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6 Reasons Your Parakeet Has A Hurt Foot And What To Do About It!

Parakeets are one of the more commonly kept species of birds in both North America and Europe and the popularity of keeping a pet parakeet has been steadily growing over the last couple of years.

This increase in popularity and the number of new parakeet owners has also resulted in a spike in the number of questions that we have been seeing relating to keeping a pet parakeet with the number of questions that we see increasing with each month that goes by.

Many of these questions are relatively simple stuff such as why your parakeet is climbing all over its cage and other things based on the behavior or diet of your pet parakeet but every now and then we do see a more serious question being asked about a problem with someone’s pet parakeet.

Today’s article is going to be focusing in on one of those more serious problems that you may have with your pet parakeet and that is why your parakeet has a hurt foot.

Please note that in most situations, you really should be taking your pet parakeet to the local veterinarians to have the bird checked over for any potential problems with their leg or foot as some of the common problems can end up being serious if they are left untreat.

The Most Common Reason Your Parakeet Has A Hurt Foot!

We have our list of the six most common reasons that your pet parakeet has a hurt foot or leg below:-

  • A Broken Leg!
  • A Broken Toe!
  • A Cut On The Feet!
  • Damage To The Muscles In The Leg!
  • Problems With Parasites!
  • Infected Scrapes!

One common mistake that we see people make is that they may presume that their parakeet has a hurt food due to the symptoms making it look like their parakeets hurt is hurt when the true injury can be with the leg or even issues with the stomach of the bird.

This is why you really should be having a vet check your bird over as soon as possible to get a professional diagnosis.

Still, we know that this is not a realistic option for everyone so our advice below may be able to help you get a general idea of what the potential problem with your parakeet may be.

A Broken Leg!

The first problem on our list is the most serious and that is a break in the leg of your pet parakeet.

A broken leg is going to be extremely painful for your bird and you are likely to see your bird holding the affected leg up off of the ground to try and take the weight off of it as this will help to reduce the pain that they are in.

Some breaks are far more obvious than others and you may be able to see the broken bone coming out of your bird’s leg or the angel that the leg rests at may make it obvious that it is broken.

Although you can try to splint the leg yourself with a popsicle stick and some tape, we really wouldn’t recommend it as the leg needs to be set and secured correctly prior to the healing process starting.

If you think that your bird may have a broken leg then it is extremely important to take them to see a vet as soon as possible as leaving a break untreated can cause long term problems for your parakeet.

A Broken Toe!

The second problem on our list is going to be a broken toe and this is another extremely painful injury for your pet parakeet to suffer.

A broken toe is going to cause your bird to limp and you may see them holding the foot up off of the ground similar to how they would if they had a broken leg.

The big difference between a broken toe and a broken leg is that a broken toe is not going to change the way that your bird rests their leg and so you may find it difficult to spot that they have a broken toe.

As with a broken leg, we would always recommend taking your bird to see a vet as soon as possible if you think that they have suffered a broken toe.

In some cases though, the toe will be able to heal by itself given time and the parakeet should have no long term problems with the toe.

A Cut On The Feet!

The third problem on our list is going to be a cut on the feet and this is a fairly common injury for pet parakeets.

Cuts on the feet can be caused by anything from your bird scratching themselves on something sharp to them stepping on something that cuts their foot.

In some cases, cages with multiple birds in them can have issues with aggression and the cut on the foot or leg of your parakeet may be due to the bird fighting with other birds.

The big problem with a cut on the foot is that it can become infected very easily and so you need to be sure to clean the cut and put a dressing on it as soon as possible.

There are a number of pet friendly anti-septics available and the majority of local pet stores should stock them as standard so you should be able to get one for your pet parakeet to help prevent infection with ease.

Damage To The Muscles In The Leg!

The fourth problem on our list is damage to the muscles in the leg and this is another common injury in pet parakeets.

Muscle damage can be caused by anything from your bird flying into something to them falling off of their perch.

The older your parakeet gets the more likely the muscles of the bird are to start failing too causing the bird to limp.

Depending on the cause of the problem with the muscle, your parakeet may just heal by itself but in some situations, you may have to get a vet involved.

As we mentioned though, if the bird is limping due to old age then you may have to just accept the way that your parakeet moves as the problem may not be treatable.

Problems With Parasites!

The fifth problem on our list is going to be problems with parasites and this is a fairly common issue in pet parakeets if their cage is not cleaned often.

Parasites can cause your bird to feel itchy and uncomfortable and in some cases, the itching can become so bad that it causes the bird to start feather picking.

Some types of mites can burrow into the skin of your parakeet and make the leg and feet of the bird very irritated causing pain when they walk or put pressure on the leg.

Anti-parasitic treatments are cheap and very common in all good pet stores so you should easily be able to find something to help your pet parakeet if you do suspect parasites are the issue.

It is also important to clean out the cage on a regular basis and to remove any dirty food or water dishes to help prevent parasites from taking hold in the first place.

Infected Scrapes!

The sixth problem on our list is going to be infected scrapes and this is a fairly common injury in pet parakeets.

Scrapes can become infected if they are not cleaned properly or if your bird has an open wound that gets exposed to bacteria.

In some cases, the infection can cause your bird to start limping as the infection causes pain in the foot or leg.

The best thing to do if you think your bird has an infected scrape is to take them to see a vet as soon as possible so that they can be treated with antibiotics.

Some scrapes can develop at a very fast pace causing serious health problems with the bird so they should never be overlooked!