Three days ago, I discovered my eleven year old budgie huddled in the corner of his cage and when I inspected him I found a bleeding wound on his belly and a lame leg. I rushed him to the vet and the only option was to amputate his leg. It seems he was attacked through the bars of his cage over night. Fortunately, he is a very strong-willed bird and survived the operation fine. I'm currently giving him antibiotics every evening, and carefully watching his progress.

 

When I first brought him home from the vet he was just staying on the bottom of the cage. Now he seems more able to get about, flying/fluttering from one perch to another etc. In himself he seems okay, he is eating and drinking okay, he struggles to get to the seed & water trays, but gets there in the end. I've put a seed stick on the floor of the cage so he can eat at ease, which he does use.

 

He is still unsteady on his leg - keeps over balancing, especially when he is trying to preen himself. His cage is only small, about 50cm square and 70cm high. This has been fine up till now but I'm wondering if I should invest in a larger cage to enable him to fly better between perches. I would like some advice from other budgie owners/breeders if they have ever had this problem before. Do budgies generally adapt well to one-leggedness? I'm feeling pretty guilty about him only having one leg, it's awful seeing him over-balance. He was such a healthy, fun-loving budgie.

 

Any advice/comments would be greatly appreciated.

Maybe platform setups would be better for this bird than perches....easier to rest and preen on than having to grip a perch with just one leg that will get tired. Good luck...he's a trooper !!

Platforms would definitely be a great idea! And maybe a towel on the cage floor so that when he does fall he has a soft landing. Put his seed and water dishes on the floor until he becomes steadier on his leg. I know of someone who's budgie needed her wing amputated and she's adapted incredibly well!

low perches too, I would readjust the cage to have lower perches where your budgie can jump up on but not hurt itself if he topples over. Keep us updated on his progress.

I have a 1 legged budgie and they adapt really well. My advice is put something soft on the floor of the cage, put food and water on the floor until he is moving easier around the cage, replace your round perches with wider flat perches, I use ones that are just over an inch wide and don't feel guilty, you have done your best and still have him to love and care for. This is my stumpy...Good luck.

I've sent you a PM with some information you might find helpful. Your budgie can still have a very full and happy life with one leg.