how long left alone and what to do during the holidays?

[CowardMan]

Hiya,

just trying to cover all my bases for life with a bird. How long would you guys say it's okay to leave them with food and water in the cage? on times I'm away on vacation or get stuck away longer than expected? Also what do folks here do with their fids for the holidays when visiting family? I normally go to my mum's for the holiday's for about a week and with only a motorbike taking them in a "holiday" cage would be hard at best to do and with it being 4+ hours to get there would almost certainly be too much for them. I'm just a bit stumped on what to do around the holiday period. For normal summertime vacation I have my sister lined up to give food and water daily but of course for christmas she'll be visiting family too so she wouldn't be able to.

 

[Macawdamia Nut]

The longest I have left my macaw unsupervised was one night. I have a security camera trained on his cage so I can see what he is up to, which involves eating, sleeping, preening or playing with his toys. I have mellow music set to go on and off at certain times.

Anything longer than one night and I take him to the avian vet for boarding. It gets very expensive if he is due for an annual exam/psittacosis test/gram stain, which are required for boarding, but that is the cost of doing business. Budget accordingly!

As a result, my trips are either one night or several weeks. The longest trip was one month. It is not worth the hassle or expense to go on short trips longer than overnight. As self-entertaining as my bird is, I do not think it is fair to leave him alone overnight, which encompasses the good part of two days as well. It is rare that I even leave him overnight.

 

[rheashard2]

A back up bird sitter is nice. Someone your vet recommends or you know. Your birds personality will determine minimum frequency. Some like to throw food, dishes on floor. Or bathe in water dish. These need more frequent checks, 3 or more times daily. Then you have your birds personality. Some don't mind you being gone. Some hate it if you're in the next room. Start looking early so you can take your time checking out and evaluating the person you pick. It's also important for your bird to tolerate the person. If bird doesn't like them, attacks, bites and negative behaviors become the norm.

 

[Jcas]

I have various friends and family members who live nearby who are willing to stop in once a day to feed/ water/ check on the birds when I have to be away ( which isn’t very often). I have left them four or five days with someone just checking on them once or twice a day. I do have three birds in the same room so I feel like they keep each other company. I don’t think I would leave a single bird alone all day for more than a day or two if I could help it. If you had to, I think Leaving on a tv or radio some of the day would maybe help. If you don’t have any friends/ neighbors who would be willing to check on/ watch your bird during the holidays, checking vets’ office for local pet sitters might be helpful.

 

[wrench13]

1 nite/day ie 24 hours is the longest I have left my parrot alone in his cage w/food and water. I 100% do not recommend any longer then that. I was a total mess because of it. I was away 1 time for 4 days and I brought him to a professional bird sitter, highly recommended by our local parrot club.

With just a motorcycle, how do you propose to get him to vet visits?
And food and water daily, while that will sustain his life, zero interaction with his flock for an extended time is going to mess with his mind and you may be very sorry about that.

I suggest that at this time in your life, parrot ownership might not be the best for you or a parrot.