Sore feet and safe wood for perches

SpringCottageParrot · Jul 25, 2012

We thought we were doing everything right but Casper's feet are looking a bit sore underneath. It can't be (can it?) vitamin deficiency because he is getting lots of fresh fruit and veg plus a sprinkling of vitamin supplement on his dry food.

We have taken out of the cage a green coloured perch that was supposed to keep his beak and claws in trim because it wasn't doing its job, it was difficult to keep clean, and the abrasiveness was probably not comfortable to walk on.
His other perches are made from sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) sapling which, having looked it up, is also known as Sycamore Maple. So now I am confused as Sycamore is supposed to be safe but Maple can be iffy.

Looking around the garden at other possibilities, we have a Mexican orange blossom (choicya ternata) bush which is getting a bit rangy and looks like it needs to be made into parrot perches. Is it safe?

Should I put whipping around his sleeping perch to make it more comfortable or maybe some cotton webbing?

I have read that coconut butter is soothing for his feet but is he likely to just lick it off?

So many questions, sorry about that, just answer the easy bits.

greycloud · Jul 25, 2012

Maple is on the toxic list but all maples should have bark removed.
I recommend you do not apply cocoa butter to his feet at this time.
I would purchase some rope perches and put them in places that he frequents in his cage. Over time the redness should go away.

SpringCottageParrot · Jul 25, 2012

greycloud said:
Maple is on the toxic list but all maples should have bark removed.
I recommend you do not apply cocoa butter to his feet at this time.
I would purchase some rope perches and put them in places that he frequents in his cage. Over time the redness should go away.

Thanks Greycloud
we have been looking at rope perches, the shortest available here in a suitable diameter is three foot long. I will get a couple but I wanted to get a shorter one for his sleeping corner. We bought one from a local pet supermarket but it had cheap plastic fixings which wouldn't tighten up on the bars. It went straight back for a refund.

Mexican orange blossom gets a reprieve.

In the mean time I'll remove the bark on the sycamore perches until the rope ones arrive.

DebsFlock · Jul 25, 2012

The all-over abrasive perches are known to sometimes cause irritation, especially if they get used frequently. I like the "safety" abrasive perches that are smooth on the top and sandy on the sides, but I wouldn't even consider those until his feet look comfy again. I second the suggestion for a rope perch or two, they are a nice soft surface. Ideally I'd have one rope, one safety sandy and several irregular wood perches in each cage, but I'm not quite at that ideal, I still have too many plain dowel type perches.

Also, make sure the perches are a variety of sizes with plenty that are big enough. I look for most of the perches to be big enough that the foot is mostly on the "top", not wrapped all the way around. That way the weight is spread out over a wider surface area.

Alisana · Jul 25, 2012

I wouldn't advise wrapping the cotton around it, as if the thread catches on his feet, there is a chance of injury.

Java wood is smooth, but it can sometimes be too slippery. Australian native woods are good too.

DebsFlock's recommendation of the other perches will work too. Smooth on one side, rough on the edges.

See how the rope perches goes; but keep an eye for lose threads. Ensure to cut them the moment you see them.

WharfRat · Jul 25, 2012

Yea, my breeder told me long ago not to use perches that were abrasive on top

azdesertrhino · Jul 25, 2012

Manzanita is a good wood, different shapes and dimensions.

Untreated Sisal, Superior cotton is good. I think birds need different shapes and textures.

Spiritbird · Jul 25, 2012

I have sycamore perches also. Rosie's feet will get pressure areas from sitting on anything that is not natural wood or the rope perches. She loves to sit on the cage door and shower rod. Perhaps I should invent a wooden shower rod for birds and shower curtains. Keeping our birds feet healthy is very important as you know and I hope the problem goes away.

SpringCottageParrot · Jul 25, 2012

Thanks for all the useful information, it seems that nearly everything growing in our garden is toxic for parrots. Our two largest trees are a Yew and a Magnolia.
He does however enjoy being out on the front path in his cage now that summer has arrived. Not a very good guard parrot though - he would let anyone pass if they gave him a bit of banana.
I am not happy that the website that advises that sycamore is OK for perches doesn't differentiate between the different species. They should put the latin names against the common usage so that there can be no confusion. I didn't realise that when we took on a parrot I would need to be an expert in botany as well. Poor Casper has got sore feet totally needlessly and I feel bad.

TheMajesticPalmCockatoo · Jul 25, 2012

SpringCottageParrot said:
We thought we were doing everything right but Casper's feet are looking a bit sore underneath. It can't be (can it?) vitamin deficiency because he is getting lots of fresh fruit and veg plus a sprinkling of vitamin supplement on his dry food.

We have taken out of the cage a green coloured perch that was supposed to keep his beak and claws in trim because it wasn't doing its job, it was difficult to keep clean, and the abrasiveness was probably not comfortable to walk on.
His other perches are made from sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) sapling which, having looked it up, is also known as Sycamore Maple. So now I am confused as Sycamore is supposed to be safe but Maple can be iffy.

Looking around the garden at other possibilities, we have a Mexican orange blossom (choicya ternata) bush which is getting a bit rangy and looks like it needs to be made into parrot perches. Is it safe?

Should I put whipping around his sleeping perch to make it more comfortable or maybe some cotton webbing?

I have read that coconut butter is soothing for his feet but is he likely to just lick it off?

So many questions, sorry about that, just answer the easy bits.

Bottlebrush is a very good type of perch :blue:

:red:

DebsFlock · Jul 26, 2012

SpringCottageParrot said:
I didn't realise that when we took on a parrot I would need to be an expert in botany as well. Poor Casper has got sore feet totally needlessly and I feel bad.

Don't beat yourself up! Most people wouldn't even have noticed and I'm sure he'll be fine since you know what's going on. We all make mistakes. I've learned so much in the last couple of years and all I have really found out is that I know nothing. In fact WE pretty much know nothing compared to what we know about other companion animals because parrots are not as well studied! So don't feel bad, feel good for figuring it out!

SpringCottageParrot · Jul 26, 2012

Further reading on Wikipedia tells me that the American Sycamore (which is safe for perches) is called a Plane tree over here in the UK. As luck would have it the village WI (Womens' Institute) planted a London Plane in a public space outside our house. It might receive a bit of late night pruning of perch sized branches, especially the ones that hang down and drip on you when you walk along the path.

SpringCottageParrot · Jul 27, 2012

You've probably heard of guerilla knitting (if not google it for some amusement), I'm starting Guerilla Pruning.

SpringCottageParrot · Jul 27, 2012

The mahoosive rope perches I ordered turned up in the post today. Casper took one look at them and ran a mile. I don't know if he thought they were snakes or something. So we are on the slowly but surely approach now, I have secured one just below the entrance to his cage on the outside, leading down to the floor. Margaret got him to step onto it on his way back into the cage for his afternoon scoff. Mind you, he would probably walk on real snakes without realising if they were between him and a dish of food.
So, the plan is that later, when he has got used to them being around, we put some banana in a dish on the floor at the bottom of the rope perch and see if we can tempt him down it.
Once he is happy with it outside the cage it should be alright to fix them inside the cage.

DebsFlock · Jul 27, 2012

Too funny! None of mine ever worried about the rope perches, but I can see how that might happen.

I got a "cute" snowman toy at Christmastime made out of wiffle balls and the birds were uniformly terrified of it. Even my husband thought it was creepy.

Birds are funny!

SpringCottageParrot · Aug 7, 2012

Casper's feet have heeled nicely since I took the bark off the maple perches.
We have had one of the rope perches inside the cage for a couple of nights now but Casper isn't impressed. He prefers to get around on the bars of the cage and whilst he does sleep on the rope which is fixed near the top he keeps one foot gripping the bars all night. I am thinking of putting a wooden sleeping perch back so he can go back to sleeping standing on one foot with the other undercarriage retracted.

Sore feet and safe wood for perches

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