Tumors and bumblefoot

Hello to the Amazon people. I apologize for all the pictures!

Sydney is my 25 year old, Blue front Amazon.

I've had my Sydney for roughly three months. He was a rescue, and was in rough shape when I got him. He couldn't perch and his feet were raw. When I first brought him home, he slept next to my bed on a small dog carrier I had bought, with a towel placed over it, so I could keep an eye on him.

He reminded me of a big fuzzy caterpillar.



So, as the weeks passed, I soaked his feet and tail area a few times a week in my tub with warm water. His tail area was pretty matted together and caked with poop at the time, and it took some very careful cleaning to remove, as well as some feathers that looked almost burnt, they were down to just the shaft. I carefully scrubbed his feet which were also caked in poop and dead skin, the underside very raw and he'd growl at me.

Currently, he's able to perch moderately well, though he has very little grip strength and can easily fall off balance, so there's a lot of things hung for him to grab onto. I try to flex and massage his feet as much as he will let me, and trim his nails myself, as at least two of his toes are deformed, one sticks out straight, the other is severely bent, and one other looks a little off. I was told it was an injury from his cage, but I think it happened much younger, as a chick, as there's no real signs of trauma.

The first time I noticed his tumors was when I bathed him. This is a more recent picture, notice new feather growth around his neck/back that had been bald before!





At the time he had broken a new tail feather coming in, but it seems feathers that grow in that area often come in loose, as in not attached well. I carefully pulled out what was left and cleaned it up. He doesn't like me touching the area, though over time he's gotten more tolerant of it.


So, question is, has anyone had any experience dealing with these types of tumors? I plan to have him to the vet soon once I get my finances together. I'm assuming they will be drained, and have heard that controlling his diet will work in his favor for controlling and possibly shrinking them. I'm sure they're relatively uncomfortable, but he doesn't bother with them at all.

My other question is, anything I can do to help with his foot strength or will it just take time? He climbs fine, and is just starting to hold things (or attempt to) hold things with his feet. He more just pins them to where he's standing, though he'll reach for things and give me his foot willingly.


And just to finish off with a more happy, pleasant picture!

He's a very cute bird, he is definitely a well rescued bird for his conditions. It's a wonderful thing for you to do but he should be taken to a avian vet as soon as possible to examine the tumors. That I have not dealt with before so perhaps someone who have dealt with that tumor issue will chime in.

Back to the feet issue, I personally wouldn't let him crawl on anything until his feet are not raw and are fully healed. Then basically retrain him to get on a play stand to begin with, I probably would do a low ground play stand until he gets adjusted then I'll move him into a cage. Something I've done in the past is by keeping them in a aquarium tank at night when they sleep and bring them out during the day. Good Luck!!!

I can't give you any advice, but from what I can see you're doing a terrific job!

Thank you for rescuing him... *HUGS*

Wow, thanks for taking on such a task. Most people don't have the patience , that has to be hard on you to work on such an unfortunate birdie. I'm glad you two found each other, he sure needed you. The bumblefoot must be improving so your doing a good job there. The "tumor" worries me. It could be a fatty tumor (benign) but i've never seen one like that. Could it be a infected oil gland , just above the tail? Hope you can get him to a AV soon.

WOW! Sidney is most certainly VERY lucky to have found you! And please, never apologize for pictures. I think I can safely speak for all of us here: WE LOVE PICTURES.

I whole-heartedly agree with henpecked about the tumors. The quicker you can get to an avian vet, the better. He appears to have quite a few of those tumors, and some look pretty large to me. Have they changed in any way, shape or form since you've brought him home?

I'd be interested in hearing what the avian vet says!


An improved diet and weight loss surely would go a long way into getting him healthier!


The tumors will depend on the kind of tumor and whether or not they can be controlled with diet. I have a bourke parakeet that had a tumor grow on her right foot. I decided to put her through surgery in the hopes that it would help her. This happened last year when she was between the age of 14-16 years old. She should be 15-17, nearing 16-18 years old... Anyway, turns out the growth on her foot was cancerous, and we were unable to remove it all via laser surgery.


Photo prior to surgery



The night she came home after surgery... I honestly didn't think she'd make it!



And a couple photos about 8 months later? (and some of the growth returned)





I regret having to put her through surgery, and I honestly can't imagine having to do it again. A bourkes average lifespan, as per internet, is 11-15 years. The oldest I've heard about was 22... so she's a bit ancient!



Amazons are prone to vitamin A deficiency, which is apparently one of the causes of bumblefoot... so a high vitamin A diet with RPO may be beneficial. Heck, it may even help to rub the RPO on the feet! (I've read it's good moisterizer)

Birds and Bumblefoot | The Paw Blog


Considering diet and age, plus condition of the bird, I'd also be concerned about the kidney and liver values... so the sooner you can get him to an a-vet, the better to get his blood panels checked out! In this way, you can speak with the a-vet to get a good diet plan & supplements worked out for the zon!

I am glad I found him, he really is a sweetie and puts up well with me examining him and taking care of him.

His tumors haven't changed at all in the past few months that I can tell, and they're all hard, not soft or mobile at all, so my best guess is fatty tumors, since Amazons are prone to it. If I didn't just find out I needed like $5000 in dental work yesterday (at 23 years old no less, thanks dad!) I'd be taking him in December, so I just gotta plan this a little better, I do have a vet in the area that was recommended to me by an owner of an African grey, and an owner of several macaws.

He eats a mixture of Roudybush and Zupreem, his favorite being the Fruitblend, but I tried to get him to eat something else during the recall. I'm sure he had a vitamin deficiency prior, just by looking at the state of his feathers. For most of his life he only ate sunflower seeds, though I've never had a problem getting him to eat anything I give him.

He loves anything I eat, so it's not difficult to eat the right foods. He seems to like anything he sees my conure eating too, since he adores her.

I buy little containers of babyfood and give him that once in a while, as he prefers the puree to any chunks. He gets a bit of yogurt or hard cheese for some calcium too. Seeds he gets as a treat and during training, and I try to give him pumpkin seeds more than sunflower. He also gets some whole wheat pasta with homemade sauce. Most food items I buy are in mind for both myself, and my birds!

Oh! And he loves the cranberry sauce that I make. And I also have a full spectrum light for my birds.

Another question for the Amazon people, any idea what this behavior is? I call it his morning warmups, though he does it in the evening sometimes too, it's usually at 9am sharp.

I had hoped he'd start talking after this like he usually does, but he seems to get camera shy when it comes to talking.
VID_20121117_093837.mp4 video by psychoaquila - Photobucket

It looks to be sexual, noise is similar, does he do it every day?

henpecked said:

It looks to be sexual, noise is similar, does he do it every day?

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I totally agree. Sounds like someone's in the mood for some lovin'.

Do you know with certainty that he's a "he"? My Hunter makes almost identical noises when she's in the mood.

He does it everyday, and I was told by the people I got him from that he was male, but I haven't yet had him DNA tested, so I'm sure it's possible that he's really a she (at least the name is ambiguous!)

Sydney doesn't do anything other than that, that strikes me as being a sexual behavior, besides trying to feed my conure (who I've been told was female by the people I had gotten her from.)

Aquila- I just got back from taking my amazon to the vet for the first time since i owned her- due to finances as well.... (im 31 and a student). Your story of love and rescue brought tears to my eyes.In fact, I just registered on this site for the sole purpose of writing this communication...
I'd like to help you out with the vet bill. Out here in CA I paid $50 for an exam (bloodwork was another story). I dont have much but I can contribute $20 towards your bill when you go. I'm going to message you my contact info....

I just wanted to join everyone else in thanking you for taking in this angel. Not many people would be up to the task, as you have been. Having taken in birds with foot problems, myself, I'd like to add that shelves for birdcages are avaiable for birds who cannot perch properly. You are doing a wonderful thing, giving this bird a better life. Those photos brought tears to my eyes, but hope to my heart. Bless you!

Poor baby I hope you are able to get him to a vet soon, those tumors look ominous.

When I got Rosie she had very little grip in her feet as well and had to hold on to my shirt with her beak to keep herself from falling off. Once he no longer has sores on his feet try carefully letting him perch on your hand and angle your hand slowly up and down. This works the muscles in their feet and gets all their joints moving around.

I'm going to be calling the vet tomorrow and see how much a bird wellness exam is, I don't see it being too much, and I'd volunteer to clean cages or whatever I have to do to pay for the bill!

I appreciate everyone's kind words, Sydney's a very good bird and he deserves the best care.

Uploading a little video of him now, and I always joke with customers at work that that's my bird on the parrot biscuit bag, so I took a picture!

So I had bought a dog toy to drop off to a friend when I went down the shore today, and accidentally squeaked it when I was cutting off the packaging. Learned it drove Sydney insane, so I played with him with it for a little bit. Made him start babbling some new sounds when I squeaked it and got him all worked up, lol.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v213/psychoaquila/?action=view&current=Sydney2012-11-25002.mp4
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v213/psychoaquila/?action=view&current=Sydney2012-11-25002.mp4

At my avian vet a wellness exam was around $300 for the first visit(because of all the testing), after that the yearly check up is between $75 unless extensive testing needs to be done. You might be able to find it cheaper though, the bay area tends to up the price on everything.

The video didn't show for me. He's super pretty though, I love blue fronts!

Made it just a plain link, photobucket can be weird sometimes.

I'm being referred to the vet by another patient so maybe I can be cut a deal, especially if I explain the rescue situation. I have animal experience so whatever dirty work I have to do to pay it off or whatever, I will. Hell, I should ask for a job!

Sydney's got an appointment for Dec 11th, $70 for the basic exam, not including anything else, so let's see how much of a bill this runs me, ugh.

Aquila said:

Sydney's got an appointment for Dec 11th, $70 for the basic exam, not including anything else, so let's see how much of a bill this runs me, ugh.

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yay, keep us updated.

Also, I totally understand the money issue I'm a college student and when I got Rosie I had no job, now I have a part time job at petsmart which I love even if I don't get paid much. My mom actually paid for Rosie's first appointment, and now she's due for a second appointment to see how much she's improved in 6 months. I'm always fearful of them finding something terrible that will cost a lot, my parents would help me but they wouldn't be happy about it.

I'm not a student, but I might work for the same company, only I'm full time.