Any military parrot owners out there?

[BattonGirl]

Hi, all! I've just joined here.

I own a 4 year old cockatiel that I've had since he was about 5 weeks and he is just the noisy, cheeky little light of my life. My husband is set to leave for Air Force basic training in just a few weeks here. Does anyone here have experience being in the military and owning birds? I'm a little anxious about where we might get stationed and how it would be traveling with him. I know some countries have quarantine rules and I've heard that some people have horror stories about that. I want to take him with me wherever I go, whatever I have to do. And I would never ship him or put him in cargo.

Any tips or information would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[GaleriaGila]

I thought at first you were looking for Military Macaw owners!
But now I see it's a wonderful little cockatiel with military involvement.
I don't have any experience, but I think my first step would be to contact the authorities in likely areas of transfer... ?
Also, maybe write a letter to the editor of a military periodical asking for people to contribute knowedge?
Can your husband's commanding officer recommend a source, maybe?
Good luck!

 

[chris-md]

The challenge as a military family (thank you for your service!) as you noted will be with international travel. Leaving the us for another country is one thing, coming back is a whole other beast and set of rules.

I dont want to be a party pooper but if international travel is in your future, it's possible you may have to surrender the bird. It all depends on where you go. I had parakeets as a teen when we were stationed in Rota, Spain and we could not bring them back to the states.

Interstate travel won't present much of a problem for you.

 

[SilverSage]

Hi
My husband is in the Army. Our flock moves with us no problem! We brought them with us to Hawaii and we will take them when we leave.

As for being stationed overseas, you will make a lot of good friends (count me as one!) who may be able to foster your bird for you long term if you get an overseas assignment.

It can be overwhelming to think about military life at all, much less with a pet! But ultimately it's just life. It will be fine, and it can be really exciting! Welcome to life as a military spouse, and welcome to the forum!


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[BattonGirl]

Thank you all so much! I can't imagine having to leave my Bird behind in another country. That's terrifying. It looks like I have lots of research ahead of me! I just wish we could know whether we would be stationed overseas or not ahead of time.

 

[SilverSage]

Well that's one of the crazy parts; not knowing when or where they will send you. There are ways to narrow down where he will go though; what's his MOS?

I don't know a lot about which are stationed where in the Air Force, but we were able to tell a lot about where my husband will or won't be stationed by process of elimination. So for example my husband's MOS is 11A; that means he is an infantry officer. His first duty station is Hawaii, with the 25th Infantry division. 25ID is LIGHT INFANTRY. Because he is an officer and has to be well rounded, we know they will send him to a HEAVY INFANTRY unit next. There are like 8 places we can go (after his next training in GA), and they do NOT include Italy, Germany, or Korea, the overseas postings with infantry. We could, however, be sent to Alaska. So once you get into the lifestyle there will be people around you who can help you narrow down your possibilities to help plan ahead. Also, you will find the community amazing. Every barrel has its bad apples, but over all the military community is very supportive. I'm very glad that we lived on post our first couple of years, and if you can I really would encourage you to live on base. Not only is it guaranteed to be housing you can afford, but military housing is pretty universally pet friendly as long as you don't have an "aggressive breed" dog. But the big thing is having neighbors who know exactly how everything works and what it is like to be new to it all.


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[GaleriaGila]

I neglected to say "Thank you for your service!"
And that goes out to all of you who serve.

 

[BattonGirl]

Well that's one of the crazy parts; not knowing when or where they will send you. There are ways to narrow down where he will go though; what's his MOS?

He won't get his AFSC until some time during basic, unfortunately. But it will be some type of mechanic job. Which I imagine will have a pretty wide selection of bases open.

How is life in Hawaii? I would love to be there, but at the same time it seems like it might feel cut off from everyone because it's so far away and so small. Does the beauty of it make up for that?

 

[BattonGirl]

Also, that's my little spoot head if anyone wants to see him! His name is Chanticleer, but we call him Chanti for short. (said like shahn-tee)

 

[Scott]

Welcome to the forums, thanks for your service! Sounds like an exciting life ahead, hopefully with Chanti by your side wherever you go!

Definitely do some research, including what if any control your husband has regarding his bases.

 

[SilverSage]

lol that's ok, even with a mechanical job (like my brother) there will be places he is more likely and less likely to go. There is a lot of uncertainty but after a while you get used to it. It may take your family longer than it takes you; you will find yourself saying a lot of things like "I don't know if we will be home for Christmas. We plan to, but you know the Air Force..."

Hawaii is beautiful. We have been here about 2.5 years. I loved it until all my friends moved lol. Now it is lonely and frustrating and I'm ready to get out of here.


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