Concerned about my conures left foot (please help)

[Kiwibon]

Hi! I'm new here because I wanted to look for help... I adopted a 12yr old Green cheek conure called Sammy April 2014. She's sweet and quite quiet.

I've attached an image of her left foot. The other foot is normal and pink.

But this foot has a couple of red marks...

• Her behaviour is normal
• Her feet are cool
• She's eating normally
• Her nose and eyes are free from mucus
• She responds normally
• Shes not sluggish and tired
• She waggles her tail and preens
• Her poops have always been watery but with green sausages

The only other thing I can say is that shes a little wobbly on the red foot, it's the one she stands on. The foot that's normal is the one she eats and raises when she's resting.

Does anybody know what this means and can suggest what to do if it's a problem? Please and thank you!!

 

[ToMang07]

What kind of perch(es) are in her cage?

 

[Kiwibon]

What kind of perch(es) are in her cage?

Hello thanks for the reply! She mainly has rope perches inside and also a tree branch about half the width. She sleeps on the rope perch, but she prefers to sit on top of the cage during the day. So she spends most of her time sat on the metal on the top on that red foot... could that be the problem?

 

[plumsmum2005]

Hi as per the previous reply from ToMang07 you need to look for sources of irritation. Has one of the perches gotten rough bits on and/or needs replacing etc? Is there any rough metalwork in her cage? Obviously should this look not to be getting better or your bird is more uncomfortable with it then please contact an Avian Vet in your area.

PS hi and welcome to the forum.

 

[Kiwibon]

Hi as per the previous reply from ToMang07 you need to look for sources of irritation. Has one of the perches gotten rough bits on and/or needs replacing etc? Is there any rough metalwork in her cage? Obviously should this look not to be getting better or your bird is more uncomfortable with it then please contact an Avian Vet in your area.

PS hi and welcome to the forum.

Thank you!!! So do you think it looks like it's sore from standing on something rough and not some sort of infection/disease? I lightly pressed her feet to see if she would respond negatively but she didn't, so I'm not sure if it's in pain.

She sits on smooth metal most of the time, but her rope perch she sleeps on is a little chewed, could that be whats doing it maybe?

 

[plumsmum2005]

Hi I am sorry that I am not an AV, please work through my previous suggestions and keep a close eye on it without freaking her lol. Any cause for concern then take her or if you don't mind the cost and just want it checked go anyway. Lightly rub your hand all round her cage, feeders, perches to feel for unusual bits etc.

 

[Allee]

Welcome to the forums! I'm glad you found us and hope you decide to stay long after Sammy's foot is healed.

I would remove the rope perch for a few days, most birds love them but they can cause pressure sores. Parrots will choose a favorite spot to perch and put most of their weight on the dominant foot, it's not that the perch is a bad choice, it's just from standing in one place too long and too often. I would also provide a natural perch on the top of Sammy's cage and make sure he's using the perch rather than the cage itself. You should see an improvement in just a couple of days, if the sore persists then you may need to consult an AV. I would check the spot often and make sure it stays clean. Moving all the perches around, especially the favorites will probably do the trick. I hope Sammy has happy feet again soon.

 

[rosembers]

Does she have any sand perches of any kind? Those can be known to cause irritation, sores and infection in bird feet. Definitely looks like something rough that is rubbing/damaging her poor foot! Or could be a rough spot on her cage or a toy as others have mentioned.

 

[Anansi]

In addition to looking for the rough spots and such that others have mentioned, I'd like to second what Allee has said about the rope perches. That particular scenario has been born out in a number of recent threads. I was surprised to see how many birds developed sore spots on the pads of their feet due to cotton rope perches.

I still like them, but I'd definitely put those perches in areas not likely to be the mist commonly used.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Thanks to you Anansi and Allee this is new to me and something to remember.

 

[MonicaMc]

I recall one owner who had problems with their macaws getting sores on their feet, so he switched to all rope perches and that solved the issue.

Another owner, I think of an amazon(?), had to switch to all wood perches to solve the issue.


You could also look into covering any hard surfaces with another material... i.e. rope or vet wrap or? Maybe placing other perches that are higher to make them more desirable to sit on?

 

[Christinenc2000]

In addition to looking for the rough spots and such that others have mentioned, I'd like to second what Allee has said about the rope perches. That particular scenario has been born out in a number of recent threads. I was surprised to see how many birds developed sore spots on the pads of their feet due to cotton rope perches.

I still like them, but I'd definitely put those perches in areas not likely to be the mist commonly used.

BB 's foot was pink on the bottom. I can't find the thread here but I moved around all perches. He has no rope perch .

I also rubbed a little Alo on the spot to help heal it some .

 

[JerseyWendy]

Oh those dreadful but much desired rope perches! :54: My hen nape has NONE because she developed sore spots. My male DYH has one orbiter rope thingy, on which he dangles and swings around a LOT. But since he has many natural perches of varying diameters in his cage as well, he's never had any foot issues (knock on wood)

Then there's my Niko, the B&G macaw. Even though he has an assortment of different natural hardwood perches, he just LOOVES his rope perch to sleep on. And sure enough, he develops sores. So then I have to remove it, replace it with a thick natural branch for a few days, and Niko will give me the look "Talk to the hand!" No kidding, that's exactly the look I get.