Happy feet start with the right sized shoes. Happy parrot feet start with the right sized perches.
We all know our own shoe size. Wearing the right sized shoe keeps our feet healthy. No blisters. No rubbing. Arch support when we’re on our feet all day. A comfortable material to protect our feet, skin, and callouses. We wash our feet. Keeping our feet clean is mandatory. We trim our nails, use lotions and potions, and keep an eye on our feet. Because our feet support every choice we want to make. Podiatrists lead us down the path to foot care and health. Foot care isn’t hard. It starts with wearing the right shoes in the right size.
The same is true for our parrots. The wrong size perch is the same as the wrong size shoes. The wrong material, the wrong size, and no variation inside the correct size all add up to pododermatitis, the dreaded bumble foot for parrots. Funny name for a not so entertaining foot illness.
The right and wrong parrot perches for healthy parrot feet.
- Abrasive perches that help groom a bird’s nails should be positioned where your parrot spends only a marginal amount of time. The occasional spot near a treat bowl, or toy. Fully gritted grooming perches should not be in a primary perching or napping location.
- Clean perches beat bumble foot. Standing on unclean food encrusted perches can lead to infection of a mild foot abrasion. Hibiclens is my go to perch sanitizer. As with all disinfectants rinse off well and make sure the perch is completely dry before repositioning in the cage.
- Contact irritants like nicotine-contaminated fingers, hairspray, or other aerosols chemicals can find their way onto perches. Make cleaning perches ritual.
- Hard, uneven, or rough floor or cages. Personally, I lay towels at the bottom of all our cages. Walk abouts on grating is hard on talons of fury, and covering a grate with a towel means the towel can be removed and sanitized in the wash. Fresh towels, fresh feet for our walk-abouters.
- What’s your parrot’s shoe size? Too small or too large diameter perches are the beginning of troubles. Natural wood and rope perches in the right size delivers the right support to your parrot’s natural stance and relaxed foot shape. The right sized shoe!
A bird’s feet should wrap 2/3 to 3/4 around the perch.
- Offer different lengths, paths, and material perches for healthy foot exercise. We all know our walking shoes feel different than our slippers that feel different than our dress shoes, that feel different than our house shoes. But all the shoes are the same size. Natural Wood Cotton Rope Grooming Small Parrot Perch Set Java Tree Stand
- For extra comfort, cleanliness, and safety you can wrap perches in vet wrap. Keep their feet clean by keeping their cage, surfaces, and perches clean. Bumble has a hard time finding a footing in a clean parrot cage.
A quick list of the general other causes of foot problems.
- Poor weight range. Extra weight puts extra pressure on the bottom of your bird’s feet.
- Damp perches.
- Vitamin A deficiency — poor diet
- Overgrown talons of fury leading to poor footing.
- Accumulated feces on perches and at the bottom of the cage.
- Lack of activity.
- Previous leg or foot injury.
- Fighting with other birds in the cage. Fighting leads to scrambling which leads to injuries and bullied positions of perching.
- Leg or conformation abnormality.
Parrot foot health starts with the right sized perch. If you find your bird’s feet are showing signs of soft area, pink or raised spots, redness, swelling, or bleeding take your bird to their doctor for a checkup, and meds for pain and infection. Then use these ideas to eliminate problems and improve their foot health.
