I have again been elected to the Board of Directors for the Durham Avicultural Society and am proud to say I am the editor of the monthly bulletin.

I will have regular monthly articles as well as I am looking for additional articles to keep the bulletin full of new information.

If you have any articles or a topic you would like covered, please feel free to email me at nancy@parrotadoptontario.com and we will try our best to include it.

Nancy

We see many parrots arrive at the rescue with feet in poor condition. Some worse that others. However most of it is preventable.

Arthitis in the Feet

Cause - bird sits on same perch day in and day out with little or no movement making walking painful and perching difficult. This makes gripping difficult and painful.

Spiraled/Sharp Nails

Cause - Lack of grooming makes walking and perching difficult. Nails can also grow in a manner that they grow into another part of the foot cause great discomfort for the bird. Spiralled nails forces the bird to have to wrap the spiral around the perch before they can grip it. The nails can get caught in the carpeting and in some instances break off and bleed.

Sharp nails can be painful for both the parrots and ourselves as they love to sit on our arms. Sharp nails also tend to get caught in things. By regular filing of the nails we help prevent overgrowth as well as remove the pain associated with sharp nails.


Sores and Callus

Cause - lack of various perching materials and little or no movement from the bird in or outside of the cage.

Splayed Leg

Cause - not enough bedding materials in the nest box.

PREVENTION

Most of these can be prevented by taking some very simple steps. Even those with these conditions already will benefit from the use of the following and most times a reversal in the symptoms can occur.

Grooming

Regular grooming of the nails can help prevent spiraled nails and will bring attention to any other issues that may have taken place. Nails should be groomed at least once every six months. The foot should also be inspected for callus, sores or any irregularities.

Perches

Perches of various sizes and shapes will help your parrot exercise his feet as the movement from different size perches will help him grip better and keep the feet limber. Small as well as large perches should be offered as the parrot will be excercising his feet by moving from one perch to the other.

Perches of various materials will also help with the parrots grip and will help prevent callusing from forming as well as sores developing. The variety of perches helps them from getting too much wear on their feet from one perch type, Cement, sand or calcium perches help to also keep the nails dull making holding the bird less painful from the sharp claws. Rope perches are soft on the feet and are good for birds having a hard time gripping to other smoother materials.

Washing

Birds feet should be cleaned regularly as it is easy for them to step in feces within their own cages. The feces tends to stick to the feet which can result in infection.

Foot Toys

Toys that the parrot can hold in his foot should also be offered. These will give him hours of enjoyment as well as excerise by holding and playing with the items offered.

Splay Leg

Although we do not breed we have recieved birds at the rescue with splayed legs. It's quite upsetting to see a bird that can not use it's legs due to something so preventable. When the babies are first born we need to ensure that there is enough bedding in the cage so that the babies can place their legs down straight. If splay does develop the two legs can be tied together for a few days which can solve the problem. It would be well worth the time to investigate splay leg and cures on the internet as it is quite preventable with the birds are young but results in expensive surgeries as the birds age.