Getting Birds Used to Travel Carrier

[Dazbme]

I have budgie and a rosy bourke that I am planning to take with me when I move across the country in about a month. Neither of them are used to travel carriers so I have been trying to get them as comfortable with it as possible before the move and would like some advice.

So far, I have been putting the carrier next to their cage and leaving food in it. Once they got comfortable with that, I moved their main food dish into the travel carrier and they are both comfortable with going into the carrier to eat at this point. My problem is that I don't know how to proceed from here, I know that if I close the carrier on them while they're eating in it, they are going to panic. I'm worried that this will lead them to be scared of the carrier after that.

What is the smoothest way to transition them to be comfortable with being closed in the carrier? My best idea currently is to put some food, water, and toys into their carriers and close them in for the night. They'll definitely panic when the carrier is first closed on them but they'll have to get comfortable and go to sleep in there at some point. From there I could transition them to use the carriers as their primary cages leading up to the move and maybe slowly get them used to having their carriers moved around.

What are your thoughts? Do you guys have any ideas on what would be the least stressful way to get my birds used to their travel carriers?

 

[wrench13]

They might surprise you - my Salty was happy to be in his Pack O Bird as long as the food is in there. Can you show us the carrier you are using?

 

[Dazbme]

I would have loved to get a pack-o-bird for my little parakeets but unfortunately, those were out of my price range. Since I'm traveling cross country, my birds will be flying in the cabin with me and I needed to buy a small, soft-sided bird carrier.

I couldn't find soft-sided carrier specifically made for birds that fit my airline's requirements, so I purchased a couple of these generic pet carriers for my parakeets.
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Black-Soft-Sided-Pet-Carrier/dp/B00QHBZUM4
Not at all optimal, I know, but I made a sturdy little perch for them on the inside of the carrier with some dowelling and there is enough room for them to walk around and stretch their wings a bit, it's made to for a small dog, after all.

 

[wrench13]

This does not look terrible frm a parrot point of view, just make sure they do not chew on the inside, that they have food and water onthe trip. Also make VERY sure about the rules about flying with pets with your specific airline. They all have different rules and can also be different depending on your destination state. Example: Some airlines only allow 1 animal to be in the cabin and some states will not allow certain species to be brought into the state. Enjoy your new home!

 

[Dazbme]

I already double and triple checked with the airline and everything looks good on that front. My bourke doesn't really chew and I don't she could chew hard even if she wanted to. My budgie is quite a chewer but I've examined the carrier and I don't think she would be able to do any significant damage to it, but I'll keep a close eye on the carriers to make sure neither of them find a way to damage it. From here I just need to try and get them as comfortable as possible with the carriers before the flight as to minimize the stressfulness of the trip for them.

 

[SailBoat]

One of the important parts about Travel Carriers and Parrots is that most Humans only load their Parrots in when they are going to the Avian Vet!

Once you have them loaded in the carrier, go some place. Like from the home to the car. Next in the car for short trip, then a longer trip.

Try different locations in the car belting them in both the front and the back seats. Work at placing the carrier so that they can see you.

Note, some Parrots like to see what is going on around them (see out the windows) while other prefer to not deal with it.

Assure that you have a light cover to provide protection from overheating in the bright Sun.

Once they are comfortable with traveling in the car, they will be more comfortable with traveling in an aircraft, train, bus, etc...

Enjoy.

 

[Dazbme]

Excellent suggestions, thank you SailBoat!

I was thinking about taking them for car rides once they get a little used to their carriers being moved around, good to hear this idea echoed by someone else.