I have a Conure and Lovebird pair, in which the Lovebird is disabled, and I am looking to get a bigger cage for the both of them.

[pxrplebird]

I rescued this pair in august of 2023 out of a horrible living situation, and have slowly started to adjust them into being in a loving environment. My lovebird, Peaches, is disabled. Her left foot is deformed in which it is stuck in the position of being near her chest. Basically she only has one usable leg. I would send a picture, but she is very scared of contact (which I completely understand). Her beak also is half gone(?). That being said I found a bigger cage I want to get them, I just have no idea how to set it up for her to get around easy. I want there to be enough room for my Conure, Bowser, to monkey around if he chooses but for it to be safe for Peaches to get around in as well.

I am new to bird owning and I want to give the best environment possible, and I am still lost even after doing countless hours of research.

This is the cage I am looking into buying

Thank you so much for your time
~Mandy, Bowser, and Peaches

 

[Zara]

Hello Mandy, Welcome to Avian Avenue.

I don't know much about conure care, but I do know that lovebirds should only be housed one bird per cage or one bonded pair of lovebirds per cage. I don't feel it is safe for a conure and lovebird to be housed together. I also have a lovebird hen with a foot problem, and she has just as much pizazz as any other lovebird hen. In saying that, I think that if they are happy together, they can enjoy time together out of their cages.
You also have to take into consideration that you will want things in Bowsers cage, that Peaches cannot have in hers for safety reasons. For eg. like certain perches to help exercise Bowsers feet.

As for a cage for Peaches, what are her abilities within the cage? Does she fall from perches? Having a beak problem could mean she can't climb. If she falls or can't climb then I think you would be looking at something long and not as tall with platform perches included, maybe even some wooden ramps for easy access. When my hen was younger, I created huge shelves in the cage out of cardboard and held them up with those rubbish plastic perches that come in some cages.

 

[orphansparrow]

Are they bonded? Usually they would have separate cages which would actually make it easier for you to customize one for her needs.

 

[Xoetix]

Hello and welcome!

I always think of @Shannan when it comes to disabled birds needing a specialized cage.

 

[pxrplebird]

Hello Mandy, Welcome to Avian Avenue.

I don't know much about conure care, but I do know that lovebirds should only be housed one bird per cage or one bonded pair of lovebirds per cage. I don't feel it is safe for a conure and lovebird to be housed together. I also have a lovebird hen with a foot problem, and she has just as much pizazz as any other lovebird hen. In saying that, I think that if they are happy together, they can enjoy time together out of their cages.
You also have to take into consideration that you will want things in Bowsers cage, that Peaches cannot have in hers for safety reasons. For eg. like certain perches to help exercise Bowsers feet.

As for a cage for Peaches, what are her abilities within the cage? Does she fall from perches? Having a beak problem could mean she can't climb. If she falls or can't climb then I think you would be looking at something long and not as tall with platform perches included, maybe even some wooden ramps for easy access. When my hen was younger, I created huge shelves in the cage out of cardboard and held them up with those rubbish plastic perches that come in some cages.

The weird thing is, they are a bonded pair. I rescued them as such. Peaches is able to climb around, but struggles a bit due to half of my cage having vertical bars. She has gotten better now and rarely falls off of perches because Bowser is normally there helping support her if they are just sitting together. She really loves her swing though and is often on it. I am just trying to figure out how to accommodate her more.

 

[pxrplebird]

Are they bonded? Usually they would have separate cages which would actually make it easier for you to customize one for her needs.

Yes, they are bonded.

 

[Shannan]

I rescued this pair in august of 2023 out of a horrible living situation, and have slowly started to adjust them into being in a loving environment. My lovebird, Peaches, is disabled. Her left foot is deformed in which it is stuck in the position of being near her chest. Basically she only has one usable leg. I would send a picture, but she is very scared of contact (which I completely understand). Her beak also is half gone(?). That being said I found a bigger cage I want to get them, I just have no idea how to set it up for her to get around easy. I want there to be enough room for my Conure, Bowser, to monkey around if he chooses but for it to be safe for Peaches to get around in as well.

I am new to bird owning and I want to give the best environment possible, and I am still lost even after doing countless hours of research.

This is the cage I am looking into buying

Thank you so much for your time
~Mandy, Bowser, and Peaches

Actually that is a wonderful cage to start with as it is nearly identical to the cage I used for my disabled bird Walter. I would see if there was anyway you could buy an extra grate that could be used to create a second level. I will attach pictures of his cage to give you some ideas but here are a few things that made a huge difference for Walter.
1. Platform perches. I set them up like stairs which allowed him to move to different levels. Placing toys such that he could play with them from the ground made a huge difference in his ability to play. I also gave him extra wide perches that I wrapped with vet wrap (Walter never chewed on them so you would need to watch your babies on that, a rope perch might also help. I placed perches such that he could easily access from the ground and then use the perches as ramps to get to the upper levels. I created the second level by moving the grate up to the halfway point in the cage. My plan was to take dowel rods to create the second level and then place a dog crate tray or a piece of bird safe boards (maybe solid pine, like they use for bookshelves?) to cover half the cage and then use platform perches to create a pathway for Walter to get to the loft. This would create the bird cage equivalent of a split level house. I padded the bottom of both levels with heavy paper towels and made sure I cleaned up any spots throughout the day. This provided extra padding should he fall and a comfortable place to walk around. (I got the idea from looking at the ferret cages.). This will also allow your other bird to climb and enjoy himself.


Welcome to the Avenue. Would love to see pictures of your cuties.

 

[Shannan]

By the way... I Got my platform perches from Seriously Nuts
Wood Bird Perches ~ Seriously Nutz Bird Toys. They were definitely a game changer for Walter and safer than anything else I found out there.

I got the idea for the two levels from here. Modifying a Cage for a Disabled Parrot | ThinkParrot. Except that I had planned on creating a hole with stair step platform perches so that Walter could go between the levels.

 

[orphansparrow]

Great set up @Shannan

 

[Shannan]

Great set up @Shannan

Thanks. It took a lot of really thinking and observing how Walter moved around and how best to support that. It didn't hurt that I was a special education teacher used to adapting equipment for my kiddos.

 

[Pixiebeak]

 

[~Drini~]

I am of the opinion that if they are bonded, there is especially no need to separate them. It will be a little more difficult, but you can figure out a configuration that accommodates both of their needs. Having each other is a need.

 

[Emma&pico]

I really hope this doesn’t sound insensitive but do you know how the lovebird hurt her beak ? Could the conure have done it or born this way ?
if by any chance the conure done it I would separate you could have cages together or close enough and have sleep perched on same side
Personally I would be very careful them sharing a cage I have a female lovebird and green cheek conure and I know even if they bonded a would not allow them to share a cage the size difference is too much
Mine share out of cage time together monitored I won’t even leave them out in room for a second together would only take remi to land on indie cage and he would lose a foot I don’t allow any bird on her cage it’s a no go area
I really hope this doesn’t come across mean but I would hate anything to happen and they both have personalities were their mood can change in seconds
I maybe totally wrong but I would be separate cages out of cage time together