Melody's first car ride.

[Dasphatness]

I am preparing my little Mulga girl for a road trip and was worried if she would handle it without stressing or freaking out. Mostly just so I can avoid having to get someone to feed and water my birds while the family and I are out of state, and not to mention, my folks have been very interested in meeting her. I have been testing her with short trips around the block, or on small outings with the family ,(never taking her on trips that required me to leave the vehicle of course!).

After a week of this, I am proud to say that she is such a little trooper. Day one was a little bit nerve wracking for both of us, but was actually handled much better than I would expect from a first timer.

Small 5-10 minute drives around the block while in her travel cage didn't seem to hinder her attitude or even bug her at all. We just got back from the shop that I had purchased her and she got to see her old breeder again and almost seemed to have a distant, but fond memory of him and she thoroughly enjoyed herself as far as I could tell. (she picked out a toy and is now destroying it as I type this up lol) She just sits on her perch and leans into the turns like a pro and chimes in once in a while with a quiet chirp or something that I call the "Mulga-Grunt" which is the sound she makes when she is excited or pleased with a treat or play.

I am hoping that her harness that I had ordered will be in before we roll out. Iv been working with her with a similar looking harness that I bought for a ferret,(never used it, still in package), years back just to get her comfortable with the idea. Mostly following up with some of the aviator harness training videos that I was referenced to. Once again, it hardly seems to phase her at all. She just gets excited with the new "toy" she gets to chew on whilst getting her favorite treats.

Has anyone else ever prepared their bird for travel? How long did it take your little friend to get used to it and all the noises/movement? Anything that I might be leaving out of her lessons that I should definitely get her on before the trip? We were going to be heading out next Thursday night. The trip will be a five and a half hour drive back to Oklahoma (the motherland! ). I have packed a bag for her which includes her vitamins, medical supplies, extra water, food, treats, toys and her favorite fleece blanket, her cage cover will be within reach in case of freakout, as well as her normal dwelling cage for when we arrive. Did I leave anything out that might be a good idea to pack?
Melody Georgy Anna

[cml]

Sounds like you are doing very well, and that the trip will go well also.
What kind of travel cages do you have?

[Dasphatness]

Just a couple medium generic vinyl travel cages I bought from petsmart. They have straps that are compatible with my cars seat belt buckles.

[marie83]

If shes a generally quite confident bird and used to her carrier you should be fine with the short practice trips for the longer one.

[Eurycerus]

I agree. Nika was very confident which I noticed right away. She's never had any issues with car rides. I think it's annoying being continually jostled but she likes being with me (or people in general) so I think she's happy to be with a person. We've taken up to a six and a half hour car ride with no issues and quite a few other trips ranging from an hour to four hours. Absolutely no issues.

[Dasphatness]

Thats really reassuring to hear. I was just worried about messing up the routines that we have built, and was concerned about the stress the drive may cause. But it just seems as long as she is with one of us, she doesnt seem to care where or what we are doing. Very brave little bird. Thanks everyone!

[Strawfrawg]

My tiel loved car rides, which I started with short drives around the block or the neighborhood. I put new different toys in his travel cage than in his regular house, which seemed to give him a little extra enthusiasm for riding. I chose toys that made noise, and his preoccupation with those helped him be less sensitive to the strange noises of travel. If you're going on a very long trip, just be super careful about stopping to refuel. Gasoline fumes....

He also did much better on car rides if he could see out the window. The only times I had problems with screaming were when he couldn't see outside the car.

[Dasphatness]

I drive a Chrysler 300. I remember in my old car, a 86 crown victoria, refueling was a fairly "fumey" situation. However, the new car seems to keep the oder out, but the fumes still might linger and that worries me. This was something that I had considered worrying about, but could not figure out a way to prevent it. Im sure we can make the trip there in one tank provided i dont get lost lol, but any tips to prevent an issue while refueling that someone might recommend?

[pionus]

maybe roll up the windows before stopping for gas, and covering the cage with a blanket while filling?

[Strawfrawg]

I rolled up the windows and covered the cage...completely. I didn't want any gaps that fumes might seep into, because I was concerned that if they did they would be trapped in there, kind of concentrated. I used a heavy fleece material.