Moving to Florida

[Anita1250]

So, my husband and I are having a house built in Parrish Florida. Once the construction is completed, we have to move with our 38 year old Amazon Sam. I am looking for advice on the best way to get Sam from NYC to Florida, a trip of approximately 1300 miles. We plan to drive down once everything is loaded on the moving truck. My question is whether it would be better to drive right through using two drivers to get there quickly, or to go slow and stop several times on the way. Please give me any advice you may have about travelling with an elderly parrot. Just a note, Sam is used to being in the car with us as we had two homes and traveled 2 hours between them many times. He has a great travel cage with a small playtop where he can come out and have food and water in a hotel. Thank you in advance for any advice. Anita.

 

[Laurasea]

Welcome to Florida soon!
I vote taking a break. So he can rest and drink. Often they don't drink very much when moving. Offer applesauce for extra moisture.
Make sure he doesn't huge a chill. Make sure you weigh before trip, and every day after for several days . Often stress can allow a medical condition to rear up. I always provide extra warmth for a week after a move. Many birds can be chronic carries of chlamydia, and stress can cause them to break out with an active infection. Because chlamydia can go dormant and hide in liver and spleen, even when tested in the past a dormant infection csn nit be detected.

Safe travels

 

[noodles123]

I'd drive him and take breaks along the way. I'd also cover him when he would go to bed typically so that his bed time stays on schedule. Buy a little thermometer so that you can tell the temp in his area. Someone should probably sit in the back seat with him to monitor any drafts etc. You might consider starting him on something like avi-calm a few days prior by mixing it into wet food (not water). I have never used it, but a lot of people have and from what I have read, most start it ahead of stressful events like travel.

 

[SailBoat]

With great luck, all of our Amazons, over the years, have been road warriors and loved to travel. Our Julio's prior owners traveled from Northern Michigan to the Southern coast of Texas yearly and we have for years traveled from Western Michigan to the Tampa area of Florida.

I'll not into a full-out push to make the trip in one full run... It's hard on everyone and everyone will be dead tired when you arrive, which is not good for anyone other than 20 somethings traveling for Spring Break. Our Amazons have all been elderly and handled the trip well. We have always played it by ear. Harsh Weather slows things down, Road Construction and hitting rush hour traffic, and traffic back-ups are common unknowns that can take a perfectly time trip and turn it into a nightmare if your goal is to push though.

Traffic lights and traveling with an elderly Amazon: The red tail lights have always been an issue with our Amazons as have the on-coming head lights. So, I would recommend not traveling deep into the night. Yes, you can cage cover, but that can be problematic as well.

Center the travel cage in the back seat so that both of you are visible is a better choice as it keeps the drafts common along the doors to a minimum and temperature tends to be more balanced. GPS has taken much of the need for the non-driver to keep track of things, but a map is always helpful for the big picture.

Assure you have a complete copy of your Amazon's Medical file with you. Also, find and map-out the location of Avian Medical Professional's clinics and phone numbers along the way. We have been very lucky and have never had to use it, but...

Your Amazon is already a proven traveler and what you have experienced will be what you will see on the longer trip. Long story short, plan for a single night stop but be open to a couple of nights if needed.

 

[Anita1250]

Thanks for all of the advice! Fortunately, we should be moving in May or June, so the cold will not be a factor in our drive. I too feel that a one night stop is best for us and the bird. This gives him a chance to get out of the cage and eat to his hearts content. And being an Amazon, that will be quite a bit! LOL.

I am most concerned about water intake. I don't want him to get dehydrated, so plan to stop and take him out in the backseat for water breaks. He will drink water and eat in the car as long as we aren't moving. Actually, sometimes he eats while we are moving if he sees something in the cup he really likes. Tough bird!

 

[SailBoat]

Great!

Humans need to stop from time to time for all kinds of reasons including gas, potty breaks, food, etc... We station one person at the vehicle and one goes inside. This allows the Amazon some still time for eating and drinking!

Yes, not as concerned about extreme cold in the Spring, early Summer, but Spring storms can slow down the trip.

Enjoy the trip as it can be great bonding time for everyone!

 

[Anita1250]

We are pretty good at driving long distances. My husband is a truck driver, so he has learned to do almost all of those things in the truck! We will stop for bathroom breaks, but I think I will bring our meals in a cooler. Don't much like the fast food at those rest stops.

I would never leave Sam alone in the car anyway, so most of the time we will be eating in the car. If we stop, then we can have our dinner in the hotel room. Should be an experience!

 

[wrench13]

Good Luck with the move, NYC is loosing a nice couple ( and a bird)! I don't know how your Mac deals with twilight and dark in the car, but I do know that our Salty, a 6yr old, gets very stressed out by all the flashing lights (disembodied to him, because parrots night vision is terrible). If I do get stuck on the road with him past twilight, I have to drive with one of the courtesy lights on in cabin. Covering the cage up makes it worse. Your result may differ.

If your house is being built totally from scratch, give thought as to how you will air it out so any VOC's from construction dissipate. Adhesives, paint and even some of the material itself, like carpet or flooring materials, all could contain VOCs that need to air out. Try to find out from the contractor exactly what is going into your new home.

 

[Anita1250]

Mine does pretty good even at night. He has been driving in pitch dark and he is fine. The only thing he doesn't like are trucks next to us. He just yells a them a little and goes back to watching out the window. I think he will be just fine on the drive.

This isn't our first new house. The last one when we moved in Sam was ok. Never had any problems, and we moved in the middle of the winter so the heat was already on. I will open our windows and air everything out.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Like 'Boats' Julio,Amy is also a road warrior "go for a ride,in the car?" is one of his favorite things to say. When he very young (maybe a year or two old,now 31) I used to take him for day trips in my big rig (now retired) thats where he got his taste for adventures. Now our longest trips have been to visit Salty and his family,about 2.5 hour ride. He always sits on my shoulder in awe of his surroundings, talking to the traffic and the people in cars who saw him and beeped the horn. When it got dark and I could tell he was tired (head nestled under his arm) I put him in his carrier and covered it. The only down side was my car needed a good cleaning the next day because he would only eat if he was on my shoulder. I wouldn't hesitate on taking him on a longer journey.


Jim