Foot Care

One word that a raptor trainer never wants to hear is "bumblefoot." It is a catch-all term for any issue on a bird's feet, including calluses, sores, swelling, and infections. It can become very serious because raptors spend almost all of their time on their feet. Once bumblefoot gets established, it is difficult to fix. It can actually start to affect the bird's other foot if the initial irritation causes them to hold their weight unevenly. Prevention is the best medicine.

I use the tip of a mechanical pencil to lift Aldo's toe while inspecting the reddish sore that appeared on his foot.

That's why when I noticed a small red spot on the bottom of Aldo's foot, I leaped into action. The sore was in the center of his foot where he may have accidentally poked a talon with a clenched foot. That means my first treatment was clipping the tips of his talons to shorten his needle-like nails.

The next most common cause of foot sores is perching in the mew. Perches that are too wide, too narrow, too rough, too smooth, or don't have enough variability can focus pressure in the wrong places. I changed out Aldo' branch perch for a different natural branch that had a slightly wider diameter. But I noticed that he wasn't using that perch very often, anyway. All of his mutes were focused under his window perch.

Aldo's window perch got an extra layer of sisal rope to change where pressure is put on his feet.

The window perch is a 1/2" wooden dowel wrapped in 1/4" sisal rope, exactly the specifications listed for an ideal perch option for kestrels. I didn't want to change the perch completely, so I just added another strand of rope wrapped with a half-inch or so between coils. This extra spiral of rope would cause Aldo's weight to be distributed differently on his feet while stationed in his favorite spot.

In addition to a few environmental adjustments, Aldo's sore also had to be treated. After consulting with our veterinarians, we started Aldo on a daily rotation of foot salves. Twice a week I use a cotton swab to apply Tuf-Foot to the bottom of both feet. This tincture was made to toughen working dogs' feet, and it also helps raptor feet build up protective layers. On other days, Aldo receives a bit of emu oil for hydration and its possible anti-inflammatory properties.

Time will tell if these changes will help Aldo's foot heal properly. But we've got our fingers crossed!