# Red area on budgie feet



## FurryBadgers (May 9, 2018)

Hi everyone,
One of our budgies (picture above) has a red area on both feet, and has had them for years now. We took him to the vet a couple of months ago and they said that his feet weren't too bad and that if they ever became sore then to put some Savlon on them. I've also followed other advice: all of the perches except for the food bowls and the plastic roundabout in the background (which he never uses) are all natural branches of different sizes. I've also made sure that he can't stand on top of the cuttle bone (I noticed he was doing that and it was quite sharp up top).

He's using his feet without any issues - standing/flying/running around just fine. No sign of discomfort at all. It's been a couple of months since I replaced the perches however, and there doesn't seem to be any noticeable improvement. We have another budgie in the same cage who does not have this problem and his feet are perfectly fine.

Does anybody have any suggestions? Is this something I just need to monitor and is 'fine' ? It's worth mentioning that there is no sign of bleeding or swelling.

Thanks!


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Since the vet has checked it and it is not causing any discomfort I would keep a close eye on it to make sure it does not become inflamed. Could it be a callused area on each foot?


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Was the vet an Avian Vet? 
I ask because sometimes "regular" vets aren't as well-versed in the care of small birds.*


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## FurryBadgers (May 9, 2018)

Yes it was an avian vet 

Interesting comment about the calluses: the red area doesn’t look like a sore (which is what I initially thought).


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

One of my birds has a small point on the underside of a rear toe that looks like a tiny raised spot, he has a lot of medical issues and goes to the vet every other week and I have the vet check it every time, it is not bumblefoot and it does not change and is not painful in any way so we don't do anything.


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## alba (Nov 15, 2014)

My boy recently started getting sore spots from the overuse of one of his feet. I temporarily put moleskin on most of his perches and the redness has decreased significantly. 

I buy this long roll of moleskin from amazon that is sticky on one end, so its easy to wrap it around a perch and then change when necessary. 

Of course my bird was at first hesitant to sit on the moleskin (like most budgies, he is not a fan of change), so I moleskin-ed many of his favorite spots and he quickly got over his fear of it. 

Might be worth seeing if your little buddy gets some relief from a soft spot to sit on. 

I also place a soft dish rag on top of the cage with avicakes and millet, and my boy likes to hang out on it and munch his snacks. I figure that also helps the little feets.


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## FurryBadgers (May 9, 2018)

Thanks for the replies everyone!

I bought some vet wrap and have put it on their favourite perches (and the plastic roundabout).

I think I've had a bit of a 'breakthrough' last night. I noticed that my other budgie had a similar 'injury' on one of his feet as well. I found this strange considering the cage setup. So I remembered something: they like to occasionally congregate on the plastic food bowls. Each bowl has a hard plastic rim, and on closer inspection there is a small 'seam' poking out around the rim. I'm thinking that when they lean in to eat the food they are rubbing their feet in that area on the rim.

I've put in a small 'riser' on the inside of the bowl so they don't have to lean, and will be looking for a decent food bowl replacement (preferably much shallower)


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

FurryBadgers said:


> Thanks for the replies everyone!
> 
> I bought some vet wrap and have put it on their favourite perches (and the plastic roundabout).
> 
> ...


If you want to continue to use that bowl try rubbing the seam with sandpaper to smooth it down.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*I use stainless steel "coop cups" for my birds. 
You might want to consider trying those.
They have very smooth rounded edges.

https://www.chewy.com/ethical-pet-stainless-steel-coop-cup/dp/56316*


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## FurryBadgers (May 9, 2018)

Superb, thanks!

I think rather than sanding it down I will replace the bowls with stainless steel ones.

I just hope that's it - I can't thinking of anything else that would cause it :\


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Please let us know how the new food/water dishes work out for you. 
Best wishes!*


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## FurryBadgers (May 9, 2018)

Hello,

A quick 24/48 hour update:

I put the new stainless steel ones in, but actually they were a bit fiddly with the cage setup. Instead, I sanded down the seam so now it no longer exists on the plastic bowls and have put them back in. I'm still using the stainless steel ones, but for impromptu baths etc. 

Interestingly enough, this budgie used to make these 'noises' when eating (we associated them with random budgieness). However, since changing bowls/sanding them down he's stopped it completely. I now reckon he was making an 'ow' noise when he leaned over on the bowl 

Will keep everyone updated


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

FurryBadgers said:


> Hello,
> 
> A quick 24/48 hour update:
> 
> ...


Hopefully the problem is solved now. :2thumbs: It was pretty coincidental that both birds had the same problem on their feet in the same spots.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Glad to hear the problem seems to be solved for now. Please update us in this thread in a few days.*


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