We currently have a handicapped quaker. The previous owner to her to their local small animal vet to have her band removed (she was picking at it a lot) well the vet wasn't experience with birds and cut through the band into her leg. He tried stitching up the leg but it became infected and they had to take her to a "real" avian vet and have her leg amputated. You would be amazed at how well they learn to get around even with only one leg. We have also had other birds that were handicapped but this is the only one currently in and my son has developed a soft spot for her.

Anyway her cage has several rope perches which seem to be easier for her to climb. Then she has two wooden ramps that have sisal rope wrapped around them (watch for loose strings of rope so she doesn't catch her toes on her good foot) to help her keep her grip on them. Towards the top of her cage we have a plastic "sun deck" and a metal "wire" shelf on opposite sides. She sleeps on her sun deck and spends a lot of time hanging out on her metal shelf. She climbs quite well on the wire ropes but seems to slip a lot on the dowel type perches so we have taken them out completely. She also has a branch perch which she enjoys chewing on but doesn't seem to try perching on. Her food bowls are situated so that she can either perch on a rope perch or at the edge of one of the ramps and she will usually balance on her rope perches to eat or drink. She has no problem holding on to her food and when eating something a little larger like a nutriberry she has learned to balance it against her chest while "sitting". If your bird has just become disabled it might take a while to get used to it.

Also I don't know if your bird is fully flighted or if you plan on letting her/him be fully flighted but watch for landings. Ollie loves to fly around but can only land on a larger surface such as the top of her cage. She cannot balance for landing on a hand/shoulder as well. She also doesn't feel as secure when trying to perch on your hand, she will perch on the larger portion of our wrist or likes to be cradled in a towel or washcloth and is quite calm them. If she starts to feel insecure she gets nippy and wants to go back in her cage. She also seems to tire out more quickly (her health is fine besides missing a foot) since she has to do all her hopping on one foot so be careful to allow for her getting tired quicker than usualy and having to work up to longer playtimes outside her cage (if she was used to it before.

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