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ToadMan
04-18-2020, 11:28 PM
Me and my girlfriend acquired a sun conure from someone who no longer wanted the bird due to an injury. This injury is on the left foot, and has completely left the whole foot paralyzed. We took her to the vet, and he said other than amputation, there was far too much damage done for him to be able to do anything. He also said that the bird will likely never be able to use the foot, and feels nothing in that foot.

So we took her home, as rescuing animals that no one wants is our thing. Now we tried a smaller cage, but unfortunately since she can't feel her foot, she can't grab on to anything and hold on, so climbing, and the wire racking were almost impossible for her to walk. Thankfully we have several 40 gallon aquarium breeders, that we put her in, and so far she seems happier that she can get around easier. With that said, we want to give her enrichment items to give her something to do when we aren't home, however most of the bird toys need somewhere to clamp onto, which I can't do in an aquarium. I have already started building a second level from wood, to give her some more floor room. Any suggestions on making this aquarium a better place for her, while we aren't home? Thank you in advance.

Dragonlady2
04-19-2020, 02:52 PM
Welcome to the forum! Thanks for rescuing this poor conure. As for toys, try making some shredding balls. You can get some grapevine or wicker balls and stuff it with shredded paper and other softer things like balsa. You could also make some foraging food items like a kale leaf wrapped around a strawberry or a nut, etc. They could be left on the floor of the aquarium.
What are you lining the floor of the aquarium with?
Another idea for housing would be to use a guinea pig or rabbit cage. That way you could hang items on the bottom bars for you bird to chew on.
Definitely a low platform is a great idea. You could put a layer of soft fabric so the bird could rest the one good foot. If you have two or three of these pieces of fabric you can swap them out for washing.
Let us know how it goes.:th_smile:

ToadMan
04-20-2020, 03:59 AM
I like the idea of the rabbit cage, however I already have the aquarium. As for the lining, I was thinking of some cloth that has weight sewed into the corners to prevent her from throwing it around. Could you possibly explain the kale ball a little better? We have tons of kale on hand due to my bearded dragon.

Dragonlady2
04-20-2020, 01:20 PM
Just take a leaf of kale and let the bird see that you are wrapping up a nut or piece of fruit in it. Tie it up with a piece of polycord or paper rope. If the bird doesn’t start trying to find the nut, start it by poking a hole big enough for the nut to be seen. It may take a little time for it to catch on.

Maybe you could make a very low perch for the bird to hop on so it can keep its other foot strong.

Having cloth on the bottom of the tank is a good idea.