I need a solution.

[JBassset]

Not to sidetrack the GREAT advice SailBoat has but the oven rack thing made me think: what about cooling racks for baking?

Sainless steel, usually square and usually small enough to suit what you need. Mostly sold in pairs, dirt cheap AND they can run through the dishwasher to make cleaning easy.

I'd go with new... no idea what used ones have been exposed to.

Edit for clarification: I don't think cooling racks would be a good perch surface. But if you were to go back to the idea of putting something UNDER the perches to catch him if he fell off they might work for your purposes.

As a perch they're terrible. They'd create "hot spots" on his toes where his whole body weight was resting on just a few points of the rack. I've been down that road with a bird who had bad perch options. But to "Raise" the bottom of the cage so his falls aren't so big they might work.

 

[Nicky76]

If Boosie is eventually diagnosed with cardiac issues, ie. heart failure, ask your vet about Pimobendan. My 28yr old Eclectus displayed rapid onset symptoms of lethargy and difficulty perching. Interestingly, her blood panel roughly 4 months prior was unremarkable. My AV accurately described Pimobendan as a game changer; she acts her normal self.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pimobendan

How was your bird diagnosed? My vet is telling me that we'd have to do a sedated x-ray to determine cardiac issues, and there is a chance she may die from the sedation. Not something I want to do lightly!

Archie was diagnosed by a full body X-ray under sedation (and he was fine), a range of blood tests including a urate level and a joint aspirate (where they take a bit of fluid from a swollen joint).

He's done amazingly well and has been off medication for a few months now. He's also really good for his blood tests and doesn't need sedating.


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[Kentuckienne]

Not to sidetrack the GREAT advice SailBoat has but the oven rack thing made me think: what about cooling racks for baking?

Sainless steel, usually square and usually small enough to suit what you need. Mostly sold in pairs, dirt cheap AND they can run through the dishwasher to make cleaning easy.

I'd go with new... no idea what used ones have been exposed to.

Edit for clarification: I don't think cooling racks would be a good perch surface. But if you were to go back to the idea of putting something UNDER the perches to catch him if he fell off they might work for your purposes.

As a perch they're terrible. They'd create "hot spots" on his toes where his whole body weight was resting on just a few points of the rack. I've been down that road with a bird who had bad perch options. But to "Raise" the bottom of the cage so his falls aren't so big they might work.

AHA, you are on to something and don't even know it. I have several cooling racks that aren't the old style long skinny bars - they are a crosshatch, the same number of long skinny bars running up/down and left/right. Supports cakes and cookies better because the weight is distributed over many points. I think the biggest gap is under 1/2", open squares. Those wouldn't create any hot spots at all. They tend not to be stainless, though, because stainless is a terrible heat absorber, so you'd have to watch for rust.

I don't think a used cooking rack could be contaminated with anything that wouldn't come off....to each his own. I use them in my oven and etc.

 

[mh434]

I had a LCA with perching issues, and it turned out to be gout. He had trouble grasping perches and, over time, one foot opened flat and the other closed into a fist. By that point, perching was impossible. I made a donut-shaped bed for him so he could rest, without pressure on his keel, which helped for awhile. He was in so much pain that, by the end, he was getting twice-weekly opiate pain killer injections from the vet.

It took a couple of years to get a definitive diagnosis (so, in the interim, treatments had been all wrong), and in the end, it claimed his life. He was a sweet boy, and it was heartbreaking to see him in such pain. In his case, we believe the gout resulted from an extremely poor diet in his early life (raised by an old guy who knew nothing about parrots, and fed him exclusively on hamster food).

Anyway, it might be something worth having your vet check out. Early diagnosis & treatment can be very effective, I understand.

 

[Nicky76]

I had a LCA with perching issues, and it turned out to be gout. He had trouble grasping perches and, over time, one foot opened flat and the other closed into a fist. By that point, perching was impossible. I made a donut-shaped bed for him so he could rest, without pressure on his keel, which helped for awhile. He was in so much pain that, by the end, he was getting twice-weekly opiate pain killer injections from the vet.

It took a couple of years to get a definitive diagnosis (so, in the interim, treatments had been all wrong), and in the end, it claimed his life. He was a sweet boy, and it was heartbreaking to see him in such pain. In his case, we believe the gout resulted from an extremely poor diet in his early life (raised by an old guy who knew nothing about parrots, and fed him exclusively on hamster food).

Anyway, it might be something worth having your vet check out. Early diagnosis & treatment can be very effective, I understand.

So sorry to hear about your LCA
Archie was in the same position but luckily our vet is amazing and with a good diet and medication (not needed now) he's fighting fit.

Definitely get the vet to check urate levels.


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