Limping Quail

[sterlingbirling]

Hello,
As of early today, I noticed that my coturnix quail Sterling started limping on his left foot. He's been keeping his right leg lifted, close to his body. It feels hot to touch and he doesn't like me touching or palpating it. My guess is that his bumblefoot has worsened, as it looks more swollen now. I've previously drain his bumblefoot on the same foot, which came to settle. What would you recommend as the best course of action? I really want to help him as best as I can, as he's such a dear and I've had him for a long time. It saddens me to see him struggling to move around to eat or drink. :'( Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[Ravenlover]

@Nabiki @Kiki @007Sean some experience people who might know

 

[Nabiki]

If he has bumble foot, it really needs to be treated. Can you get a good picture?

You might let him soak the foot in a warm (a degree or two warmer than quail body heat) epsom salt bath to soften the plug to make it easier to drain.

What is your setup like? Bumble foot usually occurs on wire floors or dirty floors.

 

[sterlingbirling]

Thanks @Ravenlover for the mention and @Nabiki for your reply. Please see the attached photos. My quails live in enclosures with adequate space and a non-wired floor, with newspaper laid on top for easy disposal of their waste. I check on them and clean their coops very frequently. Should I be giving them hay or soft wood shavings instead? I've also noticed a bit of blood in one of his poos, what might this suggest?

 

[Nabiki]

That certainly looks like bumble foot. The easiest way to soak the feet is to put a shallow layer of water into a container and let him walk around in it.

Newspaper is kind of slippery for quail, so I would definitely put shavings or something on top.

Here is an article on bumble foot that you might find helpful.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/bumblefoot-in-your-flock.65979/

 

[Doriss]

If he has bumble foot, it really needs to be treated. Can you get a good picture?

You might let him soak the foot in a warm (a degree or two warmer than quail body heat) epsom salt bath to soften the plug to make it easier to drain.

What is your setup like? Bumble foot usually occurs on wire floors or dirty floors.

In budgies, bumblefoot also occurs through sitting too long on one width of perch, whereas in nature, twigs are all different. Sounds as though wire is the problem; otherwise, maybe vary the flooring in different parts of the run to help the foot exercise more.