Soft perches for elderly budgies with weak grip

Nine years is a wonderful age for a budgie — you've clearly looked after them well. Reduced grip strength is one of the most common changes in geriatric budgies, and the instinct to keep perching high can actually become a fall risk at that stage. Before I point you toward anything specific, a couple of quick questions: whereabouts in the cage are they currently perching, and are they still moving between levels on their own, or mostly staying in one spot?

That sliding is a clear sign the current perch surface isn't giving him enough to grip. At his age, the priority is a softer, slightly textured perch positioned low — ideally no more than a few inches from a cushioned base in case he does slip. Is the middle perch a standard smooth wooden dowel, and do you have anything soft on the cage floor at the moment?

Right, so two things to sort: the perch itself and a bit of floor padding as a backup. For the perch, I'd go with the Booda Comfy Perch — it's a soft, rope-wrapped flexible perch that you can bend into whatever position suits the cage layout. The texture gives arthritic or weak feet something to actually hold onto rather than grip hard around a rigid dowel, and the give in the material is much kinder on older joints. Position it at the lowest practical level. For the floor, a folded fleece liner or thick paper towel layer under where he perches is an easy overnight safety net. The Booda comes in a small size that's appropriate for budgies — make sure you pick the small, not the medium.

Good instinct to check. The Booda Comfy Perch is made from cotton rope and is generally considered bird-safe, but with any rope perch you want to inspect it regularly — if the fibres start to fray and loop, they can catch a toenail or be ingested in larger amounts. Trim any loose strands as they appear and replace the perch when it gets visibly worn rather than waiting until it's falling apart. At nine, he's probably not going to demolish it quickly, but it's worth a weekly glance.

I'd leave it in place but make the lower setup clearly more comfortable — most elderly budgies self-select the easier option once it's genuinely easier. Removing the top perch entirely can cause stress because birds find security in having vertical choices, even if they don't use them all. If he's consistently attempting the top and struggling, you could remove it then, but start by making the low Booda perch the obvious best option and see how he settles.