Bumble Foot-Best Perch?

[PEM]

My Amazon is 33 years old and I have been told that she is starting to get bumble foot. I am now going to try to put more perches in her cage, but she is only used to using one. I haven't had her, her whole life and I was not very familiar with parrots when I adopted her and had to figure out things as I went along. Is there a soft natural wood that is proven to be the best perch for a parrots feet. I have heard suggestions from parrot owners as to the best perches for her feet, so I have looked at Manzanita, Grapewood, Ribbonwood, Dragonwood, flat perches, rope perches.....and I am very confused! Can anyone help me choose a good selection of perches that will help her little feet?
Thank you!
PEM

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

I have a 28 year old OWA and I have Manzanita, Dragonwood and some rope perches of various sizes in her cage.

She has 1 spot in her cage she prefers no matter what kind of perch is there so I change the perch out every week for a different one when I do the deep clean of the whole cage.

I also move her toys around, the only things that stay in the same places are the food and water dishes (my cage has doors for them and I can't move the doors)

 

[Birdman666]

What Amanda said. Give him a variety of perches.

Stay away from concrete and dowel perches.

And increase chew/preening toys. Give him something to do other than pick at the sores on his feet.

 

[PEM]

Thank you Amanda. I appreciate your feedback. I feel bad that I have not given my parrot more than one perch. I'm surprised that she still has feet! I was wondering if you have heard anything about Eucalyptus perches? A parrot store worker told me that it would be softer on her feet. Also, if she doesn't like something new in her cage, she will just hang onto the sides for a very long time and not touch the new thing. She is very stubborn! I love her very much and I want her to be comfortable.

 

[Mekaisto]

Giving her nice thick perches rather than small thinner ones is always good, also a good trick to use on a fussy parrot is rather than putting a whole new perch in, just rotate the one she already has about 90 degrees every week or so. If it's made of a natural wood, the change in shape and texture should be quite different along the surface of the wood.

You should replace the perch eventually, maybe put a new perch in her cage somewhere where she won't sit on it, giving her time to get used to its appearance, and then swap it over with the one she uses.

If she will let you, rubbing hemorrhoid cream on her feet will also help get rid of any soft patches (it won't work if she already has thick sores on her feet).

 

[PEM]

I appreciate your advice Mekaisto. It is nice to get a variety of answers about parrot issues! She has always had red marks on the bottoms of her feet and they never get any bigger or any worse. Do you think that this is bumble foot for sure? I have been putting Neosporin on the bottoms of her feet twice daily for the last week, just in case, but I worry about putting anything on her feet because they double as hands that can go into her mouth. I'm assuming that the hemorrhoid cream doesn't make your parrots sick? Thank you again for all of your answers.

 

[MrsKay]

Hello PEM, I use eucalyptus branches for some of my perches. It is a hard wood so I'm not sure what was meant by it being 'softer' for the feet. It is not soft wood. Maybe they meant 'smooth'? Ribbonwood is smooth and I use some of that as well.
I'm not sure about the neosporin being swallowed (neosporin is not for hemorrhoids, but I can't imagine it being ok for anyone to swallow so be careful with that.
I wish you and your amazon the best

 

[weco]

Neosporin is available in a cream that does not have the petroleum base, that you can completely rub into the foot.....

 

[Allee]

Romi's sounds like a real sweetheart. I variety of perches and cream for her feet should make her a lot more comfortable. I hope her feet get better very soon.

 

[PEM]

Thank you Allee! She is a very good bird for what she had been through, before I adopted her. She lived in a Sound Editing Place in Burbank that I used to work at. She lived in the client lobby. And although she got to meet celebrities and do wing noises on the sound stage...she was left alone all the time in a small wire cage, was eating bad people food and was overweight and her water and food was changed only once a day. No fruits or vegetables, (I still have a hard time getting her to eat those) and the owner of the parrot and Sound place, treated her like a decoration for the lobby, instead of a living being and was mean to her. I took care of her when I worked there and got the boss to give her to me when I left. I knew nothing about parrots, but I learned fast! I love her very much. I call her my outside heart. Sorry so corny! I appreciate parrot owners and the work that they do to keep their parrots happy and healthy. It is a lot, but worth it!

 

[Allee]

Not corny at all, PEM. Romi was very fortunate to meet you. Thank you for taking her out of her sad circumstances and giving her a chance to be safe and happy.

I have a couple of birds who had never been fed fresh produce, sometimes it takes months with the older birds. Keep serving it different ways, chopped, diced, stirred, blended, add some of the food she likes to it, and hope she eventually tries a bite. I tricked both my birds by stuffing their birdie bread with the veggies I wanted them to have. I added their fruit to cooked cereal. All birds are different, but most will accept a healthier diet if you persist. Thank you for sharing Romi's story. I'm looking forward to hearing how well she does in her new home.

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

Birdie bread is an GREAT way to get them to eat more healthy fruits and veggies. They seem to like ANYTHING baked, so why not stuff it with the good stuff and let them have it? Zilla loves it and is happy enough with it she doesn't even beg for my pizza crust or toast if I give her a piece of her birdie bread!