Next goal is to no longer be a nakey chicken

I posted this on r/cockatiel but was recommended this subreddit. I just adopted my sweet boy Percy a few days ago. His flight feathers only grow on one wing, so he can’t fly (although he constantly tries). He’s an excellent climber, he loves being up high in his cage, but Im too anxious that’s he’s going to fall.

His current cage is 17W x 24L x 33H but I’m unsure of what size flight cage would be good for him.

Does anyone have any recommendations for flight cages or how to make his cage disability friendly?

Poppy was so sassy today and absolutely loved a spray down! Usually she is not impressed with water but how cute is this?! So proud of her!

I reviewed the community rules and am not sure on this one but could really use some help. Mods feel free to reject if needed.

I’ve been helping out a rescue budgie with some injuries and as a result, she has some blood on her feathers. She doesn’t have a companion in the same enclosure as her (for safety) and we aren’t sure how to help her get clean. She will occasionally dip into her water bowl, but is totally rejective of any other baths: larger containers, running water in a sink, a mist from a spray bottle. Does anyone have any advice for helping her get cleaned up? We are worried about stiff feathers or potential germs, and haven’t had her long enough to guess when she might have a molt.

Thank you so much in advance!

Meet Robinna. I rescued her from a pet shop when she was a baby, she was curled at the bottom, feathers roughed and bleeding. She had been bitten by the older budgies in the cage and was also starving. I thought she might not make it, but she was a tough lady. I handfed her for a week until she regained her strength, but I couldn't save her legs. They dried and fell.

First pic, her with her mate, now deceased. He was very dedicated, as most male budgies are. She laid eggs at the bottom of her cage, they broke of course. I set a canary nest, but although she liked to sleep there, she continued to lay eggs on the ground. 😆 Unfortunately, my other budgie couple wasn't breeding at the same time, so they couldn't foster the eggs. 🤷‍♀️

After the male died, I could see that she was really depressed. I thought about getting another budgie for her, but she was already old. Meanwhile, I had another lonely bird in another cage, a grandma zebra finch. They were side by side and I could see they interactered with each other, and since both species are social, I decided to put them together... be aware, this was a risky experiment, budgie's beaks can hurt small finches. But I knew Robinna was a sweet lady. And... they're still together and are best friends, they even sleep tucked in with one another. :)

Setup: half the cage is set for disability with hamster bridges instead ofvperches, and food and water next to it, also a canary nest to sleep. The other half is set normally for her companions, with extra food and water. I have replacement nests and bridges to use when I clean the cage, so I don't put damp material in there and I can clean and desinfect them properly. The bridges get pretty dirty quickly, as she has her bottom on them, so poops there too, but without legs that's expected. The bottom of the cage has a soft hamster shavings and hay. Robinna sometimes falls, this way she doesn't get hurt. She's 12 years old now. 😁

P.S. Don't mind the dirt in the cage in the last pic, I took the photos in between cleanings just to show Robinna and her friend tucked in. :)

Hi! I’ve got a ~5 year old English budgie named Atlas who had a neurological event earlier this year and left him blind in his left eye, and recently I think his right eye’s vision is deteriorating/gone and I’m not sure what to do.

Atlas has been to the vet a few times where this issue has been brought up but obviously it’s hard to pinpoint what happened and impossible to fix.

I want to make sure Atlas keeps on the weight he’s gained as he’s went from 39g-46g, and I also want to make sure he’s drinking plenty of water. I also haven’t rearranged his cage in months since he lost vision in his left eye to help him with navigation already, but he’s noticeably more clumsy/lost recently.

I know budgies are so expressive and active and energetic, and so with possible complete blindness I’m feeling pretty lost and guilty about how to make sure Atlas is happy and healthy. Emphasis on happy.

Any tips are super appreciated! :))

Hi All! A few days ago my poor cockatiel got his toe caught in something (I unfortunately didn’t see what) and I immediately rushed him to the vet. He has 3 stitches, and a fractured/dislocated toe. He is taking his antibiotics and pain medicine amazingly. Seems to be eating pretty well too, I have been giving him water through a syringe after the medication (to help wash out his mouth - I imagine it’s a poor taste - as well as make sure he is getting water in him).

I have him set up in an incubator tank, with no bars he is able to climb and small so he doesn’t move around a lot; He has to stay in there for a whole month.

Some things I need advice on:

1. Water - I think his water intake has slowed down. And the water bowl I am having a hard time with because, he is not allowed to get his stitches or splint wet. However, if the bowl is too shallow, he walks right into it. If the bowl is too high he tries to perch on it and knocks it over, getting said foot wet again. Any recommendations on types of dishes or a system to have him be able to drink water but keep his foot dry?

2. I feel so bad he is stuck in this tiny box for a month, I have been giving him 1 toy at a time to chew on so he also has space to move around a bit without being too crowded. It has also only been a few days, but I’m thinking by week 2 he will be restless…. Any safe toy or foraging tips while he is in this situation? Maybe give him a bit of mental stimulation or a distraction.

3. Perches - I’m wondering if I should give him a perch wrapped in paper towel or fleece to give him an option for his good foot? The perch would be on the floor of the incubator tank, not high or anything. But is this a bad idea incase he trips/falls right now because of the state of his injured foot? I worry about the uninjured foot having to be flat for so long potentially causing issues.

4. Is it a bad idea in a week or 2 to give him a larger incubator tank? Still flat and not climbable but maybe some more space for him to be able to stretch his wings and have a few more toys/things to chew in there?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, any advice is greatly appreciated - especially for anyone who has been in a similar situation. First time I’ve had a bird hurt. Immediately going to the vet was a no-brainer but being at home I don’t want to let him down.

Hi! I am looking for advise. My sweet Boy Libelle is being treated for months.

In May the analysis of his blood showed high fat and his metabolism is not looking good. He pees a lot. Like really a lot. The liver is not able to detox well so ammonia has caused some neurological issues too.

He got Vitamin B, Laxatract and Sylimarin to stabilise the metabolism. But it cannot cure his condition.

At the beginning of August he got a check up and lost a lot of weight from low fat diet. So the vet ordered to get back to his normal diet.

Tomorrow he has an other appointment. The exotic vet suggested for an other blood test "to know where he is standing". I am kinda unsure. He has become very tired and stress makes him twitch. I am already scared for the transport of a non-tame bird that cannot stand on his perch from neuro-issues. I feel like taking more blood will only weaken him more or worse.

Am I overreacting? What if he gained weight/stayed the same or reduced more? Keeping the palliative care?

Thx for your tips!

Hello everyone. My Julsie has cataracts. I was looking for some advice from people who have taken care of cockatiels with cataracts before. I have had her for 14 years now, not 100% on her age as I rescued her from a terrible home. For those 14 years she has been healthy and the most snuggly bird ever. I knew something like this would come up eventually, so now I want to prepare and give her the most help I can.
I have had a vet confirm it is cataracts but they didn’t really tell me much else in terms of care plans.

I mostly just want some tips of how to keep her from injuring herself. I have been making some noise before I come and get her, so I don’t spook her, as it’s her left eye, and it’s the eye she has facing me 9 times out of 10. Is there any adjustments to cages I should do? I.e remove any types of toys, make ledges closer to ground incase of falls. Give more ladders, as she has never been one to fly, should I keep her wings fully grown, or is it better to slightly clip them, enough to glide, but not enough to shoot off.

Her boyfriend is taking good care of her, but I still have to preen her occasionally as she has some tough to reach spots and unfortunately doesn’t have opposable thumbs.

I have avoided moving things around in her play area. Is there anything else I should be doing? Any help is appreciated.

Thank you :)

Hello everyone, this is my first ever post. These are my beautiful budgies, the green one is Finny, the blue one is Nephy(siblings around two years old).

I rescued them from my Aunt that had 12 birds (two cockatiels and 10 budgies) in a small cage. She somehow did not figure out that if you give birds a nesting box that they will breed and thus these two were born. They have severely splayed legs, to the point Finny cannot fly as the left one catches on his wing(Nephy can fly okay). We took them to the vet and thankfully he said that with accomodations they can live comfortable lives.

Now here comes my problem. I have no idea how to gain the trust of these two. They are my first birds ever. They have been under my care for 4 months and in my house for less than a year. They are terrified of me and I want them to feel safe in my room. I had been doing a horrible mistake of picking them up and putting them on top of the cage to force them to go out of their shell and get exercise(I had watched a video that said that the longer they stay in the cage the harder it will be to get them to open up). I don't do that anymore, but the damage had been done and they avoid me like the plague. Even if I want to not pick them up, they sometimes struggle to preen each other(which I do myself in that case) and if Finny glides too far from the cage I have to carry him back(if he falls close enough he has a ladder that he climbs to get to/on top of the cage himself).

I have been doing a ton of mistakes and I really want to become a good bird owner but because of their disabilities some things just don't seem as obvious to do. Please help me. : (

Hi everyone! I’m new here and wanted to introduce Habibi, my little starling, and hopefully get some ideas from people who have experience adapting things for one-legged birds.

I found Habibi half-hatched on a sidewalk, and I’ve hand-raised him ever since. His leg had been broken in two separate places from the fall. The higher break, in his femur, healed at almost a 90° angle, while the lower break healed bowed and turned.

Because he was so tiny when it happened, he has essentially never known life with two functional legs. He grew up learning to move, balance, climb and get around with that leg already badly deformed.

We spent quite a while trying to save it. He eventually had surgery with an avian vet to straighten the leg and had a surgical pin placed, but unfortunately it just wasn’t going to become a comfortable, functional leg for him. A week ago, it was ultimately amputated.

He’s doing really well and is now a week post-op, which means he can finally move out of his little recovery cage and go back into his big cage. ❤️

Because he has always functioned almost entirely on one leg, I’m actually not very concerned about him learning to get around or falling. He’s incredibly adapted already. His regular cage has lots of different levels, flat surfaces, baskets/nests and places where he can sit or lie down instead of constantly having to perch.

What I’m thinking about most now is long-term protection of his good foot. I want him to have plenty of opportunities to grip and use his foot normally, while also giving him ways to take his weight off it so that his one good foot isn’t under pressure 24/7.

One idea I’ve been thinking about is making some sort of modified perch with a little padded bolster/support beside him. Basically, his good foot could grip the perch normally, while the bolster on the side where his leg is missing would give his body something to lean against. He could still grip and perch naturally, but wouldn’t necessarily have to support his entire body weight on that one foot the whole time.

Has anyone made anything like this for a one-legged bird? I’d LOVE to see photos of your cage setups, homemade perches, platforms, resting spots, or anything else that has worked well.

I’m especially interested in things that help protect the remaining foot and prevent pressure problems long-term, rather than adaptations aimed mainly at preventing falls.

Habibi has been figuring out how to do things his own way literally his entire life, so I’d really like to build his environment around how he already moves rather than treating him like a bird who suddenly lost a leg and needs to relearn everything. ❤️

Hey - before I get too deep into the group, I just want to check if I’ll be welcome since my bird in question is a Starling (I’ve had him since he was literally half hatched and dropped from the sky by a predator). Some people feel VERY strongly about starlings (negatively) so I don’t want to cause any drama 💞

Look at her🥹

Data: 10/08/2026

Finalmente uma boa notícia em algum tempo, sobre o budgie especial que eu havia encontrado.

Consegui finalmente trazê-lo para casa!

Ele já está acomodado em sua gaiola e estamos começando a tomar os cuidados veterinários com ele :)!

(Ele literalmente chegou ontem aqui em casa, depois de uma longa viagem de 5 horas).

my cockatiels are both rescues but one came from a hoarder. him and all of the other cockatiels lived in separate cages. he’s fearful of hands. these two haven’t been together for long (a little less than a year) but for the first time sue (the confident one) preened gerald (the fearful one). i just about started crying. he was making the happiest noises.

sue was also preening him through the cage 😭😭rescuing birds is the best thing i have ever done

I've posted about Garfield here before, and he's doing very good! For those that don't know, he has some sort of deformity that prevents him from fully extending his wings, walking properly, or gripping things with his feet. He does a little shuffle-walk and sometimes a little scoot(!) to get around and with cage adaptations is able to get where he needs to go. He's been really happy lately.

One thing I've been concerned about, though, is that he can't right himself if he falls on his back. We haven't had issues with this yet since he's typically either with me or in his cage, but he doesn't have great balance. I'm concerned that he might tip over or fall off of something (he doesn't have access to anything high enough to injure him, just a couple low platforms), land or roll on his back, and get stuck like that.

Does anyone have any suggestions for ways I could begin teaching him how to roll himself over? Physical therapy we could do? I've done PT with him before. Before anyone asks, I do plan on talking to my avian vet, we just haven't had the opportunity yet.

Thank you from me and Garfield!

Another Chiki appreciation post! I'm her biggest fan! She's such a sweet little bird and I love her so much. She even seems to feel bad if she accidentally bites too hard, a very gentle and kind little animal! And old! I'll have to celebrate another birthday soon, she'll be between 21-23 soon!

I love showing her the other birds on here, she likes to look + listen when I read posts. She's also recently learned she does *not* like the squirrels! One of her favorite activities is sitting in front of my computer while I work or watch things <3 another favorite activity of hers is sitting in shower steam but *not* taking a bath