Budgie with huge calcified growths on feet

[Itsjaijames]

Hi everyone, a friend of a friend that lives in India has a bunch of parakeets they keep in a cage outside. They sent me these pictures of one of their parakeets with these huge calcified-looking growths on their feet and I?ve searched the Internet for what it could be but I can?t find anything. Can anyone help? My first thought as a temporary treatment would be Epsom salt and a warm bath for the feet but please let me know if this should be discouraged.

 

[Scott]

I have never seen anything like that! First instinct is emergency visit with avian vet, though that is not likely possible. Hopefully members will have better understanding and recommend homeopathic treatments. Might it be possible to have "telehealth" vet appointment for potential diagnosis?

 

[Itsjaijames]

Hey Scott, so after some brainstorming with another mutual friend, we think it may be deposits from the calcium shell of the egg that got unto his feet. I'm thinking that if they can use an epsom salt bath daily, or a warm bath daily, the material might eventually come off, gently.

Yeah I can ask about a nearby vet but chances of that/them going may be slim. The bird is not in any visible pain although that isn't that comforting.

 

[Kitekeeper]

Hi james,

I have seen this before in budgies. In my case it was just solid feces that glued on their fingers. It was just a matter to wet the feet in warm water and gently try to remove the solid feces.

The bird in the picture is a youngster, barely one month old and it is exactly on that situation that things happened like this to me. At that point they are just "swimming" in their parents and siblings feces for a month, eventually their fingers get caught in some fresh soft feces that come to solidify around their fingers.

Please let us posted of the outcome.

 

[Itsjaijames]

Hi james,

I have seen this before in budgies. In my case it was just solid feces that glued on their fingers. It was just a matter to wet the feet in warm water and gently try to remove the solid feces.

The bird in the picture is a youngster, barely one month old and it is exactly on that situation that things happened like this to me. At that point they are just "swimming" in their parents and siblings feces for a month, eventually their fingers get caught in some fresh soft feces that come to solidify around their fingers.

Please let us posted of the outcome.

Wonderful! I'll let them know and update this thread, thank you!

 

[Scott]

Thanks for sharing Kitekeeper! Hopefully problem has fairly easy solution!

 

[noodles123]

If this is calcification, that concerns me too...what kind of perches do you have in there?

 

[Noahs_Birds]

I would say definitely just poo thats gone solid on the toes by the looks of the pictures. I have seen it in budgies before, and also it is very common with Fig Parrots. Make sure the owner is putting in an absorbent nesting material in the boxes to prevent further outcomes

 

[Kitekeeper]

Hi James,

Any news regarding the young budgie?

I would like to add another point, that might be a heads up for your fellow budgie breeder.

When I have got a batch of baby budgies with solid feces in their feet, 6 months later they (and some others) developed a scale leg mite infestation. It is something easily treated if caught in the begining but I would say your friend is encouraged to treat them preventively.

Some sources say the scale leg mites are caught in the nest, which might have been the case with my birds.

Source: "It is thought that in many instances, these mites are acquired in the nest, with the infection remaining latent for a long period of time. Early signs of this disease may be seen after six to twelve months."

https://www.beautyofbirds.com/scalylegs.html

 

[Tanua]

I would say definitely just poo thats gone solid on the toes by the looks of the pictures. I have seen it in budgies before, and also it is very common with Fig Parrots. Make sure the owner is putting in an absorbent nesting material in the boxes to prevent further outcomes

I got birds from a lady and had the same on my baby’s beak and feet. It was horrible. Wash it off gently. May take some time.