My wife wants to go to St. Thomas for and extended

mtdoramike · Oct 8, 2012

stay like 6 months. She is originally from St. Thomas VI. and still has family there. But, we would need to find an apartment to rent for that length of time.

Hence the problem: We have two birds. It shouldn't be a major issue to travel with them on the plane as checked baggage since they should fit in two small carriers that could fit under the seat hopefully. But my wife is concerned about how they would handle the flight. I don't think it would be an issue.

Next, locating a furnished one bedroom apartment isn't an issue, but one that allows pets is a little trickier. I have found a couple small apartments that say they will allow pets and have no problem with birds. But my wife is afraid that if when we arrive and they hear our birds, which can get a bit noisy in the morning and a few short times during the day, they will ask us to leave. Then we will really be stuck.

It makes me feel a bit guilty because getting the birds were basically my idea hahahahahaha. Rehoming my babies isn't an option for me.

It's a quandrey for sure.

wenz2712 · Oct 8, 2012

Oh No.. I can see your dilemma Mike I am not quite sure what the answer is, as we all know that our Birds are not going to stay silent.. They could possibly make more noise by being in a strange place as well! Would it be possible to rent a House, rather than an Apartment?

Or, could your Daughter possibly have them while you are away?

triordan · Oct 8, 2012

I would love to be in St Thomas for 6 months! Perhaps you could find 1 bedroom house instead? The trip from Florida should be relatively short?

DebsFlock · Oct 8, 2012

Is it no problem to bring birds in and out of the VI? Islands tend to be picky about quarantine. If you can't bring the birds, do you have someone local that could take them for 6 months, someone trustworthy?

triordan · Oct 8, 2012

Thanks Mike, now I cant stop looking at rental properties and wishing it was me!

mtdoramike · Oct 8, 2012

triordan said:
Thanks Mike, now I cant stop looking at rental properties and wishing it was me!

hahahahahahahahaha, that tickled my funny bone.

mtdoramike · Oct 8, 2012

triordan said:
I would love to be in St Thomas for 6 months! Perhaps you could find 1 bedroom house instead? The trip from Florida should be relatively short?

Houses for rent in the Islands are few that would be within budget. There aren't that many rental houses to begin with. Most folks build a house with a down stairs apartment, or a duplex to maximize the earning potential of the property. If you can finda rental house in the areas we would be comfortable living would be a minimum of $3500.00-upwards. Just a small studio apartment can run $1000.00-$1200.00 on average and a one bedroom is between $1200.00-$1500.00 and that doesn't factor in Pet fee's. One place wanted a $500.00 non-refundable pet fee upfront and that was per pet. The place woulod also need to come furnished as well.

mtdoramike · Oct 8, 2012

wenz2712 said:
Oh No.. I can see your dilemma Mike I am not quite sure what the answer is, as we all know that our Birds are not going to stay silent.. They could possibly make more noise by being in a strange place as well! Would it be possible to rent a House, rather than an Apartment?

Or, could your Daughter possibly have them while you are away?

I had thought about that, but my daughter is newly divorced and works crazy hours and isn't home a lot. Her job sends her away for a few days at a time quite often. She would have been the only person that I would have trusted my babies with for that length of time.

mtdoramike · Oct 8, 2012

This is why I'm a little tough on people when they all of a sudden decide, I like birds, I think I want one. You just never know what life can throw at you and it's even tougher for young people. We are both retired so I assumed our traveling days were behind us for the most part.

If push comes to shove, I think I will tell my wife that she can go and enjoy herself, I will stay home and take care of the babies.hahahahahahahahaha.

JerseyWendy · Oct 8, 2012

Taking them on the plane is a piece of cake. Yes, they fit right under the seat. I remember coming to this country with my cockatiel way back when.

Now when you talk about the "pet restrictions", are you sure they don't mean dogs & cats? Are birds included?

When we moved to the States, we had THE hardest time finding a rental place not because of my bird (1 at the time) but because of my dogs.

Best of luck, and bon voyage (if you all decide to go)

mtdoramike · Oct 8, 2012

I'm kind of surprised that there is such a problem renting with our two birds. When we went down to St. Thomas a year or so ago for two weeks, The free roaming chickens drove me nuts. They were all over the place. You would expect a rooster to crow at day break, but not these chickens. They were crowing all hours of the night. I had to go out and buy a box fan and turned it high just to get some sleep.

I asked some of the locals that were a little down on their luck and looking for food, why didn't they setup some traps and catch some of those chickens. They could eat some and keep some for laying hens for fresh eggs. They looked at me like I was crazy, saying you can't eat them chickens they aren't from the store. It seems they can only eat store bought chicken and eggs. I laughed and told them, I grew up on a bird farm and if I had the makings for a trap, they would be enjoying some southern fried chicken or roasted chicken with potatoes and carrots or my favorite chicken and dumplins.

If I was living down there, they wouldn't have such an issue with roaming chickens.

mtdoramike · Oct 8, 2012

The only requirement to take the birds out of the continental US to the Virgin Islands is:

You must have a form completed by your vet indicating good health less than 10 days before departure I believe. American doesn't allow birds on their planes, but Delta does, which will require me to go from Orlando to North Carolina then back south to St. Thomas. The vet check form has to be gotten from the Ag department in St. Thomas and received back by them before your departure.

They also request that you notify them a head of time and that you arrive like 4 hours before your flight leaves.

JerseyWendy · Oct 8, 2012

So just tell your landlord you've got poultry.

Should be a piece of cake then. LOL.

mtdoramike · Oct 25, 2012

Well, well , well, I keep getting rejection notices from landlords of apartments and small rental houses on St. Thomas. They are always very polite and start off how they would LOVE to rent to me and my wife, but then here comes the but, they have an issue with my birds. They claim that birds are noisy, dirty and destructive and therefore, they prefer not to rent to anyone with birds.

I also make sure and send them a couple of video links to Youtube where I have videos posted of Tiki and Mac being sweet and quiet to some of their rowdier times just so they understand that birds can be a bit noisy. So I don't see how people get away with renting apartments with birds. I'm having no luck at all. I have had two offers to rent large houses for $3000.00 & $3500.00 a month and they would accept our birds, but want a none refundable deposit of up to $1000.00. The "NON-REFUNDABLE" part I have an issue with. It's the no longer part that I have an issue with. When it's non-refundable, it's no longer a deposit, it's a fee.

Rio Mom · Oct 25, 2012

Will you have to buy them each another cage there?

triordan · Oct 25, 2012

Keep looking Mike, I will start looking again too (for you of course!)

mtdoramike · Oct 25, 2012

Rio Mom said:
Will you have to buy them each another cage there?

I plan on taking two fairly large travel cages with me and check them in as checked baggage. They will not have near the room in the travel cages that they have here in their regular cages, but they would have to make do. Once on the island, I would go by Home Depot and buy several pieces of PVC pipe and connectors and fashion them some playstands.

Loyal · Oct 29, 2012

Could you suggest paying pet rent versus a non-refundable deposit? For example, explaining to the landlord that you feel a $1000 deposit is a bit extreme, but you're willing to pay $XX for pet rent, to cover the cost of any potential damagest the birds may cause. Maybe the possibility of being able to increase the rent amount will be more appealing to landlords.

Not much help I know, but my family has a few properties in Florida and that's what renters have suggested when they've have odd pets (snakes, rats, spiders).

mtdoramike · Nov 4, 2012

Loyal said:
Could you suggest paying pet rent versus a non-refundable deposit? For example, explaining to the landlord that you feel a $1000 deposit is a bit extreme, but you're willing to pay $XX for pet rent, to cover the cost of any potential damagest the birds may cause. Maybe the possibility of being able to increase the rent amount will be more appealing to landlords.

Not much help I know, but my family has a few properties in Florida and that's what renters have suggested when they've have odd pets (snakes, rats, spiders).

Well, I have suggested something similar. I offered to place $1000.00 in an escrow account in case of damages. But they prefer it be a pet fee rather than a deposit that has to be returned. I have also agreed to pay an extra $100.00 a month for my two birds, but most aren't interested in that.

mtdoramike · Nov 4, 2012

I have had several prospects for apartments and a couple of small houses to rent. But once I send the owners Youtube videos of my birds being good and being a little rowdy, I either get no further contact from them or they pass or have decided they don't allow pets or birds.

I could have told them that my birds are sweet all the time and never make any noise. But I want to be honest with them. That way, I don't wind up with an eviction notice taped to me door a month or three after being there and then get stuck trying to scramble around to find another place.

So I'm not sure what to do here. I feel awfully guilty that my birds are keeping my wife from doing what she would like to do. She tells me that it's not that big of a deal, but I know that it is. I'm trying to get her to go to St. Thomas on her own and maybe fly back and forth a few times during the 6 month or possibly up to a year depending on her mothers health. But she doesn't want to go without me since I have a heart problem.

My wife wants to go to St. Thomas for and extended

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