tips for moving my babies safely in the winter?

[HeadlessH00ligan]

hello all!
so, due to some health concerns arising in my current living situation ( we have a smoker in the apartment that was brought in without my consent, and i’m very worried about my babies health ), i am going to move back home to Buffalo from Rochester.
however, it is snowing pretty bad right now, and i’m trying to figure out extra precautions on how to transport my conures as warmly as possible from the car to home.
my babies get nervous in the car and sometimes throw up, so that is another issue i try to limit ;(
any tips and tricks would be GREATLY appreciated!! thank you to all who have read this.

 

[GivemeSeedsorgivemeFlesh]

What I do is preheat the car until it's nice and toasty, then I put the carrier in a thick coat. I completely cover it so no drafts can get in. Then I hurry to the warm car and put the covered carrier in the seat and get in and close the door. I then zip open the coat and buckle in the carrier so my girlie can have some air and light during the drive. Before opening the car door on the other end I unbuckle the carrier and zip the coat up. It takes some agility to do all this and some climbing over seats and stretching but it seems to work. I prefer the back seat but I've noticed it is quite drafty. Last time I put her in the front seat which is not ideal, but has a seat warmer that can also be preheated in in very cold weather.

 

[HeadlessH00ligan]

thank you, i actually never thought of that :0

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Try to drive while it's daytime. Birds don't handle riding in a dark car very well.
If you keep them warm they should be fine. Keep in mind that they have nice warm feathers so as long as they aren't in a draft or the wind they can handle lower Temperatures, like 50s, just fine and a quick exposure to even colder temperatures won't hurt them.

 

[rheashard2]

Also keep air activated pocket warmers handy. They come in a variety of sizes. I've seen them in pharmacy and sporting departments. They last for hours. A great mental relief item, especially if trip is weather delayed. Get several so you have some for your use too. Most last for hours. But like everything else you might get THE ONE that won't heat or lasts for a few minutes. Wrapping one in a cloth and placed near carrier your bird can move towards or away at need. I keep several in my human, doggie and parrot first aid kit.

 

[GivemeSeedsorgivemeFlesh]

This seems like a good thing to have in case of a power outage.

 

[rheashard2]

This seems like a good thing to have in case of a power outage.

You're absolutely correct! They got Nameliss, 2 dogs, 3 cats, my daughter and I through living in her car for 3+ days of power outage when we had that blizzard a few years ago. San Antonio Texas isn't used to snow let alone a blizzard. It was interesting. All of us in driveway, content. Nameliss came out of the ordeal believing that hoodies were her new travel cage.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I have a small inverter generator we can put in the car to plug electric things into. I had to take a newborn baby budgie, Joey, to work last winter to feed her every two to three hours. It was only a ten minute drive but Joey was naked and had to stay warm so we plugged her portable incubator into the generator and she never got chilled enroute to work.

During a cold winter road trip with birds, an inverter generator would be invaluable. In addition to providing simple comfort, there are fewer worries about car trouble or sudden winter storms. You can plug anything into them, like heating pads, electric blankets, etc.

 

[HeadlessH00ligan]

Try to drive while it's daytime. Birds don't handle riding in a dark car very well.
If you keep them warm they should be fine. Keep in mind that they have nice warm feathers so as long as they aren't in a draft or the wind they can handle lower Temperatures, like 50s, just fine and a quick exposure to even colder temperatures won't hurt them.

i’m glad to hear that

 

[wrench13]

I'm assuming your car has a working heater. Keep it comfortable in the car, with the vents not pointing directly at the birds. My parrot is OK if he can see the trees and stuff whizzing past during the day, and gets nervous if he can't. Longest trip has been 3-1/2 hrs. But nite time, he has to be covered because the lights doing the same whizzing by really gets him scared. Don't worry much about from the house to the car, they won't get cold enough in that short time to hurt them, unless its a hike to the car. He doesn't drink or eat much in the car, but I give him a treat a few times. I have driven with him loose in the car, in a harness,but loose. And he basically sits on my shoulders, but he also is pooping between me and the seat (smooshy messy). But that's for long trips. Vet and shopping trips, he goes in his pak-o-bird.

Both my last 2 parrots (Salty and Max) developed the sniffles when they were relocated to their new environments and needed antibiotics to get over them. Hopefully not the case with yours but be aware. Good Luck!