Cage setup for sight limited bird

So when I picked up my rescue, an Amazon named Happy, I noticed she has white spots over the lens of her eyes. It looks like paint spatter. Not swollen or itchy out red. Apparently she was checked for it and the very said it's cataracts. She's 19 years young. She runs her beak on everything and is constantly searching with her feet.

So my question is, since she seems to be having issues seeing, what is the BEST way to set up her cage? She literally came with 1 perch, 3 bowls, and a cage. No toys or latter's or ropes. I out some toys and another perch and will get a few more essential things tomorrow.

Does anyone else have a bird that is handicapped with sight problems? What is your set up like?

I have no experience with blind birds. I have a lot of experience with other blind animals, including fully blind dogs, a squirrel, and a working trail/ranch horse. I have also worked around many partially-blind animals.

I will give advice assuming you are thinking she has no vision, if she has some vision I would do the same but you will not need to be as deliberate/cautious with her. Blind animals tend to map their environments and have more finely tuned senses to adapt. The portions of the brain used for sight in humans is adapted to aid the other senses if we lose our vision - I would assume animals' brains would work the same in this respect.

When you received the cage, was everything in it already? If so I would leave everything just as it was. That is the layout she is used to. I would not add too much to the cage at first, let her get comfortable with the new sounds and experiences in her new house. Once she seems settled, begin adding more perches and/or toys. I would emphasize noise-making toys if she is not scared of them. Changing bowls and perches she is used to should be done gradually (ex. move the bowl a half-inch per day until it is in the new spot) so she is not confused or overly stressed. You will get a sense of what bothers her and how much change she can handle. If you want something major like a cage change, find a way to do it slowly.

As for your interactions with her, be very deliberate about your words and tone. Let your words indicate your intentions so she knows what to expect - "step up", "step down", "breakfast", etc. You two will find your own system with time. When the rancher I knew rode his completely blind horse, he used voice commands to indicate obstacles, loose substrate, inclines/declines and much more.

She may of course still have some or most of her vision. It's a good idea to check with an avian vet you trust and see what they say about her eyes. I'm sure you plan to get her a complete checkup and if so that's a good time to mention it. You have done a great job rescuing Happy and I am sure the two of you will figure things out quickly!

I suspect one of my amazons has a cataract in one eye, but she acts perfectly fine and the eye seems to respond normally to light and other things.

I'd suggest some bright, solid colors if you can, as well as "connecting" perches, meaning the end of one perch is close to another one, so she doesn't have to reach too far to find the next place to go. Only add things sparingly, so she's not too overwhelmed with change.

Birds are very adaptable, so as you have her, you might learn she doesn't have as many limitations as you thought! Talk to her in a soft calm voice whenever you're going near her or in the cage, tell her what you're doing, and I'm sure you'll have no trouble at all.

That is so young! Sorry!

I'd be tempted to feed her sprouted seeds slathered with RPO to see if it helps any....

Cataract Reversal | Best Bird Food Ever
http://www.avifood.com/out/pdfs/Clinical_Results_in_Birds.pdf (re: amazon)