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Urgent Weird feet

Ana Sofia

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Ana Sofia
Hello.
Hope you are all doing fine!

I believe I post something like this already but I would like to hear more your opinion about it since I keep not getting a clear answer.
Its about my macaw feet getting his skin open like this.

Some people say this is cause of him perching in a sand or rock perch and others cause he is changing of skin…

About the perch I really don’t get it since I don’t have any of those perches people mention. just white ropes and java perches.

I hope I can get more guidance since it keep concerning me seeing this cause besides it doesn’t look nice at all Im afraid it might get worse later if we don’t know what to do about it.

Hope I can hear from you
 

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Tara81

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I am no expert, maybe search Bumble foot? I know sand perches can cause it. Maybe some rope perches as well. Sand perches are not recommended for daily use, and maybe he is using his rope perch too much, causing irritation. I think the treatment for low grade bumblefoot is soft perches (vet wrapped perches make them soft), and maybe some coconut oil or something on the feet.

You can get a perch that has more round perching area, then some rough side area for the nails, after his foot heals. pumice.jpg
 
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Ana Sofia

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I am no expert, maybe search Bumble foot? I know sand perches can cause it. Maybe some rope perches as well. Sand perches are not recommended for daily use, and maybe he is using his rope perch too much, causing irritation. I think the treatment for low grade bumblefoot is soft perches (vet wrapped perches make them soft), and maybe some coconut oil or something on the feet.

You can get a perch that has more round perching area, then some rough side area for the nails, after his foot heals. View attachment 405142
than you for your answer.
But so far he has no lesion at all. is just the skin getting separated and thats what makes it more weird cause is hard to say I think why it happens… hr doesn’t seem to br bothered by it of anything but I don’t want it to become something that bothers him
 

Toy

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They look a little dry to me. I'd suggest placing him in the bathtub & run a little water so his feet are partly covered. Let him play/stand in it about 15-20 minutes. Then see if the dry area rubs off. My dogs feet get like this in winter. Another option is to rub his feet with aloe gel.
 

Tara81

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than you for your answer.
But so far he has no lesion at all. is just the skin getting separated and thats what makes it more weird cause is hard to say I think why it happens… hr doesn’t seem to br bothered by it of anything but I don’t want it to become something that bothers him
I thought they looked a little "lumpy" , which looked like bumble foot. But I don't own a macaw or know much about their feet ! Hope you figure it out soon! Toy has a macaw and says it is dryness, so hopefully that is the cause :)
 

Ana Sofia

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They look a little dry to me. I'd suggest placing him in the bathtub & run a little water so his feet are partly covered. Let him play/stand in it about 15-20 minutes. Then see if the dry area rubs off. My dogs feet get like this in winter. Another option is to rub his feet with aloe gel.
thanks for your answer! but is the open areas gonna close again or they are gonna stay like that on his feet? I hate also how it looks since it should not look like that
 

Toy

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thanks for your answer! but is the open areas gonna close again or they are gonna stay like that on his feet? I hate also how it looks since it should not look like that
Actually the bumpy thick areas of skin will come off. They shed skin like we do. Imagine if you had very dry climate & didn't shower for weeks. Your skin would be all dry & very flaky. A few good showers & your skin would be back to normal.

This is JaKhu's foot at age 14 months. The blue color on her foot is from a wood toy she had played with & dunked in her water dish. They have some bumpy skin, but what is on your birds foot is dead skin that needs to shed. Once the dead skin comes off his feet should return to normal. All the groves are like our fingers, knuckles. So I suggest you get him in water a few times a week & let those feet get a good soaking. If possible rub his feet good with a towel after a bath to help remove the dead skin. It may come off like little balls. During cold winter months apply aloe gel between baths to keep his feet moist. IMG_8385.JPG
 

Ana Sofia

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omg thats a very big relief to know this info! thank you incredibly much! I didn’t expect it looked this bad when they change skin I was very afraid I was doing something wrong because I would keep repeating all what I always do to figure out if there was something causing him this… but if you say is dry skin that should fall off then I hope it goes fast! he is just 7 months old though so also didnt expect it even with more reason at this age hah but Im so happy to hear this!

Your beautiful macaw don’t look like he had it this bad so truly hope it falls off soon and will definitely going to do that! thanks a lot! ♥ do you ahve instagram or something? in case I might have another question with this term related or such? I appreciate the tome you took to answer my concerns
 

Toy

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omg thats a very big relief to know this info! thank you incredibly much! I didn’t expect it looked this bad when they change skin I was very afraid I was doing something wrong because I would keep repeating all what I always do to figure out if there was something causing him this… but if you say is dry skin that should fall off then I hope it goes fast! he is just 7 months old though so also didnt expect it even with more reason at this age hah but Im so happy to hear this!

Your beautiful macaw don’t look like he had it this bad so truly hope it falls off soon and will definitely going to do that! thanks a lot! ♥ do you ahve instagram or something? in case I might have another question with this term related or such? I appreciate the tome you took to answer my concerns
I don't do social media sites only forums like this one. So any questions just ask here, as there are many members who are willing to help.
 

Macawnutz

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I'm concerned with your picture and this comment.

Actually the bumpy thick areas of skin will come off. They shed skin like we do. Imagine if you had very dry climate & didn't shower for weeks. Your skin would be all dry & very flaky. A few good showers & your skin would be back to normal.
I have 7 large macaws and have never seen the skin appear that way. If those bumpy parts fall off you will have an open wound. This thread reads like parrots shed skin like reptiles and they don't. ???

They do not look dry to me. If anything they look like they are water logged at the toes. Almost as if the bird was standing on the water bowl with just the tips dunked in.

None of the forum members, myself included are vets. This one might be something to have your vet look at as it's unnatural to me. I don't know everything but almost 30 years with a large flock of macaws....... I I've seen a lot and never seen that.
 

Toy

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I never said they shed like a reptile. I said they shed skin like we do. Our skin can get dry & flaky. My U2's toes & my dogs toes often get like this in winter. After a good soaking the bumpy parts come off & there is no raw skin.
 

Ana Sofia

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I'm concerned with your picture and this comment.



I have 7 large macaws and have never seen the skin appear that way. If those bumpy parts fall off you will have an open wound. This thread reads like parrots shed skin like reptiles and they don't. ???

They do not look dry to me. If anything they look like they are water logged at the toes. Almost as if the bird was standing on the water bowl with just the tips dunked in.

None of the forum members, myself included are vets. This one might be something to have your vet look at as it's unnatural to me. I don't know everything but almost 30 years with a large flock of macaws....... I I've seen a lot and never seen that.
Hello. I took him already to an abian vet and they didn’t saw like if it was a infection related or to anything serious… thats why my doubt is still there cause I also thought the same that I never saw this before but if even the avian vet says is not a big deal idk… at the end my doubt still there since they didn’t really answered my question and the other avian vets around are not really available like this other one which are incredibly hard to reach…
 

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Although the skin on your baby's toes looks unusual. There is nothing about them that alarms me. There is no redness, no sign of irritation, no indication of cracks through to the flesh, no suppuration. The pattern of the skin is similar to other macaws I've seen, only with the bumps more prominent.

The macaw feet that I'm familiar with have almost smooth areas where they have been worn down and other areas where the bumps are more prominent and not worn down.

I would certainly consult my vet again if I wasn't happy with his first answer.
 

Milo

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This looks like some hyperkeratotic lesions. Meaning areas where the skin on the foot has overgrown for one reason or another. If he hasn't seen a vet already I do think that he should be evaluated and see what they think. They may recommend some viral testing (macaws are prone to a couple viral diseases that should be ruled out) or to simply just monitor it at home to make sure no deeper cracks appear or that these areas don't spread. I don't think the lesions are normal and it's not something we expect to see on healthy bird feet but at the same time it's not something that looks overtly life threatening so I don't want you to lose sleep over it

This isn't pododermatitis (bumblefoot) as we expect to see it clinically and I would be cautious about soaking his foot or adding aloe, bag balm, etc without talking to a veterinarian first.
 

Shezbug

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@Ana Sofia can we see the rest of your bird?
We’ve only seen the bottoms of your baby’s feet, I’d love to see the rest of your little one :)
 

Ana Sofia

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This looks like some hyperkeratotic lesions. Meaning areas where the skin on the foot has overgrown for one reason or another. If he hasn't seen a vet already I do think that he should be evaluated and see what they think. They may recommend some viral testing (macaws are prone to a couple viral diseases that should be ruled out) or to simply just monitor it at home to make sure no deeper cracks appear or that these areas don't spread. I don't think the lesions are normal and it's not something we expect to see on healthy bird feet but at the same time it's not something that looks overtly life threatening so I don't want you to lose sleep over it

This isn't pododermatitis (bumblefoot) as we expect to see it clinically and I would be cautious about soaking his foot or adding aloe, bag balm, etc without talking to a veterinarian first.
Hello, thank you for your answer,

I already took him to the vet and when they saw that they didn’t really put too much attention into it since they said is nothing to “health related “ or such (that was said by an avian vet).

We also tested him already a few months ago and everything was negative.

Thats why I truly don’t get it since indeed, a healthy macaw feet shouldnt look like this and he is just 7 months old… he doesn’t have any bad perch (just java perches and a sisal rope) So I really don’t get it.

He also gets a variety diet (fresh veggies, pellets, a bit of fruit and mix seeds) So I really don’t get it specially since I didn’t saw the avian vet reacting concerned about it…
 

Ana Sofia

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This looks like some hyperkeratotic lesions. Meaning areas where the skin on the foot has overgrown for one reason or another. If he hasn't seen a vet already I do think that he should be evaluated and see what they think. They may recommend some viral testing (macaws are prone to a couple viral diseases that should be ruled out) or to simply just monitor it at home to make sure no deeper cracks appear or that these areas don't spread. I don't think the lesions are normal and it's not something we expect to see on healthy bird feet but at the same time it's not something that looks overtly life threatening so I don't want you to lose sleep over it

This isn't pododermatitis (bumblefoot) as we expect to see it clinically and I would be cautious about soaking his foot or adding aloe, bag balm, etc without talking to a veterinarian first.
Although, if that would be it.. what woube the reason for it to happen?
 
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