Today I was given a little 20yo birdy called Charlie. He was brought here in a shoebox, enough said.
I had a cage ready for him, with a platform and some different perches because not having any experience with elderlies I wasn't sure what he'd prefer. I read somewhere that they might prefer softer perches so I added a rope perch.
I have to say that for a bird who travelled a few hours in a box he wasn't too freaked out, but he seems to me lacking a bit of balance, and I am not sure how good his sight is.
He chatters and whistles, doesn't want to be touched but he'll step on a stick (grudgingly), so I am not too worried, but he often puffs up.

My questions are:
- How can I assess his eyesight? There is no discharge from the eyes.
- Is there any way I can make his cage more comfortable for him to move around? At the moment (for the last 8 hours) he has been sitting on the platform, it's a plastic one so maybe I should make him a wooden one?
I checked online to see if I could find pictures of cage setups for old tiels but didn't find much.
- Do older tiels feel cold often?

He is a very pretty boy, his tail is a bit of a mess and he needs a good head preening... hopefully he'll let me touch him soon. He seems very good natured.
I have no idea whether he flies. When I had him out of the cage on a stick he didn't try to take off.
His poo looks normal.

He heard the birds in the other room but he didn't react in any way; I was told that he has never seen other birds before.
Will it be safe for him to be released in the bird room, after the quarantine? It won't be a proper quarantine because I have no way to isolate them from airborne dangers, but I want to keep him on his own for a while and see how he goes.

Older birds sometimes have arthritis or other foot/joint issues, and they do appreciate rope perches and other easy-to-use perching places. Some birds might like a padded shelf or having a solid surface on the bottom of the cage instead of a grate. If he has trouble moving around in the cage, you could install ramps or put a rope perch at an angle to help him move between the higher areas and the lower areas.

Older birds often have liver problems due to years on an imperfect diet. Liver disease is mostly treated by an improved diet, so encourage him to eat well. These links have some specific tips on herbs and supplements that can help:
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/dvms/fattyliver.html
http://theexoticvet.com/care-sheets/avi ... r-disease/
http://www.beautyofbirds.com/liverdisease.html
From srtiels: http://talkcockatiels.com/showpost.php? ... stcount=15

If you look for info on cage setups for handicapped or disabled birds, you'll probably find more results than looking for info on older birds. I don't know if there's a way to test his vision; I think you'll just have to watch him and see if it looks like he can see what he's doing.

It's too soon to know whether he'd be OK in the bird room or not. You'll need to find out how well he can handle himself physically, and also see whether he seems interested in being with the other birds or not. It's normal for birds to be very quiet in a new place, but he might start responding to them more after he's had time to get used to his wonderful new home. It's also possible that he might be afraid of them since he's not used to other birds, so you'll need to watch his reaction and try to stay in his comfort zone.

I agree with this. Beaker was a single bird all his life, so I went slow when introducing Jaid. Luckily he responded well. He was hormonal at the time, so actually I think it helped break the ice when Beaky saw Jaid as a sexual partner. Jaid of course was still a baby, so he didn't know what Beaker was doing. They bonded over time and Beaker's hormones died down once he got used to Jaid. They aren't best friends, but they are friends. Just go slow, and don't make Grandpa Charlie look sexy to anybirdy else. Congratulations on your new addition!

At precisely 7am he started singing a very pretty song... And Keith responded from the other room. So I said hey Charlie shush! And he proceeded to tell me that Charlie is a good boy, he's a pretty boy and other things I didn't perfectly understand... It was a long time since I laughed so much at this time in the morning

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Awww.......that's so sweet!

He has such beautiful bright yellow feathers! Charlie is definitely a pretty boy. Did you get him from a rescue?

Charlie is very talented! He's making a very good adjustment too if he's already comfortable enough to start talking. At some time in his life someone must have paid a lot of attention to him to teach him all those words.

He used to be a much loved pet, then the elderly owner died and his children wouldn't want to have him in their lives. He must be so desperately lonely thinking of his beloved daddy/mommy.
He has decided that Paul is his person, and I am only allowed to pet him when he's on Paul's shoulder... For now.
He still has no idea of how bloody persistent I am

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I had followed the handicapped bird cage Google suggestion and I have found some good stuff.
I was thinking of building him a cage quite large but very low. He doesn't like to walk up and down, he prefers moving on the same level.
That's why I thought a "pancake" cage, approximately 1ft max in height, could be friendlier for him.

He flies! Well, not really, but he surely tries!
Yesterday I put him on top of the cage and a couple of times he took off, made a half circle around the room and then crashed. I don't know if it's due to lack of exercise or simply not being strong anymore.
Plus he will fly on Paul as soon as he sees him sitting on the sofa... I am jealous of course, but they are so cute! Paul is now learning to give scritches

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he is gorgeous. I feel like he will thrive well in your care.

Use food bribery! he'll come around soon!!