with him instead of him unexpectedly seeing new things.
There were no stress marks or other signs of stress.

I was especially asking as mirrors or reflective things (thinking e.g. about my stainless steel tea pot, but he's never seen it) can be found in many rooms a dragon is or might be in, and on occasion a dragon might see himself in the mirror (or other thing).

 

[Chris.]

Luis does react to mirrors kind of the same Taco does. He does not react to his own reflection at all, he will just look at it and then go about his stuff without bothering.

He does not always realize it's an object though. Once he was walking to it and thought the reflection of the room was actually a room he could walk into. Obviously he just hit his nose kind of harsh

 

[NickAVD]

Foxy rarely reacted to mirrors, and besides, I always tried to exclude them from visibility so that he would not be nervous. But with the arrival of spring fever, everything changed. He accidentally found out that in another room there was a closet with a floor-to-ceiling mirror and he had an obsession - every day by all means to get to another room in order to kick the ass of this arrogant dragon who lives in the mirror.

 

[ChileanTaco]

I always tried to exclude them from visibility so that he would not be nervous.

That's what I also do. There is no mirror in the room where the enclosure is and in any other rooms where he usually is (our only mirror is in fact in the bathroom, and Taco never runs around without close supervision). And he's never seen my tea pot (shiny stainless steel) for exactly that reason. I kept it on the table before we got Taco, but just in case of awkward reactions I keep it in the kitchen (no access for him) since then.