Moving... do I just grab and go?

[cham87]

So in a couple of days I will be done with this semester of college. I am going to move to my girlfriends house in NJ. It is 6hrs away from my house now. I also will start working full time. I have my two budgies which I can put in my car and transport them pretty easily. Their travel cage is the same as their normal cage. BUT recently in the past couple days I have started to care for my families African grey which is now mine. I want to take him with me but I know I will have to towel him to put in a carrier. Then when I get to Nj I won't have his cage, it is too big. My girlfriend has a huge Java perch that I can put him on temporarily when I get there. Can I go without a cage and just keep on the Java perch? I'm worried about him being upset with me toweling him again. He just started trusting me. There really is no option he has to come with me. I am going to take better care of him than my family. Will my bird get over this?

[pennyandrocky]

normally i'm very much against toweling.but in your case any way you can get him with you in nj do it. mya slept out of cage for the first 8 months we had herso it can be done just make sure the room he is in will be quiet and dark enough for him to get at least 10-12 hours of uninterupted sleep and you already know how to make the room birdproof.from your videos that bird is already bonding with you and he needs to be with you by any means necessary.you're doing great by the way yes he will get over it, don't get discouraged if he gives you attitude for awhile.

[cham87]

Thanks for the response. Who is mya?

[DanielA]

Thanks for the response. Who is mya?

It's her ducorps cockatoo.

[marie83]

Can you get a similar new cage for your girlfriends house if your unable to move his current one? That way you can take all his current toys, perches etc so he has something familiar. My thinking is that if your birds already nervous or fearful and is used to having a cage as a sanctuary then all the sudden changes may make things a whole lot worse. Obviously there is going to be changes and your parrot needs to get used to this but he is already going to have alot to deal with by travelling, by the sounds of it he is still getting used to people and he will be in another new environment etc so just being put on a stand in the corner/middle of the room is probably going to leave him very exposed and vulnerable as he wont have his cage to retreat to whilst he settles in.

Unfortunately I don't think theres anything you can do about towelling him. I'm in pretty much the same situation with my 'tiel tomorrow. Its taken 5 years+ to get her to even begin to trust me but now I've got to get her to the vets so I'm worried all that hard work will be undone. Not alot else can be done in the case of vet trips and house moves but to make it as trauma free as possible.

[pennyandrocky]

thanks DanielA,i forgot about the smilies mya is my ducorps cockatoo and penny is