Help with Senegal's foot

[jhuff]

Binx, my senegal, has what looks like a small cut between his bottom "toe" and the first one. It almost looks like he has pulled the skin off and a small place where there maybe a scab now. Hard to describe. Maybe dry skin and he picked it off and it bled a little? I would take him to the vet BUT my Avian vet quit and i have not found another one.. Any suggestions? He doesnt seem to be in pain, it could be hurting me more than him..lol

[miajag]

I'm not a vet or anything but if it's scabbed over and he's not still picking at it I wouldn't worry too much. Just keep an eye on it and be ready to take him to the vet if he starts picking at it or it starts to look infected.

[MissLady9902]

I disagree. Foot injuries could easily become very serious.
You should take him to a vet. Try and find another avian vet even if it's farther away.
It's worth the trip. Remember your bird is going to hid any issues until it's too late to fix.

[Michael]

It depends just how bad it is. Most parrots I've noticed get some sores on their feet from walking around on tough perches. The skin is sometimes a little red, sometimes peeling, and sometimes forms a small scab. If this is a very small callous kind of looking issue then I wouldn't worry too much. If it was outright bleeding or massive, then give it some more thought.

Also consider what kind of perches you are providing. Good variety of thickness and material is key. For the time being you may want to provide a "comfy perch" which is this flexible rope looking perch which is much softer on the feet than concrete, filing, or hard wooden perches.

[jhuff]

Great advice! thank you all so much! I have always used perches that look like tree branches, i have never had this issue until now.
I honestly think it was from having dry skin and he picked it off at some point. I dont remember where i read it, somewhere suggested putting an antibiotic ointment on it to help it... Wouldnt he eat it?
He is not picking at it nor is it big. Its very small, i just noticed it as i was rubbing his belly the other day. He doesnt even act like it bothers him.
He also takes a shower with me and i have been making a point to stick that foot in the spray for the shower and rub it really good to try to keep it clean. Do you think thats whats keeping it there? If its from dry skin, how do i help the little guy from getting dry skin again?

[Michael]

Humidifier.

[jhuff]

I dont have one. Is there anything else i could do? I dont mind getting one and putting it in his room (if thats safe for him), but is there any other remedies?

[Michael]

I don't know about other remedies. But I've been happy with the humidifier I bought. It's the cheap kind that blows a fan across water to speed up the rate of evaporation. Don't get the kinds that boil water or have some kind of active element cause those can be risky. Mine is just like an air purifier that releases water vapor as well so it's bird safe. It's slower than the active ones so I just leave it on 24/7 but it gets the job done.

You may also want a thermometer/hydrometer combo so you can see the relative humidity in the room. Anything under 30 really is too dry. I bought an indoor/outdoor thermometer kit and put the indoor unit by my bed and the outdoor unit by my bird. This way I can see the temperature and humidity of both places at once. The outdoor unit also has a readout so I can see this when I am near the bird.

As for the antibiotic creams, etc I totally would not do anything like that unless a vet said so.