is this a good travel cage for my jenday?

[patti]

i am leaving for a month and need a travel cage, and found this yummy thing that folds up and fits into a large suitcase. it is 17w x 17d x 24h - same height but a few inches narrower, otherwise, than her normal cage. it has a playtop and she will out of the cage most of the time. size wize i am very happy, because anything bigger and it wouldn't fit in the suitcase and it almost meets the specs for regular housing. but the bar spacing is 3/4". the clerk said that was fine for a jenday. i just want to reconfirm that with you all. would she try to force her head through that? they didn't have ones with smaller spacing.

[Wolf]

It looks like nice enough of a cage and although I think the spacing of the bars is a little wide, I can't say for certain as I don't have any of this species to go by. I would, however, either modify or replace those perches. They are much too round for the birds feet and so always put pressure in exactly the same spot on their feet which can cause serious problems later on. I would also get some small clips to insure that the bird can't open any of the doors on this type of cage.

[Pajarita]

No, 3/4 is perfect. But, are you going by car or by plane? Because if it's plane, you can't use a cage, you need an approved air travel carrier (transparent plastic so they can see everything in it -can't put the bird through the XRay machine- and a specific size that fits under the seats).

[patti]

Re the bar spacing, i think i was thrown off by all the green cheek owners saying that was too wide for a conure. i attached some pics for reference.

I don't know why it keeps putting my pics sideways... sorry.

this cage goes in the suitcase to set up when i get there and she has a whole bunch of knobby wood perches in her regular cage which i will switch to this one.

i still need the carrier yet for inside the cabin. southwest suggested one of those mesh carriers for small dogs, which i guess i could fit with a perch. she even said i could make the carrier as long as it is "fully enclosed," which i might do since i have some mesh and nylon and dowels here that would work. it has to be less than 9" tall so my clear bird carrier won't work. i didn't really trust the rep on the phone, so once i get the carrier i am going to go down there with it to make sure there will be no surprises because i will be flying during the christmas rush.

obviously birds can't go through the conveyor xray, and you were thinking of those, right? LAX has those stand up x ray machines, which i am assuming birds go through. this might explain why the rep was so lenient about the type of carrier.

[Pajarita]

No, they don't put animals through the Xray machines, that's why the carriers that go in the cabin have to be completely see-through (you bring it to the area where they do the 'manual' checking). This http://www.amazon.com/Petco-Carrier-Por ... d+carriers is the kind I used when I went to California to pick up a bird (Senegal) and bring it back to NJ. I put a perch in there, some millet and orange (in case she got thirsty) and it worked great (I also got a flight where I would have to wait a couple of hours for the connection so I could take her out for a while - in the bathroom). Another thing, you are going to need a health certificate so check with the state you are travelling to (as well as any other state where you might have to make a connecting flight because if something happens and you get stuck there, you will have a problem if you don't have one) for their requirements because each state is different (in some, you need to go to a State Certified vet for it while, in others, any vet can issue it as long as they use the right form).

[patti]

Oh, cool, thanks. that is the carrier i already have and she is already used to being in it. i will take it down there and talk to the people at the desk to make sure, and thanks for the heads up about the certificate. i had forgotten what a hassle they are to get.

[Pajarita]

Actually, they are not. It's more like a shortened vet visit because they check the bird visually (listen to the heart, etc), do blood work to make sure it's not sick and you pick it up in a couple of days. But, depending on the state is how many days prior to the flight date you need to have it done because they all have an 'expiration' date.

[patti]

thank you... i will make sure of that.

[killdill045]

i still need the carrier yet for inside the cabin. southwest suggested one of those mesh carriers for small dogs, which i guess i could fit with a perch. she even said i could make the carrier as long as it is "fully enclosed," which i might do since i have some mesh and nylon and dowels here that would work. it has to be less than 9" tall so my clear bird carrier won't work. i didn't really trust the rep on the phone, so once i get the carrier i am going to go down there with it to make sure there will be no surprises because i will be flying during the christmas rush.

[Pajarita]

The Southwest site says only dogs and cats (that's why they mentioned the soft carrier -they sell you their own for $48- which doesn't work for parrots because they will chew right through it in a matter of minutes). They also mention the price ($95 each way) and that, although you can make a reservation (only a limited number of pets in each flight), it's first-come-first-served so I suggest you make sure that a bird is OK (ask to talk to a supervisor and get his/her name if they say it's OK, just in case they stop you at the airport), that you make a reservation for it in advance and that you go to the desk (you can't pet check-in through the machine or computer, it has to be at the desk) EARLY!