Getting married, honeymoon and traveling

[Jackiebuckdaily]

Hello everyone. On December 27th, I will be getting married. I will be driving down to Fort Lauderdale, where I am from to get married to my best friend. Unfortunately I cannot bring the beautiful birds with me... 24 hours in the car, plus honeymoon just won't work. I am worried that my birds will be miserable with me being gone for a while. Dec 18-Jan 10 (latest). I have dear friends coming over to my house (their environment) to take care of them. Can you all help me construct a perfect list for my watchers? Advice to help this time away be smooth for all of us? How to get them adjusted to my woman?! I want to help them stay happy, not pluck and entertained.

 

[Peppo]

Congratulations! When I left Paco for two nights, I had a friend come over a couple of times to learn his routine: meal times (I had everything pre cooked and packaged by day for her to give him), lights off/on times, TV off/on times, emergency numbers (vet, backup for her in case she couldn't make it one time), what never to feed him, favorite songs, etc. I also made sure Paco would tolerate her changing his food bowls and that he actually liked her! I think if it was longer than two days or if I didn't trust my pet sitter completely, I think I would have him stay with Dr. F in Brewer. Do you know him? I also have considered some type of video chat/camera so he could hear my voice when I am gone and I could spy on the animals during the day to see what they are plotting. Good luck to you!

 

[Jackiebuckdaily]

I do not, I live in Bangor which is literally down the road from Brewer. Is he a bird specialist?

 

[JerseyWendy]

Many congrats on your upcoming nuptials! Exciting times!!

Peppo has given you outstanding advice already! Didn't leave out a single thing.

When I had to leave my flock for a little less than a week, I had typed up half a book of detailed instructions for my husband (who had to take off work since we have 2 dogs as well).

Days leading up to my trip, I had my husband do the 'chores', so he would have hands-on experience rather than only relying on my scribble.

Food was pre-cooked and frozen in individual baggies, chop was in the fridge, and I had plenty of dry food stored.

My A-vet's phone number was taped onto the fridge - JUST in case he needed it.

As to how to get them to adjust to your new bride? Time! And patience. Lots of it.

 

[Aquila]

I'm the queen of post-it notes. I stick them on everything with instructions, who gets fed what, etc.

After an unfortunate occurrence with someone I thought was a good friend (and whom I'd dog/cat sat for before) she had neglected to come over and my parakeets all passed, I'm very VERY careful of who comes in contact with my birds. I'm very lucky to have my boyfriend who loves them as much as I do and I've taught him how to take care of the birds and they like him, of course.

 

[Kiwibird]

Congrats on your upcoming wedding! We have left Kiwi for a week or so at a time before and he was either cared for by my parents (who have owned parrots longer than I've been alive) or a (very reputable) pet sitter. We never had to leave instructions with my parents but for the pet sitter:

1. The first time, she came over and met Kiwi and discussed his care needs
2. Left post its with explicit instructions on EVERYTHING
3. Left fresh fruit/veg in the fridge AND extra money in case any of that went bad
4. Told her under no uncertain terms unless it was an absolute emergency, he was not to be allowed out of his cage. Unless the person is an experienced bird owner, non-bird people don't need to be taking the birds out. They will be fine for a week or 2 in their cage and at the end of the day, it is MUCH safer for the bird and the person watching the bird.
5. Left an "emergency" kit right next to him in case there was some kind of issue including his emergency cage, a towel and some thick gloves to get him with, bottled water, dry food in a ziplock, styptic powder, hydrogen peroxide ect... Our pet sitter was experienced enough with watching birds she knew how to towel one if they were sick or injured to get them to a vet, but it may be worthwhile to show your friend the proper way to 'extract' the bird IF there is an emergency scenario.

After an unfortunate occurrence with someone I thought was a good friend (and whom I'd dog/cat sat for before) she had neglected to come over and my parakeets all passed, I'm very VERY careful of who comes in contact with my birds.

That is HORRIBLE! I am so sorry that happened Our old pet sitter used to offer the option of texting a photo each visit so you could see your pet was ok. Probably not a bad idea to ask for if a friend is caring for them and a non offensive way to make sure they are taking care of them.

 

[Mimsy01]

Congrats and I wish you a great honeymoon!

Aquilla that is awful about your birds.

In the past when I was vacationing for a long time I had a friend stay at my house. I have a small petting zoo, especially way back when, so it's easier if they can stay. Then I had other friends drop in to help in case it was needed. (yes I'm paranoid)

I listed all instructions on a long list on the fridge, including daily/weekly/emergency.

Emergency numbers listed on the list and on the emergency supply box. (vet, knowledgeable friends, poison control ect)

Cages had info of animals on them-name, sex, age, species and any medical history that would be important and medications needed/doses. I used those little stainless steel index card holders to attach to the cage, like you see at vets or rescues.

if they do need to go to the vets, they have most of the important info then for the vets office. Also leaving credit card for vet emergencies. if the friends are not quite that trustworthy, perhaps you can leave the information directly at your vets office.

I find being over careful about it all, makes me more relaxed to enjoy my vacation.

 

[JerseyWendy]

I knew I had forgotten something.... :52:

Please tell your friends to check the birds' toys over every day. Depending on how they play/chew, some toys 'may not' remain safe while you are away. Have some extra toys nearby so that they can change those out.

 

[Peppo]

Dr. Feher is at the Brewer Vet Clinic 207 989 6533. Paco gets his nails and wings done there. Paco always goes there happy and returns happy so I think I would use them for boarding. He is the closest bird vet to me and I still have to travel more than 2 hours to get there for a two minute clip and trim but it is worth it if Paco is happy. I have asked them and they said they have boarded birds there before. This doctor seems to know parrots well so I think I would trust them. They have an Amazon in the front office.

 

[torrap]

Congrats!!!!
That's not easy but can be done.
Local Parrot Rescue could be considered as they usually know how to deal with birds. That's what I would do if I am gone for more than a week or so.
I just came back after being gone for 2 days. It was a sudden trip I had to take, there was no time to arrange anything, so my daughter came to stay with my birds. I left instructions.
I came back to see food not being touched...... , even the nuts on top of the food served were there untouched!!
My daughter said they didn't make any sounds (usually one of them talks non-stop).
Next time I go I sure would record my voice, see if it makes any difference.
Boy, they were so happy to see me back!

I am not trying to scare you, but just be prepared they not going to eat first day or so, so your bird sitters don't panic.

 

[KarenRei]

I've tried getting people to come over to sit for me and spend time around my Amazon, to give him company... but having people he's not comfortable around in spend time near him just seems to make the fact that I'm not around even worse for him. He's not a big fan of "humans other than me". So I find these days it's best just to have someone come over to see about the essentials (food, water, paper, etc) - better to have him "bored to heck" than "uncomfortable". He's always really happy to see me when I get back, but he doesn't stop eating or anything while I'm gone.

When there's not going to be someone around to uncover him, I leave his cover such that there's a gap over a side door, so it's still largely dark inside, but he can get in and out whenever he wants.

Sorry that I don't have any tips about getting a parrot to adjust to someone new... I think it's just a "hope for the best" sort of thing. I think the most important thing is, at least early on, simply being careful to avoid giving the bird a reason to specifically *not* like them. But it's ultimately up to the bird.

 

[Jackiebuckdaily]

How much is it there for a general check up- nails done there?