Parrots and Travel

[MandyG]

I'm not opposed to travelling with my parrot. If I was travelling somewhere that it was practical for him to tag along I would definitely make hotel arrangements and flight arrangements that would be suitable for him.

We go camping quite often during the summer and he always comes with us. He stays in his carrier during the drive (2+ dogs and a bird loose in the car sounds like a disaster waiting to happen to me). Other times if I'm just taking him to a friend's house he will be loose in the car with me with his harness on.

We have gone away a few times and we couldn't bring Mojo. He stayed at home and my sister took care of him. She had to come over twice a day to feed the fish so every time she came over she would take him out and play with him for a little bit and watch tv for a while so he'd have some company. Some days she'd put the radio on for him during the day too. The longest we've been away was a week and I didn't notice any change in behavior except for him being very cuddly when we got back. He was only 7 months old then and quite forgiving. We're going away for 11 days next March and it might be a different story this time.

[MissLady9902]

Noodle travels well! He and I have gone to St. Louis (a 2 hour drive) with no problems.
Like Michael I feel comfortable enough to have Noodle free in the car but only if I am alone.
Noodle likes to sit on my knee while I drive or sometimes on my shoulder.
I take Noodle to visit my work. He gets passed around and socialized a lot!
When we're out he's less likely to bite someone than if we are at home.
It also seems that if I take him out with me more he's calmer at home with other people.
Marvin is still adjusting to living with us so I have not taken him anywhere with me....yet!
I have a travel cage that I buckle in the car that Noodle rids in/on.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2754293

His travel cage is similar to the one in the link.

[Michael]

When we're out he's less likely to bite someone than if we are at home.
It also seems that if I take him out with me more he's calmer at home with other people.

Exactly! I feel the exact same way about Kili. I don't remember her EVER biting anyone outside of the house (except maybe me when I brought her to get trimmed). But people stand a better chance handling her away from home.

As for the cage, I prefer to use a solid carrier with a few holes. I think that gives the bird more hiding opportunities, protection (from bumping or disruption) and helps protect from drafts a little. I put the carrier on the passenger side floor and it is just the right size that it locks in against the glove compartment. There is a window on top of the carrier so that she can see me and I can slide it open to take her out. It works quiet well.

This video is in an airplane but same principle as in car with the carrier operations. Here you can see her carrier and how I take her out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHv_PvALPy8

Also I turn off the floor AC vents and keep the AC very low while driving with bird in car. The reason I don't like bird carrier on seat is because there is more opportunity for drafts. When I have her out I point the vents away or turn them off for a while.

[Natacha]

Also I turn off the floor AC vents and keep the AC very low while driving with bird in car. The reason I don't like bird carrier on seat is because there is more opportunity for drafts. When I have her out I point the vents away or turn them off for a while.

I also turn off AC in the summer with the birds in the car and normally heat up the car a bit in the winter prior to bringing them somewhere.
I also point the vents away from the birds.

[Kathleen]

If the air is not directly on them and the temperature changes are not drastic, they should be fine in the car.

I hold Duke on my lap in the car. Sometimes I'll cover the side of the cage facing away from me (and toward the vent) with a sweater or something, but keep the side toward me open. I did this when he was a little sick and it helped keep him warm.

[Kathleen]

Has anyone here ever put their bird through airline travel? (Cargo)

How traumatized was your bird after that?

[MandyG]

My bird was sent on a plane to me when he was 3 months old. He was understandably frightened and seemed to be very cautious about everything. It was the first time we saw him so I don't have a before and after of his attitude and he was also frightened of us because we were new to him. He was abloe to eat some of his food during the trip, some of his celery and carrots were chewed up. If he was really traumatized about the whole ordeal I'd think he wouldn't have ate anything.

Can you bring your birds with you as carry on? Or do they always have to be cargo? I didn't put much thought into his trip when we got him, but now I would be worried about drafts and being handled roughly.

[Natacha]

Can you bring your birds with you as carry on? Or do they always have to be cargo? I didn't put much thought into his trip when we got him, but now I would be worried about drafts and being handled roughly.

I think it depends on the flight provider. Some might allow them to be on as carry on, some not. You'll undoubtedly will have to check with each provider the type of carrier they require as well.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

I'd like to restart this thread and see if there are any other thoughts. We will need to leave Scooter for a weekend coming up. Later on, we hope to be able to take him on car trips with us, but we don't yet have a portable cage that would be suitable and this is a long drive so we will leave him to be cared for by our pet sitter. She is a professional pet sitter who has done heroic care with our cats, even giving subcutaneous fluids for our late Kira. She has some experience with birds but isn't a bird expert per se. She will come twice a day.

Anyone else use this kind of service? What emergency instructions would you leave? We will only have had Scooter a month at that point, but he seems VERY well adjusted, he's a very outgoing and bold little bird as far as I can tell. Would you expect us to lose ground with him as a result, or do most birds take this in stride? Having come from a pet store, I guess he's seen worse... but might get bored?

[Michael]

How long are you going for? Saturday morning till Sunday night? For that long, personally I'd feel safer to just leave the bird with a bowl full of pellets, water bottle, and that's it. I don't use a "birdsitter" for less than 48 hours alone. I distrust other people around the bird more than just the bird on its own. I wouldn't hesitate someone the bird knows to watch it while gone but if I'm gone, then Kathleen is usually with me. For this reason, when possible I bring the bird. If I am gone for an extended time, then I have someone come to clean cage, change water, and food.

Since my parrot is flighted, I worry about unfamiliar people letting her out. I really wouldn't feel comfortable having someone let her out if they haven't spent at least a few supervised days with her.