My budgie Leo has sore, red patches on both his feet, one worse than the other. They seem to hurt him sometimes as he will limp slightly. A thorough Google search only came up with two possibilities- "bumblefoot" or pressure sores, however I've seen some pictures of bumblefoot and it doesn't seem to look the same.

 

Here is a photo of his bad foot:

 

 

The other foot doesn't have the crusty yellow stuff, just a shiny red patch.

 

I've tried covering their perches with fabric and many other tips I've found but poor Leo isn't getting any better.

 

Any advice/opinions would be great

 

Do you have sand paper covered perched or on the bottom of his cage. Sand Paper is a bad idea as it can iratate the foot. I would mix up a tea spoon of baby oil and a drop or two of detol and wipe that on his feet. The baby oil will sooth it and the detol will stop any infection.

Yeah I've heard sandpaper is bad, I've never used it in their cage as I didn't like the thought of it on their poor feet!

 

Ah okay, I'll try that. I've just been putting a dab of petroleum jelly on his feet to try to moisturise them a little, but I didn't think of dettol for infection

 

Thank you!!!!

He may have been nipped by your hen.

I agree with Daz in treating it - you can also use betadine too

Edited January 10, 200916 yr by **Liv**

I never thought of that... I did once catch her nipping him on the foot (or trying to).

 

Thanks Liv

What kind of perches do you have? If they are all the same size, then yes he will get bumblefoot (aka pododermatitis). If you have plastic or dowel perches remove these and replace them with natural perches of varying sizes, so that they can exercise their feet and have different weight distribution. Gum and poplar tree branches are safe woods to use as perches. There should be a list of safe woods in the FAQ section.

 

Yep I just looked at your other post. Those perches need to be replaced with natural ones, or at least a greater variety needs to be used and added to what you already have..

Edited January 10, 200916 yr by Sailorwolf

I've often wondered whether I should change his perches as I have a mixture of dowel and natural ones, but I'll definitely be replacing the dowel ones now. I did have them wrapped in fabric but our hen just shreds it :sadsorry:

 

Thanks!!

Bear in mind that fabric can harbor germs / bacteria also and reinfect sores on the feet.

Great advice given ...

The perches will help with their feet and also help with boredom as they will shred the bark of them :cake:

I agree with all above, looks like it will get better to just do what Daz said

Hopefully the foot will get better soon.