Flat Perches for Older and Disabled birds. Birds use their feet habitually, they use them to climb, they eat holding their food (often with their left foot), they stand all day long on them. Birds normally don’t fall off their perch, due to tendons in the ankle. Why don’t birds fall off branches when they sleep? The tendons stretch, closing the toes automatically when the bird lands on a perch. For perching birds, this results in a dependable grip that lasts even when sleeping. Most birds have no problem holding on to a perch.
As your bird gets older, they may develop diseases that cause problems and could cause birds to fall off their perch.
Night fright is the primary reason why most healthy birds fall off perch at night.
Arthritis
Bumblefoot
Broken bones.
Chronic heart disease
Gout
Ataxic. When a bird is suffering from ataxia, they have the inability to coordinate voluntary muscles. They appear clumsy some will stand with their legs splayed apart for balance or they may use their beak to hold on to the side of their cage to stay balanced. Birds that are severely ataxic will not be able to sit on their perch without falling off, they may also not be able to walk without stumbling or falling over.
Other factors that can cause paralysis include:
Calcium deficiency or vitamin D deficiency
Tumors
Exposure to toxic nicotine tobacco products such as cigarette smoke.
Nerve damage caused by injury
Viral diseases and infection
Kidney problems can cause paralysis on one or both sides
Paralysis can affect birds either partially or fully; in some cases, one leg is affected while in others both legs lose feeling and function. This will result in the bird’s inability to stand. The condition can be of sudden onset or may be a progressive event whereby it advances slowly.
If this happens to your bird. It would be a good idea to move his perch closer to the floor of the cage so if he falls it won’t be far. Put Flat Perches, they are great for Older and Disabled birds in the cage so he won’t need to hold on, he can just let go and relax. You may try some Bird Ramps to make getting around the cage easier. You could also add some padding to the bottom of his cage like a soft towel, some use bubble wrap or a pillow not a very tall pillow (that could cause more complications, if he falls), them a towel over that, then some paper for the poop. Do your best to help the bird and make his life as comfortable as you can, and so that he won’t hurt himself even more.