Traveling with birds

[HeatherDesigns]

I'm going to be bringing a Sun Conure (12yo) and a Cockatiel (10yo) from Wisconsin to Nebraska next weekend. The trip is about 10 hours. Does anyone have any recommendations for making the trip less stressful for the birds?

 

[GW.Joe]

I'm going to be bringing a Sun Conure (12yo) and a Cockatiel (10yo) from Wisconsin to Nebraska next weekend. The trip is about 10 hours. Does anyone have any recommendations for making the trip less stressful for the birds?

Are you bringing them home in their own cages?

The only two things I can think of besides caging is having good A/C in the vehicle cause open windows may scare the heck out of them if they are not used to it

Also, millet is a real treat for parrots, so if they are scared or upset sometimes millet will have a good calming effect on them

Music is always calming too

Joe

 

[HeatherDesigns]

I will be bringing their own cages but they will have to be in travel cages because the conure at least has a flight cage which just won't fit in our car while assembled. I don't know what sort of cage the cockatiel has. I may end up buying a travel cage for it too.

Would covering the cages help the birds feel more at ease while we travel or should I let them see what is going on around them?

Millet is a good suggestion, I will bring that with me.

 

[GW.Joe]

Would covering the cages help the birds feel more at ease while we travel or should I let them see what is going on around them?

Millet is a good suggestion, I will bring that with me.

Hmm, that is a good question, I would bring covers just in case but most likely they will enjoy the view
So if they start freaking out you could cover them!!

Wishing you all the best on your trek to save these guys !!

Try to take some "road trip" pictures for us LOL !!

Joe

 

[riddick07]

Mine like to see what is going on even freaky boy Folger. I guess he wants to see all the scary things instead of being surprised by something.

 

[MacawLoverOf3]

Eating they probably won't do much on the drive itself but I would still have orange slices available for them along with some of their normal foods. People need to be careful feeding oranges to birds as most people seem to feed pellets which is already loaded with vitamins and iron and oranges are high in iron already which can then cause liver damage further down the road.

Perches low in the carrier and I like placing them within easy beak reach of the door as they tend to hold onto the door while traveling. Also attach 2 food bowls to the door.

Newspaper crumpled up makes a good bottom cover to catch poop and should they fall, a little softer for them to land on.

NO toys. Should there be an accident, that toy will become a projectile and injure or kill.

Don't cover the crates until you know they don't like traveling but have a something to throw over in case they get freaked out by passing cars/trucks.

Buckle them up too.

 

[HeatherDesigns]

I was originally thinking I would take the perches out of the cages entirely. I figured if they wanted to hang onto something they could hang onto the grate on the floor or the cage walls. I was afraid they might hurt themselves on the perches if they fell. Is leaving the perches out bad?

I will bring an orange, millet, and something to secure the cages with. I don't know if the belts will fit around cages. The cloth I am going to use to protect the car seats and cover the cages if need be is already in the car so I won't forget it.

Thanks for the help!

 

[SilverSage]

I suggest having one perch per cage, but be sure it is attached securely and that there are no hanging toys in the cage. Put food and water where they can reach them from the perch and make sure they can see one another but not reach each other's toes. Try to keep the car cool but not cold, and make sure they have shade. Radio on is fine, just dont blast it, and keep any AC from blowing right on them. Minimize stop time, so if you have to fill up it is best to pay at the pump.

 

[HeatherDesigns]

Thanks, I will leave them each a perch.

The stop thing we already have planned out. One of us will run in to the potty while the other stays with the car so we can leave it running. Then we'll switch. We'll only turn off the engine at fuel stops. We did the same thing when we moved from Dubuque to Omaha with my dogs, linnies, rabbit, and lizards. However that was only a 5hr drive and my linnies are so laid back they might as well be stoners. Seriously, nothing seems to bother these birds except my washing their sleep tent. "Oh no, it's clean, AAAAHHHHH!" LOL

 

[MacawLoverOf3]

One other thing, you always want to use a small carrier, not something large as in this case larger is NOT better. In the event something would happen, an accident or just swerving to avoid an accident, the first thing a bird will do is spread out those wings and if the bird goes flying against the side, the wings will be broken. You want something that is more confining yet big enough to turn around in so never use a 'regular' cage for transporting.

 

[HeatherDesigns]

This is the travel cage I have now. It's the purple one. It is 11x14" and 19" tall. Is this an ok size for the cockatiel? I'm figuring it is to small for the conure, or at least would be difficult to get the conure into. It is what I use to transport my linnies when I have to take them somewhere.

If you don't think the cage is a good idea I could get two of these. They are 16 x 10" and 12" tall.

What do you think would be the better option?

 

[dragonlady2]

One other suggestion...use rope perches. They are a lot easier for the birds to hang on to.

 

[SilverSage]

I agree that smaller is better, and rope perches are good but I would only use them if the birds are used to them, as this is not the time to be adding new things. You would hate for them to associate rope perches with stressful car rides. The carriers are a better idea if you can get a perch into them, but be SURE they are not in the sun!!