Paco my amazon has really, really bad feet. When he came to me he was in a 2 by 2 cage, and his only perches were 2 large cement ones, at the same level as each other. So he really had no range of movement, and his feet were blistered from constantly sitting on an abrasive surface.

Today he gets a lot of excerise and his muscles are not atrohpied, but his feet are extremely tender. I bought a large Sandy Walk perch- I felt it was less abrasive then the cement ones. Put it in front of his food dish. He doesnt stand on it but 30 minutes a day, if that. The other night he was being a ham and waving, one foot then the other. The bottom of his little feetsies are bright blistering red, and one looks like its ready to crack and bleed.
The bottom of his feet are off limits, so unless I can towel him I cant inspect them really good. Right now he has an avian adventures corner shelf in his cage, a natural perch with the bark on it, and I bought a large cajeiput perch and put it in his cage. Its this natural tree branch perch, but the outside is really, really soft. Fabric soft, almost. I thought it wouldnt irritate his feet.

I cant have rope perches in his cage because he is unsteady and falls off- I had a large booda perch in his cage and he fell from it in the middle of the night. He has really crappy balance sometimes.

So- I am just wondering what I can do to help his feet? What perches are best that will not agitate his tender feetsies.

Have you tried dowel perches or just plain 2x2 perches?You can cut both of them to any length you want.

Emily, do you think the Sandy perch bothered Paco, or was is the other perches you have? My GW can't be on any of those sandy type perches or his feet are exactly as you described. Same reasons here too as to why we don't use Booda perches. My guy here does well on natural soft barked woods like Dragonwood or Bottlebrush.

I'm not sure. This was the first time I have had a sandy perch in his cage- but his feet do have flair ups if he sits on any one perch for too long, so I have to make sure and switch around his perches on a regular basis.

I tried dowels- he didnt really take to the dowel.

I tried grapevine in his cage for a while- he liked it but it got dirty so easily and was hard to thoroughly disinfect.
Where do you get your Dragonwood? I think the stuff I have here is ribbonwood... rock hard- great for chewers but a bit hard on the feet.

I bought the stuff I have direct from a harvester when I was in Deland, Florida back in the spring. Can you believe it, I paid 1.50 for 6 foot lengths, 2 in. in diameter!!

I did find this site that has the dragonwood perches with the bark intact. I've never purchased from them, but you might want to take a look.

http://www.fowl-play.com/cart/enter....tml&lang=en-us

If I had sore feet, I would want rope perches.

I recommend removing the sandy perch in his cage as long as he has sore feet. Soft or smooth perches are better until he has heeled. Does he step up on your hand? If he does, try putting some Aloe Vera on your hand which should assist in healing.

Me too...I wonder why he falls off of them? They're twisted to make for easier gripping. I would think rope would be one of the easiest things for him to hang on to! What about just putting a rope perch in his cage very near the bottom? That way he can still sit on there if it feels good on his feet, and if he falls he won't hurt himself!

What a great idea! I would never have thought of doing that, but it would be a great way to treat the bottom of their feet!

Emily, do you still keep the cement perches in the cage? If so, I wonder if that is aiding in the foot soreness. The Aloe is a great idea, as it will moisturize his feet, too. I know you said you will have to towel him, but it may be worth it just to help him heal. I would take the Sandy perch out too. I have never had a problem with either; however, perhaps Paco's feet are more sensitive to the abrasive surface.

The other suggestions here are great, so I won't repeat them.