Budgies training for outdoor walks/hikes

[StormyPica]

I finally found a carrier I liked, just ordered it. Here it is:

It has those plastic "windows" on both sides, but it also has that screen on the front, so good ventilation. And the top is fabric, which is good, because I don't want the carrier heating up like a greenhouse (not like I'll be hiking in direct sun or anything, though). It's still winter here, but I figured it would be good to desensitize them to it before spring and summer, and figure out what perch configuration would be best in there. It should come beginning of next week, I'll post a pic when it comes, and do some updates on desensitization plus hikes and walks I take them on.

They've been on a fair amount of walks in the woods, which they enjoyed, but I always had to lug a sleeping cage around. Hopefully the backpack will be easier. I'm hoping to build up the amount of time hiking with them to a good hour or so by the end of the summer. The goal is to go on this really nice forest trail, it's about half an hour drive, and 45 mins to an hour hike. Of course, getting them used to the car will be necessary, but they don't get afraid in the car, just kind of restless and bored. Thankfully, there are a lot of wooded areas around my house where we can "practice" hikes, and I can troubleshoot with any possible issues that might come up before a "big hike".

That's all for now, I'll update as much as possible. Hopefully everything works out.

 

[Terry57]

Ollie, that's a fantastic carrier! It will definitely be so much easier than lugging around a cage, and I can't wait to hear of y'all's adventures together on your hikes. Your babies are gonna love this so much!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I finally found a carrier I liked, just ordered it. Here it is:

View attachment 47690

It has those plastic "windows" on both sides, but it also has that screen on the front, so good ventilation. And the top is fabric, which is good, because I don't want the carrier heating up like a greenhouse (not like I'll be hiking in direct sun or anything, though). It's still winter here, but I figured it would be good to desensitize them to it before spring and summer, and figure out what perch configuration would be best in there. It should come beginning of next week, I'll post a pic when it comes, and do some updates on desensitization plus hikes and walks I take them on.

They've been on a fair amount of walks in the woods, which they enjoyed, but I always had to lug a sleeping cage around. Hopefully the backpack will be easier. I'm hoping to build up the amount of time hiking with them to a good hour or so by the end of the summer. The goal is to go on this really nice forest trail, it's about half an hour drive, and 45 mins to an hour hike. Of course, getting them used to the car will be necessary, but they don't get afraid in the car, just kind of restless and bored. Thankfully, there are a lot of wooded areas around my house where we can "practice" hikes, and I can troubleshoot with any possible issues that might come up before a "big hike".

That's all for now, I'll update as much as possible. Hopefully everything works out.

I bought a birdie backpack on Amazon a couple years ago and its terrific for transporting my fids anywhere- the vet, long or short road trips, on boat rides, walks, hikes etc. I even use it as a hospital cage. I paid around $60 for mine but other models/brands cost a bit less. It has a perch, clip on stainless food and water cups, and lots of ventilation like the one you're getting. Mine has the front zippered flap and mesh screen going up over the top. Happy hiking!

 

[StormyPica]

I bought a birdie backpack on Amazon a couple years ago and its terrific for transporting my fids anywhere- the vet, long or short road trips, on boat rides, walks, hikes etc. I even use it as a hospital cage. I paid around $60 for mine but other models/brands cost a bit less. It has a perch, clip on stainless food and water cups, and lots of ventilation like the one you're getting. Mine has the front zippered flap and mesh screen going up over the top. Happy hiking!

Nice. Mine cost $40 minus shipping (in case anyone is wondering). Could you post a pic of your backpack? I'm thinking of doing a custom PVC perch "thing" (hard to explain), and I need some inspiration.

Ollie, that's a fantastic carrier! It will definitely be so much easier than lugging around a cage, and I can't wait to hear of y'all's adventures together on your hikes. Your babies are gonna love this so much!

 

[Cottonoid]

Ollie, this is going to be so much fun for them!!! That's a really nice looking carrier, too!

 

[StormyPica]

Ok, so question: could I heat the carrier? If so, how? Just thinking that it would be nice to take them out on non-windy days in wintery-spring, I think they'd really like it, but they need some warmth. I know there has to be a way to do this, so how?

 

[ravvlet]

Ok, so question: could I heat the carrier? If so, how? Just thinking that it would be nice to take them out on non-windy days in wintery-spring, I think they'd really like it, but they need some warmth. I know there has to be a way to do this, so how?

Hmmm, that’s an interesting question. They make rechargeable heating pads, but the only place I can think to attach one would be the bottom, so they’d be pooping on the paper right above it… maybe you could find a way to attach it to the back of the carrier? Probably not Velcro, but if you could sew a sleeve onto the back to slip it into so that it’s heating the back wall of the carrier. Then you would probably also want a temp gauge in there to see if it’s making a difference.

I imagine it would function kind of like the sweeter heaters, where it would give off an ambient warmth. Probably not good enough for really cold weather but it might work for cool days where the temps are in the 50s-60s.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Nice. Mine cost $40 minus shipping (in case anyone is wondering). Could you post a pic of your backpack? I'm thinking of doing a custom PVC perch "thing" (hard to explain), and I need some inspiration.

I bought this one two years ago on Amazon and probably paid more than I should have (about $60)but there didn't seem to be as many choices as there are today. It has an adjustable perch with clip on food and water cups, several absorbent washable floor pads, lots of ventilation and viewing windows. You can drop the flap down to make it dark and quiet for sleeping. It's about 17x 12x10 inches.

 

[StormyPica]

I bought this one two years ago on Amazon and probably paid more than I should have (about $60)but there didn't seem to be as many choices as there are today. It has an adjustable perch with clip on food and water cups, several absorbent washable floor pads, lots of ventilation and viewing windows. You can drop the flap down to make it dark and quiet for sleeping. It's about 17x 12x10 inches.

There's still barely any choices for bird carriers, what I got is a cat carrier. There's a lot of them, in a lot of different styles, which is nice. And most "bird carriers" aren't that well made for birds. If they are, they usually cost $100+.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

There's still barely any choices for bird carriers, what I got is a cat carrier. There's a lot of them, in a lot of different styles, which is nice. And most "bird carriers" aren't that well made for birds. If they are, they usually cost $100+.

When I looked on Amazon yesterday for bird backpack carriers I was amazed at how many there were to chose from. And they were specifically for birds (they had perches). Have you ever looked on Amazon? A large parrot could obviously destroy some of them pretty quickly but they seem ideal for smaller birds.