May be relocating out of state

I just finished the second interview with the job in Indiana. It looks really good I may be offered this position. After a lot of digesting since I applied for the position in November I have made the decision that if offered the position I am going to take it.

Now the matter of actually moving from Minnesota to Indiana. It is a 9 and half hour drive by car from where I live to that part of Indiana.

To get myself relocated as soon as possible I would put my furniture and things in storage up here and take with me only what I will need. This poses a problem of getting Valentino down there with me right away. I need to set up residence and get though the snowy/storm part of the year before I can fully get my belongings down there.

My car is unable to pull a trailor and I can't drive two cars at once so I come to a very hard decision what is best for Valentino.

I will either have to foster him until I can get him and his cage down to me or rehome him.

Has anyone have experience fostering their parrot for a few months (3 to 4 estimating longer time) then took their parrot back? I would like to know how that went with both the parrot and the humans. How did the parrot do during all that upheaval? How hard was it to reestablish your relationship with your parrot after a long time of being separated?

Would it be better for a bird like Valentino to find him another permanent home rather than fostering for a while then relocating him?

I know this whole relocating thing is going to be VERY STRESSFUL. I am afraid this will cause Valentino way too much stress and end up harming him.

I Fostered Bob for two years, for his owner. And when the bird saw him again after two years, he immediately went nuts, and went into full on clingy bird syndrome. That part went fine. The hard part is finding someone you trust, who will care for him and still give him back at the end of the day.

I am assuming it's too cold to ship?! Can you set up a travel perch/temporary cage at your new place? Consider all options...

On your move & storage, see if you have local Pods or Pack-Rat dealers nearby.....if you are familiar with loading furniture & personal things into a moving truck...or...maybe you have a friend who does/is, either of those companies will bring a set-off storage box that you can load now, have it put in a storage warehouse & when you're ready for your stuff, they will load the container on one of their trucks & bring it to you, then when you've unloaded it, they'll come back & pick it up.....you save one the double handling of the in & out of storage in MN, the loading out of storage fees in MN & the possible extra carry fees when a moving company delivers to you in IN.....I believe ABF freight lines was offering virtually the same service, bringing a container out, let you load it, then move it within their network.....there are ways to save $$$ on cross country moves, if you look close enough.....

I might be inclined to take Valentino with me unless you have someone you trust who might be willing to care for him...I think rehoming would be a last resort for me...certainly you will be allowed a suitable amount of lead time to make the move and your potential employer should offer you housing locator assistance & even a moving allowance would be helpful.....

Good luck.....

I moved cross country with five birds, and zero cages without incident.

Certainly one macaw with a travel cage of some sort if necessary would work out. Ship just the cage only. (Take it apart and ship it to your new location.) Or just pick up a temporary cage when you get there...

Honestly, it may be cheaper just to buy a new macaw cage when you get there. They really aren't that expensive... unless you go mondo-sized stainless...

Has Valentino ever been on a trip? I have taken Mango on several long trips for extended stays. Just got back from a 9.5 hr trip to my inlaws for 2 weeks at Christmas. I brought a travel cage and built a playstand out of pvc when I got there. I only used the travel cage for him to sleep in. And when we were out. What about a cage just large enough for him to sleep, and stretch in?
Mango handled the trips with ease. He actually enjoys them, talks, coos, plays. I even stop and let him out of his cage in the truck for a while. I really think the best thing would be to drive him around town for a bit to see his reaction before you make a decision.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

noblemacaw said:

I just finished the second interview with the job in Indiana. It looks really good I may be offered this position. After a lot of digesting since I applied for the position in November I have made the decision that if offered the position I am going to take it.

Now the matter of actually moving from Minnesota to Indiana. It is a 9 and half hour drive by car from where I live to that part of Indiana.

To get myself relocated as soon as possible I would put my furniture and things in storage up here and take with me only what I will need. This poses a problem of getting Valentino down there with me right away. I need to set up residence and get though the snowy/storm part of the year before I can fully get my belongings down there.

My car is unable to pull a trailor and I can't drive two cars at once so I come to a very hard decision what is best for Valentino.

Click to expand...

Some moving trucks that you can rent can tow a car, so you only have to drive the truck, I would call your local places and see what that would cost! I see it done often around here at the beginning and end of semesters, as Boston is of course a college town, and that extends to the whole metropolitan area! I go by at least two colleges in my town most any time I go more than a mile from home.

Thank you all for the replies and information. My best scenario is to take Valentino with me right away after I have a place secured. I will be looking into renting places that will allow me to have my boy.

I did start researching rentals and cost of living in that area. I can rent way more for my money than I can up here. It looks that I can afford a 2 bedroom house/townhome which would be better than an apartment as Valentino can be loud (He is not a screamer but he does use his voice to show me his displeasure. He is not the sunrise/sunset type caller. Personally a house or townhome would be the best for us.)

I could never replace Valentino's Kings 406SS cage for what I paid for it in 2002. They are WAY out of my price range. I will need to research and hopefully find a bird community in Marion because I think buying a temporary cage until I can get his permanent cage down there could be an option.

I really need to be able to take him with me from the get go. I don't want to foster him as it would be very hard for me to find someone I can totally trust to take care of him in the manner I take care of him. He would not be their bird but just a "guest" for a bit and I am sure he would be sensitive to that.

Is it true a RFM will grieve for their bonded one to the point of it affecting their mental and physical health? I really think he is mature enough to handle that kind of stress. Remember I had him shipped to me when he was only 4 and half months old and he arrived healthy and with a lot of confidence for a baby parrot. Wendy really did raise him well. I am realistic to understand that fostering will cause him stress but I want to know if this is stress that will not cause irreparable harm on him mentally.

I do like the idea of renting a truck and towing my car with said truck. My issue is how am I to unload the contents. I can't even get Valentino's cage out my patio door to power wash without help. Maybe in the long run buying him a "lighter" non stainless steel cage might work for me. Other than Kings cages I am so out of touch with what manufactures are good anymore. The last cage I bought was his 406SS in 2002.

I have taken Valentino on car rides for his play dates but have not done that in a while. I had learned that by putting him in the back seat he does scream way less. I could not handle his screaming in the front seat even just driving across town. Weather is too cold for me to just "drive him around" to get him use to it.

I want everyone to know I am dedicated to do what is best for Valentino and not what is best for me. I would like to know from seasoned parrot lovers what would be best for Valentino. Thank you so much.

My birds love car rides. He'll settle right in I'm sure.