Making a 12 Hour Trip With Parrots

[JoeJoe]

Hi

So in a few week I am moving to North Carolina. It's going to be about a 12 Hour trip with stops. I have about 5 different types of birds, with the biggest one being an amazon.

My question: While they're traveling in their carriers, will they be ok without a water dish for 12-13 Hours? I plan on spraying them prior to leaving and possibly half way into the trip. Should I worry about their appetite during this time?

 

[Birdman666]

I was on the road with my five for three days moving from CA to TX.

They ate breakfast before we left each day, and in the motel when we stopped for the night. When I stopped for gas/potty/meal breaks I offered them treats and water in a bowl. Nothing in the car while we were moving.

They did fine.

Mine, however, were not in travel cages. They are birdie car seat trained.

 

[Terry57]

You could always put some veggies in there with a high water content to help keep them hydrated

 

[Kiwibird]

We moved last year with our amazon, and were on the road for 3 days with him. We offered him water in his dish every time we stopped and dumped it before we started moving again (which was about every 4 or 5 hours). We also offered him grapes in his dish if he needed moisture while we were driving and seed mix if he got hungry (seeds are much less messy than his normal diet of mostly fresh foods).

Kiwi loves being in the car though, so he was just the happiest bird on the face of the planet getting to spend 3 whole days driving lol. I think he felt he was being rewarded big time! Hopefully, your birds are at least comfortable enough in the car not to panic. If your birds aren't used to the car at all, I would suggest taking them out for short trips before hand to acclimate them to the experience. You also want to make sure if you have birds that get motion sick (some do), you consult with an AV on the best course of action to take so you don't have birds vomiting for 12 straight hours...

 

[Birdman666]

Kiwi loves being in the car though, so he was just the happiest bird on the face of the planet getting to spend 3 whole days driving lol. I think he felt he was being rewarded big time! Hopefully, your birds are at least comfortable enough in the car not to panic. If your birds aren't used to the car at all, I would suggest taking them out for short trips before hand to acclimate them to the experience. You also want to make sure if you have birds that get motion sick (some do), you consult with an AV on the best course of action to take so you don't have birds vomiting for 12 straight hours...

Mine were the same way, love, love, love car rides. Maggie, my GW, did the whole 1850 mile trip on my shoulder.

Good points!

 

[JoeJoe]

@Birdman666 - Sounds like you really have nice tamed parrots. I love the fact that their "car seat trained". Thanks

@Kiwibird - I believe they will be OK with the 12 Hour drive. I do not think any motion sickness will develop. I will keep this in mind anyway, thanks.

@Terry57 - What a great idea! I never thought to put stuff like that in the carriers for them to pick at to get their liquids.

Thanks for the assurance everyone who contributed so far. Makes me much more calm, knowing that they'll be arriving healthy & happy.

 

[Birdman666]

@Birdman666 - Sounds like you really have nice tamed parrots. I love the fact that their "car seat trained". Thanks

Spoiled.

The proper phrase is spoiled rotten...

If I'd have put them in travel crates (1) I wouldn't have had room for my stuff, and (2) they probably would have screamed bloody murder the entire way... cage doors on their big cages don't close, I can imagine what Maggie would have been like stuffed into a travel crate!!! My ears would be bleeding... 1,850 miles of macaw screaming would not have been pleasant! OUT! OUT! OUT! UP! UP! UP! KINDA PUTS "ARE WE THERE YET" IN IT'S PROPER PERSPECTIVE, EH?!

Instead of that nightmare 3 day scream-a-thon, I had a big red bird pressed up against the side of my head for three days, and if she wasn't bonded enough to begin with before we left - she certainly was by the time we got there. The rest of my flock was content to just sit there looking out the window, watching the world go by. I used those same car seats as portable travel perches at the motel room. Just threw towels under them. My only real problem the whole trip was that my Greenwing kept trying to hop into bed with me. I ended up having to put her travel perch on my nightstand next to my face... or she'd end up perched on my chest! [Yeah, another one of those "super aggressive" greenwings!]

But yeah, I made these:



It's just PVC pipe, a couple of fittings, and vet wrap. The treat cups are made from large end caps turned upside down, and glued to a short piece of pipe so they slide in and out for easy cleaning.

If you have the tools you could probably make this in somewhere between 1-2 hours. Measure your seat, and your bird's tail, and you can custom fit it to your car, and your bird. This one has multiple sized perches because I used to put the 3 conures on the smaller diameter perch near the food bowl. The bigger birds ride where my zon is sitting. If your bird is trained to stay put, they are really cool! IF NOT, not-so-much! Throw a blanket over the seat for a poop catcher, and to keep them from chewing on the seat, and there you go! Have birds, will travel!

Just don't use the glue around your birds because the fumes are UBER-TOXIC!!!

 

[kalypso123]

My cockatiel definitly hates being in her travel cage. I eventually gave into the screaming and took her out. Kalypso loved it. She looked out the window and played with the seat but this was only a 45min drive to the vet. She is the only avian vet near me and if I didnt go to her on tuesday or thursday I would have to drive an hour and a half.