Need advice

Hi all,

My wife and I have a number of birds including a blue/gold macaw and an umbrella cockatoo along with cockatiels and parakeets. We will be moving around 2 hours from where we live now and I was wondering what would be the best way to transport or macaw and cockatoo. They both have not been out of our house since we got them which is over 6 years ago. I was wondering if there was something we could give them to keep them calm so they will not be frightened or harmed during the move.

Thanks

How do you transport them to the vet for wellness checks? There are small cages called travel cages or some use a crate like what dogs are transported. Good luck with the move.

Just wondering if you are aware that Macaws and Cockatoos should be housed separately? Macaws are very sensitive to the dust from other birds. It is important to have a air filtration system and keep them in different parts of the house.

Lacewing said:

Just wondering if you are aware that Macaws and Cockatoos should be housed separately? Macaws are very sensitive to the dust from other birds. It is important to have a air filtration system and keep them in different parts of the house.

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This ^^^^!

I have a small air cleaner that sits near my B&G Macaw whenever she is out in the front room with my other birds. It only cost $70 on Amazon but it has probably saved me a lot more in Vet visits due to Sinus problems.

We do keep them in different rooms. Our macaw is in the master bedroom and our cockatoo is in my office and we have air filtration systems going all the time in each room.

I was just wondering if there was something we could give them so they will not be hyper during the trip.

Thanks

Absolutely DO NOT Medicate them in any way to keep them calm during the trip! That would be e extremely dangerous unless done by a vet, and I don't know any vets who would do it.

You need to start training them to accept their carriers. Once they can accept the carriers, slowly accustom them to going to the door, just outside the door, to the car, on short trips, on long trips, and then on a trip to the vet. Training is the answer here, not drugs.


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When we moved from New Mexico to Ohio, I drove with the Rb in a travel cage in the passenger seat. In advance, we "practiced" a lot, so he was used to the situation.

Hi, yes second Silversage's response. Six years is a hell of a long time to be cooped up in one place. Please after you have moved try and enrich these birds lives with trips out. My RB2 was nervous and suspicious of his carrier but loves trips in the car, cannot shut him up, gibber, gibber all the way. You will definitely see a difference in them from doing this honestly. Hope you have a smooth move.

SilverSage said:

Absolutely DO NOT Medicate them in any way to keep them calm during the trip! That would be e extremely dangerous unless done by a vet, and I don't know any vets who would do it.

You need to start training them to accept their carriers. Once they can accept the carriers, slowly accustom them to going to the door, just outside the door, to the car, on short trips, on long trips, and then on a trip to the vet. Training is the answer here, not drugs.


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What about something like avicalm? Not sure it would be effective, but it should be safe enough for something like that. I have read some pretty good results in helping calm anxiety in birds (and have had some results myself with it).

From my experience packing and moving the birds is the stressful part.
If using a plastic dog cage I would secure a perch on the inside so your bird can hang on (don't put more than one bird in a travel cage even if they do get along).

Be confident and direct with getting them into the travel carrier / cage.

If they haven't been caged in a while they may resist which is the stressful part. Some birds do ok with be toweled (covered with a towel). If yours are ok with that you could drape a towel over the bird and put the whole think in the cage (not wrapped up, just covered so the bird can easily get out).

If not, have the cage open an ready, get the bird to step up, re assure them, then put the bird in the cage (gently but quickly).

The travel part doesn't seem to be too bad, once they are in mine seem to do ok. They look out the holes and eventually start calling me as they calm down.

Avicalm is a health supplement not a medication, and is used to treat chronic anxiety which is completely different than situation induced fear (I would know, since I suffer from a severe anxiety disorder myself).

The use of avicalm in the recommended doses should be safe and may be helpful, but in order to be effective it needs to be used regularly and as directed for some time before the event, and will not do anything to mitigate the trauma brought on by the actual move.


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I agree with the advice given above here. If I had a macaw and a 'too I would transport the macaw in a larger dog kenneland the 'too in a smaller dog kennel. They both have their own space and area. There's a guy on youtube who rehabilitated a greenwing macaw named Santina, and taught her to go in and out of a carrier so she would more readily go inside it. You can do this and follow the videos, as they go step by step. Start by placing treats in the open carrier, leave the room if you must and wait for the bird to enter the carrier for the treat. You can even lead a line of treats going to the open carrier. You want to associate it with a positive experience.

Good luck with the move!

SilverSage said:

Avicalm is a health supplement not a medication, and is used to treat chronic anxiety which is completely different than situation induced fear (I would know, since I suffer from a severe anxiety disorder myself).

The use of avicalm in the recommended doses should be safe and may be helpful, but in order to be effective it needs to be used regularly and as directed for some time before the event, and will not do anything to mitigate the trauma brought on by the actual move.


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Exactly what I was going to say, Avicalm has to build up in their system over time. It is used to treat chronic anxiety issues, not acute anxiety from a single event like this. Depending on when you are planning on moving them you may be able to start them on it now so that it has some effect, but I doubt it will help with a single, and no doubt stressful event if they've not been put into a travel carrier, let alone gone outside in 6 years.

I know what you're trying to ask, and the answer is absolutely not! No responsible vet would EVER prescribe any anti-anxiety medication, like Valium, Ativan, or Xanex, or any tranquilizer to a bird. It's scary just giving birds short-term gas anesthesia for procedures, and that's being monitored by a professional. Please do not attempt to give your birds any medication that has been prescribed to a human or that is for a human and available over the counter. All of the human anti-anxiety prescriptions I listed above can be very deadly to birds, as they can suppress their breathing and heart function.

My suggestion to you is to make an appointment for both of your birds with a certified avian vet ASAP, as they should both have a wellness exam with baseline testing yearly. 6 years is way too long to not have taken a Macaw or a Cockatoo to an avian vet for a checkup. You can discuss how to responsibly move your birds to your new house with the avian vet.



"Dance like nobody's watching..."

Along with the crate training id sugest harness training too as you will be able to do more with you birds i know my b and g lucky loves going out good luck with the move hope its not to stressful for anyone hoomans and fids alike

My Ruby Green Wing was shipped to me in Idaho from Maryland in a medium pet/dog crate. The sellers installed a perch and 2 bowels. I will likely use it again but tape down paper in the bottom. Rosie was none the worse for the wear and long trip which included a lay over in Salt Lake City. When I got her home she didn't seem like she was stressed at all.

DanaC said:

The sellers installed a perch and 2 bowels.

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Sorry, it's not to put you on the spot, but when I read this, I got a horrible image in my mind, until I realised you meant bowls