Green Cheek's Feet Very Dry/Cracking! Painful!

[EllenD]

So today was birdy maintanence day 😲...
I dread this day, baths for the cockatiel who refuses to take one on her own, all of them get their toenails clipped, and then they get a general checkover by me, just to make sure I don't see anything odd or out of place, like a growth, a cut or a sore, anything bothering them, poo on vents, stuffy nares, eye/ear problems, you get the idea. I do this once a month on all of them including my 7 pet budgies (who are actually really good because I bred and hand-raised them and they all started this very young) and my 10 breeder budgies that I don't breed anymore and live in a huge indoor aviary (nightmare, absolute nightmare, they are not very tame, UHG). I have found little things before and gotten them to their avian vet early for whatever it was, most seriously an upper respiratory infection I didn't know about in my Quaker until I looked in his nares carefully. So it's a good thing. Today I found something on my green cheek that is alarming, and I have no experience with this so I need some advice.

My yellow-sided green cheek is a male and is a little over a year old. He's never had any health problems at all, always good vet checks and test results, he's a great eater and eats anything I give him, he's so easy! He eats his pellets no problems, any veggies, whole grains, fruits, you name it. Today I clipped his nails which were pretty long, and he's very good about it, I don't have to towel him or anything, he just stands on my finger and I grab his feet. Well I immediately noticed that both his feet are extremely dry and scaly looking, and I've never noticed this before. I'm assuming it's the dry, cold, winter air (my skin is dry and cracks too). His feet look really bad though, and I was going to put some coconut oil on them when I was done with his nails. Well when I was done he started holding his right foot up like it hurt him. I didn't clip any nails too close, no bleeding or anything, no squawking or anything. So I grabbed his right foot and looked it all over, and he has a toe that is very red in the end area below his nail, very dry, and has big scales. Well there's a scale missing in the area that is generally red. I don't know if the scale flaked off, whether he pulled it off, or my Quaker chewed it off (they're very bonded and preen each other, he's screaming at me right now because I'm taking pics of the green cheek, lol).

I took pics of the red toe and the missing chunk of dry skin or the "scale". My question is what should I put on that area, and what should I put on his feet in general? The organic, unrefined, extra virgin coconut oil I use on their feet works very well, I think I need to use it more often in the winter though. That being said, I don't know if I should put it on the toe that is red and actually a bit swollen, and missing the chunk of skin... Obviously I'm worrying about infection...I'm thinking I'll clean that toe with Hibiclens and then put antibiotic cream with benzocaine in it on the area (should make him more comfortable, he's still holding it up, and when I touch all over the foot he does nothing until I touch the raw area and then he squawks).

Just looking for opinions and to see if anyone else has had this problem. Obviously if it's not better by tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest we're going right to their avian vet, he may need antibiotics. There's no red streaking or discharge at all, just general redness and some swelling. Photos below.

Also, I have seen large parrots with severely dry feet go through this (I have a friend who grew up with a Moluccan Cockatoo and his feet were terribly dry, they used prescription cream but the poor bird pretty much ate his feet raw because of the dryness and itching, and he got a severe infection. I don't want that to happen), and I've seen some large parrots chew their feet apart, so I'm going to watch Bowie's every move in the next few days to make sure he isn't doing this to himself, he doesn't pluck or anything and as I said has no health problems at all.

Thanks to anyone that can advise...

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[GaleriaGila]

You're vigilant!
I can't really see any problem, but then, I'm somewhat blind!
Hopefully somebody else will have an idea... maybe moisturize a bit and just keep a close wastch????

 

[EllenD]

You're vigilant!
I can't really see any problem, but then, I'm somewhat blind!
Hopefully somebody else will have an idea... maybe moisturize a bit and just keep a close wastch????

I don't know, I don't see much either but a really small red spot, but we are definitely off to the vet...😧 Something is definitely wrong, now he won't walk on it or even stand on it, and the Quaker is very worried 😱.

Wish us luck, all this from a routine nail clip with no bleeding or issues at all. UHG.

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[Dinosrawr]

Avian feet are naturally dry and scaly, so don't be too alarmed. There's obviously no harm in keeping them conditioned and soft, and if you can continue to do it that's great. Parrots preen their feet as well, and because the skin is covered in scales it's expected that some of them will shed over time and appear to come off. Personally I think your conure's feet look exceptionally healthy and don't appear overly dry at all. If you notice him constantly preening his feet in discomfort I would be worried, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Plus with having a YSSGC who has naturally pink feet, you're more likely to see pink colourations on the top of the foot. It's more of an issue if you notice the bottom of the food is red, swollen, and they have difficulty extending or gripping their feet. As long as you continue to use varied surfaces, perch sizes, and they don't sit on the same surface too often for too long, they shouldn't encounter bumble foot.

 

[EllenD]

Thanks for the reply...I don't know why his feet look so dry to me in comparison to what they typically look like, I put more coconut oil on them, and he definitely ripped a couple of chunks of dead skin off. But his foot is really hurting him, nothing to do with the skin, but rather his toenail clip. We went to the vet today and he got his yearly checkup early. He checked out fine, apparently when I clipped his nails yesterday (I have clipped my bird's nails for 20+ years) I must have clipped a little to close, even though it didn't bleed. So we got Metacam and he's sleeping now. We'll see, he's just not himself, and I worry too much about them anyway, as always, lol.

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[Allee]

Those two are adorable together, such a sweet friendship. I'm glad the vet visit went well and glad you listened to your instincts, when you know your pets well, that little voice that tells you something is wrong is worth listening to.