Parrot gets new leg, thanks to 3D printer

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Thanks to some new technology, a parrot is getting a new lease on life, after suffering from a traumatized leg.

Vets said they have never done anything like this procedure before, but they hope this use of 3D printing to help animals is just the beginning.

In this particular case, the animal in need is Bandit. The 25-year-old parrot received a new artificial limb, thanks to a 3D printer.

Bandit's leg was stuck in his cage, which forced him to chew off his foot a few months ago. For a while, Bandit lived with a stump, until veteran Todd Driggers said he had an idea to make Bandit a leg, by using a CT scanner and a 3D printer.

Driggers enlisted the help of radiologist Dennis Smith to make the plastic leg, which Bandit tried out on Thursday.

Right now, the procedure is in its early stages, and professionals are making sure the leg is comfortable and function for Bandit. Eventually, once the final design is made up and is proven to work well, a contract could be made with a company to print the leg out with a more durable material.