deliver bird via airlines?

Hi everyone. i have a question about getting a bird.
Would it be safe to have a bhc delivered by airline? i found a great breeding place that is in florida but i am in illinois so i am really far away. would it work if there was a closer place or should i just drive if it was closer. Also is a long time of driving bad too? thanks in advance!!

It's not only safe, but it's a commonly used method of shipping pets including birds. Breeders who ship know how to prepare the crate for airline regulations. I believe most use Delta, which is known for their Pets First program dedicated to safe air travel for animals in cargo. There are also temperature restrictions, so they won't ship if it is below or above a certain temp. I've done it several times before with no problem.

Thanks. this helps a lot! i asked because someone said the birds have a mind like a very young child and they said that you wouldn't ship a toddler,but i think that if there is a program FOR it then its probably safe.

I've had several birds shipped, and never had any issues. You go to the airport (Cargo area or also called 'Delta Dash' if bird was shipped Delta Pet First) and wait for the 'special delivery.

I've had one bird shipped to me, although she did not come from a breeder. She was shipped from Ohio to Nevada, but was delayed in Texas. What was meant to be a 12 hour trip ended up being around a 36 hour trip.

Jayde *did* have food and water though, included fresh fruit, so she arrived safely, if rather unhappy.

A good breeder knows how to ship correctly. I had an amazon shipped to me recently. United airlines was the cheapest, and actually is one of the best.

MonicaMc said:

I've had one bird shipped to me, although she did not come from a breeder. She was shipped from Ohio to Nevada, but was delayed in Texas. What was meant to be a 12 hour trip ended up being around a 36 hour trip.

Jayde *did* have food and water though, included fresh fruit, so she arrived safely, if rather unhappy.

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So I guess the fruit wasn't so fresh anymore?

My mom had her POW parakeet shipped from a breeder in Northern CA. It wasn't Delta, but however the airlines worked, she couldn't get a direct flight to Southern CA. So Patches went from NorCal to GEORGIA to catch a flight to SoCal . That was rather ridiculous we thought. He was pretty tired, but fine.

yep I was also apprehensive about it but it was all good. He was safely in a carrier with some snacks and was pretty well handled at the airport. They got the animals off the plane and delivered to their humans pretty gently and Gilbert seemed fine. His flight was very short which was lucky.

When you pick a bird arent you supposed to let it pick you?How will they do that.And alsohow i live really far away from an airport at least 2 hours away. i dont want to scare the bird or make it caresick or stress it out. Any ADVICE

friendcaique said:

When you pick a bird arent you supposed to let it pick you?How will they do that.And alsohow i live really far away from an airport at least 2 hours away. i dont want to scare the bird or make it caresick or stress it out. Any ADVICE

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As far as being in person and letting the bird pick you, that is ideal for obvious reasons, but some individuals switch to a different favorite person upon maturity, so it's never a guarantee.

I've gotten my birds either sight unseen (breeder across country), or where there wasn't a choice to pick from, there was only one of the species. So it does work out from time to time where the bird isn't crazy about you, and that's the chance you take. Raven my Pionus was like that. He came out of the carrier, took one look at me and looked as if to say "ugh, so my new person is YOU? Kill me now!" It took a LONG time for him to think I was okay. I am his primary person too. He's slowly coming around closer to me after 2 years, but he's so independent that I don't think Raven wants to be too overly close to any human to be honest. As long as he and Griffin have each other they're happy.

Re: deliver bird via airlines

So i just have to interact with the bird and be the one that feed him?
Oh yeah i do have a question but it is not for this, do you know any sites that you have bought foot toys from that are safe and for a bird that is as bigs a bhc thanks in advance!

Many of us here use MySafeBirdStore.com. Great selection of products, good prices, and helpful customer service. Give the website a look for when you're back in the States.

Re: deliver bird via airlines

RavensGryf said:

So I guess the fruit wasn't so fresh anymore?

My mom had her POW parakeet shipped from a breeder in Northern CA. It wasn't Delta, but however the airlines worked, she couldn't get a direct flight to Southern CA. So Patches went from NorCal to GEORGIA to catch a flight to SoCal . That was rather ridiculous we thought. He was pretty tired, but fine.

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Somehow, the fruit still looked edible! LOL


We were thinking that Jayde was going to go through Chicago, as we didn't see any flights that led anywhere else... and of course the airlines didn't say which direction she was going.... so we were shocked that she went through Texas.

friendcaique said:

When you pick a bird arent you supposed to let it pick you?How will they do that.And alsohow i live really far away from an airport at least 2 hours away. i dont want to scare the bird or make it caresick or stress it out. Any ADVICE

Click to expand...

The majority of my birds have been rehomes, so "we" didn't exactly have a choice. I mean, I chose to take the birds into my home, but they didn't choose me. Even my one bird that is not a rehome, well, I didn't get to choose her, either! As she was a gift.


And I've been ok with that. I had to travel 4 or so hours one way to pick Charlie up from another state, and Jayde was flown in. Both are bonded to me, albeit in different ways. That's ok, too.