Airplane portable travel cage for a Hahn's Macaw

[ChocoboFun]

I need help figuring out what I can do for Harvey. We fly across the country 2-3 times a year on average. This year we actually drove out of town several times as well. The driving will likely increase when we move closer to my wife's family. and the flying will stay about the same (yay veeery widely dispersed parents).

Harvey's cage is ginormous and so it doesn't fit in my car, much less a commercial airplane. He already has an airplane ready crate that he came shipped in, and we have another one for peep and perry. Their cage is collapsible and small enough we could easily fit it in a large travel bag.

What we need, is a longer-term solution for Harvey's average daily needs whilst on these trips. I want something large enough for him to be comfortable in for longer periods of time, but small enough to fit in the same suitcase as peep and perry's cage.

Any ideas? I've thought about going for some of the collapsible dog cages but i'm not so sure he wouldn't quickly destroy the probably-not-parrot-friendly paint job.

 

[GreatBlue320]

Good to see you, ChocoboFun! How is Harvey doing? Any chance we could get an updated photo or two?

I wish I had a suggestion for you. Our solution to taking Baxter on family visits was to buy a good, affordable cage to keep at each of our parent's homes. Not the most economical approach, but it saved us so much hassle!

 

[ChocoboFun]

I think that 4 cages would be challenging to pull off, but we could get away with 1 portable one. Though.... I suppose with transportation costs factored in, that might eventually break even..

 

[Bandespresso]

What I did for Espresso (we are actually going on a road trip in a little over a week) is I bought one of those cheap-o parakeet cages. They collapse and you can reinforce them with zip ties temporarily. It is small and she won't go through the tiny door but it works well for an on-the-go situation. She will really only be in it for sleeping and traveling and will be out most of the day so it works for what I need.

 

[Scott]

How do you normally fly with Harvey? Not familiar with the Hahn's Macaw, but Googled and found they are smaller than other species. I would *highly* recommend you fly with him in a cage sufficiently sized to fit in the seat in front of you rather than ship him in the cargo pit. All assuming he is sufficiently quiet to not upset fellow travelers!

As far as cage construction is concerned, a carryon device by definition need only be sufficiently robust to prevent him from escaping, while a cargo-pit compliant cage must meet certain standards. If interested in a carryon, check with the specific airline for size limitations.

 

[plumsmum2005]

I need help figuring out what I can do for Harvey. We fly across the country 2-3 times a year on average. This year we actually drove out of town several times as well. The driving will likely increase when we move closer to my wife's family. and the flying will stay about the same (yay veeery widely dispersed parents).

Harvey's cage is ginormous and so it doesn't fit in my car, much less a commercial airplane. He already has an airplane ready crate that he came shipped in, and we have another one for peep and perry. Their cage is collapsible and small enough we could easily fit it in a large travel bag.

What we need, is a longer-term solution for Harvey's average daily needs whilst on these trips. I want something large enough for him to be comfortable in for longer periods of time, but small enough to fit in the same suitcase as peep and perry's cage.

Any ideas? I've thought about going for some of the collapsible dog cages but i'm not so sure he wouldn't quickly destroy the probably-not-parrot-friendly paint job.

I hope you have found a cage that suits your needs.

I am intrigued by flying with your bird. If you wouldn't mind would you explain how it works. I am fascinated.

 

[Scott]

I am intrigued by flying with your bird. If you wouldn't mind would you explain how it works. I am fascinated.

Slightly O/T, I can share an anecdote about a raptor in the cabin of an airliner. Many years ago I had a U.S.A.F officer flying with a falcon between Colorado Springs and Denver. (The falcon is an official mascot of the U.S. Air Force Academy) They have permission to fly with the bird uncaged wearing blinders, and tethered to the handler's wrist. I just had to visit before takeoff and observe the fairly small bird gifted with huge talons! The handler held the very calm bird above a briefcase covered with newspaper. He mentioned the falcon had a tendency to lean forward during the acceleration of takeoff, but otherwise typically remains quiet.

Small dogs and cats are frequent occupants of passenger cabins, though parrots are rather rare.

 

[ChocoboFun]

I still haven't found/decided a cage (this is for the destination) yet, unfortunately.

Certain airlines will allow you to bring a parrot on the plane with you, provided they are in an airline approved (size constrained) cage. There is a nominal fee (usually around $50 each way).

Harvey was shipped to us in a cage that is essentially a re-infored cat carrier. The main box is plastic, with metal re-inforcing bars inside. We use this to tote him around. It is rated of an appropriate size to go inside the cabin as well. Unfortunately, this means it is much too small for long-term daily use. We are talking 1-2 week trips.

He loves car trips (and so does Perry lol), and gets pretty excited about that. But we DO let him out in the car when we are a minimum of 30 minutes away from a toll. The trips into Jersey were lively with their company. I hope that doesn't translate to 'too loud to fly' in the future, though he would be confined to his carryer for the duration of the flight,so would probably be calmer so long as we re-assure him of our presence regularly (to prevent contact calls).

Can I assume Espresso doesn't try to destroy the parakeet cage? Harvey is rather insistent on attempting to do so with Peep and Perry's cage if we stay in that room when we take him out. I am unsure that a cage of similar quality would survive his near-constant probing. At least, my buttons haven't managed to survive thus far (and neither have the metal clamps holding toys to cages)..

Hopefully, I managed to get everything in one go!

 

[ChocoboFun]

Well, I'm still looking for something, and we have a date set for our next trip! I have 2 months to find something I can feel happy about!

I've found some collapsible cages on MSBS, but they are smaller than what I would prefer given the time he'll have to be in it. They look very similar to the collapsible dog cages though.

Does anyone know if that is a safe/viable option? The local pet store has a few of those in stock with the proper bar spacing and that are large enough that I'd be comfortable with Harvey spending his time in it for parts of the day.

 

[OutlawedSpirit]

Although not a good long-term solution, you may be alright with a dog crate, provided bar spacing is appropriate. Right now, while trying to work out getting a permanent cage, Aria is in a "giant" dog crate. However, instead of the black plastic type coating, it is a galvanized steel crate. It will still break down, and in fact needs to to get it through door ways. Since it is galvanized, I spray it down and scrub it with vinegar weekly to remove any loose zinc on the surface. I don't see why this couldn't at least be a possibility you could look into for a temporary cage while traveling. Granted, if he likes to chew on the cage excessively, he may still be exposed to too much zinc even if it's treated with vinegar regularly.

 

[wrench13]

I got one of these for salty for car travel and spend an hour or 2 in the sun. Pretty well made and it knocks down by hand , but not a cage to fly with.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/MidWest-Avian-Adventures-Poquito-Platinum/dp/B0018CDYVG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1461713618&sr=8-4&keywords=travel+bird+cages"]Amazon.com : MidWest Avian Adventures Poquito Avian Hotel, Platinum : Travel Bird Cages : Pet Supplies[/ame]

 

[Christinenc2000]

That's nice. I wish they made something for a Macaw that did not cost a Weeks pay

 

[ChocoboFun]

That one will actually work, Wrench. I can stash it in the luggage. I'm lucky that my wife is fine with 1 case crammed with our clothes and 1 with the birds stuff! I'm still waffling between that one and another I found from the same manufacturers as his larger cage. That one is 6.2 pounds lighter, which makes a difference when it comes to determining if we'll go over the weight limit or not. I suppose I should weigh everything before making a final decision.

Thanks everyone!