Maui's new perch

Adele
Moderator

Dr. Rattle Bucket Ph.D

Joined: August 2005
Posts: 2,853

Pets: Hercules-Sulcata tortoise; Manzi-CAG; Maui-CAG; Ella-Dog

Maui's new perch Apr 17, 2023 16:46:41 GMT -7

Quote

Post by Adele on Apr 17, 2023 16:46:41 GMT -7

Maui has been having a lot of trouble standing on a perch, especially when she sleeps. She sleeps at the bottom of the cage, but as soon as anyone is awake, she scrambles up to a perch as quickly as possible. I know they want to sleep high up, so I feel bad that she has to sleep on the floor of her cage, and then doesn't feel secure. So I've been wanting a flat, corner perch for quite sometime, and my brother heard me talking about it. He has a 3D printer that he's been having fun with, so he printed out a flat perch. It is a bit small for Maui, but I've seen her napping on it, laying her upper body down on it.

Surprisingly, she was only slightly scared of it for a few minutes, then hopped right on. Now she loves her new perch and is on it for a large portion of the day. My brother will print me a larger one, but till then, she's definitely making the most of this one.

Here are a couple photos of the perch. It is filled with rocks (they were put in during the printing process, so they're not removable, but really stabilize the whole thing):

Jane
Global Moderator

Mitzi and Monty

Joined: January 2005
Posts: 10,610

Maui's new perch Apr 18, 2023 3:12:59 GMT -7 Adele likes this

Quote

Post by Jane on Apr 18, 2023 3:12:59 GMT -7

I think Maui must have realised that the perch would be a help to her so she quickly got over any fears of it.

Monty is a lot better with perching since he has been on his own but he had been falling off his perches for a while before that and he had taken to spending more time on the floor. I used to hear him falling off his perch in the night.
I have been giving him a liquid calcium supplement called Calcivet twice a week since 10th January and that seems to have have had quite a dramatic effect on his stability. He doesn't fall off his perches anymore.

Jane

Last Edit: Apr 18, 2023 3:14:26 GMT -7 by Jane

Somewhere in another universe, dear brother, you got saved.

Haz Moderator Chyloe Joined: October 2006 Posts: 3,281	Maui's new perch Apr 18, 2023 9:45:36 GMT -7 Adele likes this Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Haz on Apr 18, 2023 9:45:36 GMT -7 That is a really cool perch. Haz
	Max, CAG (In my heart forever) Taz, Tiel (Rest in peace my sweet girl) Chyloe, CAG

Adele
Moderator

Dr. Rattle Bucket Ph.D

Joined: August 2005
Posts: 2,853

Pets: Hercules-Sulcata tortoise; Manzi-CAG; Maui-CAG; Ella-Dog

Maui's new perch Apr 18, 2023 11:46:28 GMT -7

Quote

Post by Adele on Apr 18, 2023 11:46:28 GMT -7

Jane, I'll look into that supplement and give it a try for Maui. She is still very strong with her feet, and doesn't necessarily have stability issues in the short term. She has bad joints and arthritis, so it gets hard for her to stay perched when she's sleeping. I can tell her bad days, cause she's much more horizontal and can't stand up nearly as well.

Several years ago when she got really weak and couldn't even stand up at all, she still was able to clench her feet tightly around things (hands, fingers, etc.), she just couldn't support her body on her feet. As long as weather permits, I'm still giving her outdoor time as well, and that always seems to boost her spirits.

Post by Adele on Apr 17, 2023 16:46:41 GMT -7

Post by Jane on Apr 18, 2023 3:12:59 GMT -7

Post by Haz on Apr 18, 2023 9:45:36 GMT -7

Post by Adele on Apr 18, 2023 11:46:28 GMT -7