Moving Across the Country with My Birds

[Dazbme]

Hi! I just joined the forum for some advice on this. In a few months, I will be moving across the country with my birds (One budgie and one rosy bourke) and I was looking for advice on a couple things.

First off, as it would be a 3+ day drive if I chose to drive. I am thinking that the more stressful few hours of a plane ride would be less stressful overall for my birds than spending multiple days and nights on the move. Has anyone here flown with their birds before? I've looked it up and there is an airline that will allow me to take my birds in the cabin with me, though sadly there are no direct flights so I would have to make a transfer with my birds. It also specifies that I must have them in a soft-sided carrier. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to look for in a soft-sided bird carrier to take on this plane?

Secondly, both of my birds had clipped wings when I got them, but they have always been flighted for the years I have had them and are very good fliers. I am considering getting their wings clipped for the move to try and minimize the chance of anything happening during the moving process. It would probably also be nice to give me some time to get settled in my new apartment before I have my birds zipping through the air everywhere. Does anyone have any experience with clipping a bird's wings who is very used to flying? What should I be aware of before doing this?

Thanks!

 

[noodles123]

I have driven and flown with mine. In your case, I would think flying might be better due to the multi-day nature of the car ride and the fact that many hotels don't take birds and/or may not be bird safe (unless you have friends whose houses you could stay at and you knew that they were bird-friendly). A direct flight would be better but I would say using one that allows them in the cabin is important in terms of reducing their stress. I will try to write more later, but you can use fruit as a water supper and you can start giving a supplement like Avi-calm a few weeks before your trip.



I have never dealt with wing-clipping, but if you are going to do that, I would do it well before the trip so that they don't feel all confused if/when they try to fly.

 

[SailBoat]

Time of year is always a factor for both methods of travel. Extreme Cold in the Winter and Extreme Heat in the Summer are factors to take into consideration.

There are several soft-side travel carriers on the market. Pak-o-Bird (sp?) being the most popular. It is import to know that airlines are in the middle of major changes to their In Cabin and On Plane rules. The deaths and other In Cabin / On Plane issues have many just not allowing the transport of Live Animals, which includes birds. Since, different airlines are at different points, and you are likely to switch airlines with a multi leg fight, you need to keep a close watch. All North American Flights have set rules on temperature and Live Animal transport. Too cold or too warm travel is not allowed that day.

Regardless, you need to assure that you will travel with easy. That means that regardless of travel type, it helps greatly if you get them in your car and see how them do. The more you day travel with them, the more likely that their stress level will be less.

We have a strong full-flighted Amazon that Loves to travel. With the combination of around town travel and across the State travel, he enjoys it all. We also travel over-night with him and he just goes with the flow because he is use to it. That all said, he must be able to see out of the windows, which allows him to connect movement to what is happening.

If your birds are already strong fliers, IMHO, I would not trim them to less then a powered glide down just prior to the trip.
Big FYI, Assure that the State you are going to (and though) allows your Species! There are some bands out there.

NOTE: Many apartment complexes and stand alone units do not allow Pets. Showing up with a Pet can result in a very short stay.

All airlines will require a Healthy Bird medical document from your CAV (Certified Avian Vet) prior to boarding! NOTE: they are only good for 30 days.

Enjoy the Travel!

 

[Laurasea]

With my past GCC of 17 years we moved around the country every few years for my job. With the moves taking at least two days. She did absolutely fine in the car with me for moves. I covered three sides of the cage with only the side facing me I
Open. I also took her with me on trips to visit parents and that was a two day drive, her cage seatbelted in the front seat and two dogs in the back seat

 

[noodles123]

I should mention that my cockatoo does fine in the car for the most part, but the first 5 hour trip I took with her scared me a lot because she was anxious for the first 3 hours (and the anticipation of the trip was killing me). It worked out in the end. I have found that she does better when she can't see fully out the window (she starts to flap on the highway if she can and that is not good in a small cage)---high speeds and windows either freak her out or excite her (but either way, it makes things more perilous in her small travel cage). Some birds prefer windows, but some birds DO get motion sickness as well.



Now car trips still stress me out, but mostly because of all of the junk I have to bring along with her when traveling for more than a few days (perch, air filter, toys, mats, etc)-she does well for the most part. If time weren't an issue, I would rather travel with her in a car, simply because it gives me more control. That having been said, I recently made the mistake of traveling in the car with her after dark (and my bird is married to her bedtime)...in her mind, dim lights=bedtime and she was NOT cool with roosting in her travel cage LOL. When I got home I actually found a website that said that many birds will do even better if you travel with them at night, but that couldn't have been farther from the truth with regard to mine. Screaming, head banging, you name it...None of which had ever happened in the daytime.
I also have had to find ways to strap her cage in along the bottom (nearest the seat), as lap seat-belt isn't long enough to go over the cage and the should part only goes over the top corners...I have to sort of tie in the cage (in addition to shoulder-belt).

If you do the car, having a travel partner will make things WAY easier for bathrooms, supervision etc (I don't bring her into gas stations or fast food places due to Teflon/PTFE/PFOA risks, and risks of cleaners etc).



Birds technically should be in the backseat but as the sole driver, I sometimes do have to have Noodles in the front seat so that I can keep an eye on her and calm her down etc. That having been said, airbags and birds do not mix.

Make sure that your bird is used to getting in and out of whatever carrier you use. If you do the car, take lots of short trips and build positive association so that they are used to it.

Great points about bird-bans too---I would set up an appointment with your replacement vet in your new area ahead of time so that when you get there you can establish care.

 

[EllenD]

I've not ever flown with my birds, but I've done numerous multi-day driving trips with them, either on short vacations, business trips, or when I actually went to pick them up (Kane came from Raleigh, NC so that was 9 hours one-way)...I've never had any issues with them driving. I would absolutely recommend clipping their wings if you're going to drive with them, so they can stretch their wings, and more so because one little slip-up and they're gone...

As far as driving with them, lots of rest stops, find hotels where they either allow them or you can sneak them in ("motor" lodges/motels with the doors on the outside and where you park right in front of the door to your room are easy to sneak them in...So I've heard ), and they'll be fine...If you fly them then you definitely want them in the cabin with you, I would never check them into the "pet cargo" area, that's asking for a tragedy I think, though birds are shipped like cargo every day just fine...I just wouldn't risk it. There are lots of "soft-sided", collapsible carriers out there, I bought a really nice Coleman one the other day at Big Lots for nothing, I went in to look for a few new ceramic flower pots, came out with a pet carrier, lol...But you can find them pretty-much anywhere, Walmart, Petco, Petsmart, etc. Just make sure they meet the size specifications that the airline has set for them...It's probably not something you're going to use often, probably only if you have to fly with them again, so it doesn't need to be a $300 Pak-O-Bird or anything like that...Walmart sells some decent ones cheaply; When I picked Bowie up it was a spur of the moment thing and I ran across the street to Walmart and grabbed one for I think $25 to bring him home in, and I still have it and use it for vet trips...So they're decent too...

If you're going to clip their wings for the drive, which I highly suggest, just make sure that you tell whomever is going to do it, or if you do it, that only the outermost 5-6 Primary Flight-Feathers are clipped on BOTH wings...That way they should grown back-in and they'll be able to fly again in about 2 or so months...

 

[Dazbme]

Awesome, thanks for all the advice!

I've already checked pet laws and such for the province I'm moving to and everything looks fine there. I also checked with my apartment and they said they allow birds as well. I also checked online as well as with two people working at Westjet and they all said traveling with my birds as carry-ons in the cabin will be fine.

I am currently leaning heavily towards flying as it is much more practical and economical for me. I've heard putting ice cubes in their water dish is a good way to provide water without much risk of a spill. My budgie is quite a bit of a chewer as well, what are the chances of a budgie making enough damage to escape? I think I'll take your advice and try to get them used to moving around in the carriers as well before the trip, I suppose that'll give me a chance to see whether my budgie is able to do any damage.

I've been looking around at pet carriers for them and would something like this work?
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00QHBZUM4
I could put a little perch inside of there as well so they wouldn't have to walk around on the ground. Or should I see about spending a bit more money on something tailored specifically towards birds? It seems difficult to find a soft bird carrier that fits within the 8.5" height size restriction Westjet lists on their website

 

[noodles123]

Awesome, thanks for all the advice!

I've already checked pet laws and such for the province I'm moving to and everything looks fine there. I also checked with my apartment and they said they allow birds as well. I also checked online as well as with two people working at Westjet and they all said traveling with my birds as carry-ons in the cabin will be fine.

I am currently leaning heavily towards flying as it is much more practical and economical for me. I've heard putting ice cubes in their water dish is a good way to provide water without much risk of a spill. My budgie is quite a bit of a chewer as well, what are the chances of a budgie making enough damage to escape? I think I'll take your advice and try to get them used to moving around in the carriers as well before the trip, I suppose that'll give me a chance to see whether my budgie is able to do any damage.

I've been looking around at pet carriers for them and would something like this work?
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00QHBZUM4
I could put a little perch inside of there as well so they wouldn't have to walk around on the ground. Or should I see about spending a bit more money on something tailored specifically towards birds? It seems difficult to find a soft bird carrier that fits within the 8.5" height size restriction Westjet lists on their website

ice is one thing in the hot summer, but I think it could be too cold for a stressed bird in a cool plane...fruit/veg is easier if they will eat it...

 

[tculverjames]

Hi! I just joined the forum for some advice on this. In a few months, I will be moving across the country with my birds (One budgie and one rosy bourke) and I was looking for advice on a couple things.

First off, as it would be a 3+ day drive if I chose to drive. I am thinking that the more stressful few hours of a plane ride would be less stressful overall for my birds than spending multiple days and nights on the move. Has anyone here flown with their birds before? I've looked it up and there is an airline that will allow me to take my birds in the cabin with me, though sadly there are no direct flights so I would have to make a transfer with my birds. It also specifies that I must have them in a soft-sided carrier. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to look for in a soft-sided bird carrier to take on this plane?

Secondly, both of my birds had clipped wings when I got them, but they have always been flighted for the years I have had them and are very good fliers. I am considering getting their wings clipped for the move to try and minimize the chance of anything happening during the moving process. It would probably also be nice to give me some time to get settled in my new apartment before I have my birds zipping through the air everywhere. Does anyone have any experience with clipping a bird's wings who is very used to flying? What should I be aware of before doing this?

Thanks!

Hey! It’s been a while since my last post, but I’m finally almost done with college! I have a job opportunity starting in a few months, but it would require me to move across the country. I will be in an apartment for at least the first 2-3 months, and will then either move back home or find a house to rent. I don’t think I can keep him in an apartment with me due to the noise, so might take longer to find a place that we can stay. my biggest concern is with Gonzo (slender-billed corella/cockatoo). I plan to leave him at home(where I’m currently staying) with my parents. they love and adore him, but have never really spent 4-5 hours a day playing with him, showering him, etc. and this would be a huge ask of them to take care of him for that long. Another option would be to take him to a boarding facility. He loves the hotel I board him at, and gets to talk to plenty of people/birds. But the issue is he won’t be able to leave his cage very often since he’s flighted unless I clip his wings. And staying away from home for that long without family might be too much, the longest we’ve had him there was 3 weeks. Has any had experience with this, or any suggestions? Thank!

 

[tculverjames]

Hey! It’s been a while since my last post, but I’m finally almost done with college! I have a job opportunity starting in a few months, but it would require me to move across the country. I will be in an apartment for at least the first 2-3 months, and will then either move back home or find a house to rent. I don’t think I can keep him in an apartment with me due to the noise, so might take longer to find a place that we can stay. my biggest concern is with Gonzo (slender-billed corella/cockatoo). I plan to leave him at home(where I’m currently staying) with my parents. they love and adore him, but have never really spent 4-5 hours a day playing with him, showering him, etc. and this would be a huge ask of them to take care of him for that long. Another option would be to take him to a boarding facility. He loves the hotel I board him at, and gets to talk to plenty of people/birds. But the issue is he won’t be able to leave his cage very often since he’s flighted unless I clip his wings. And staying away from home for that long without family might be too much, the longest we’ve had him there was 3 weeks. Has any had experience with this, or any suggestions? Thank!

no response to this

 

[SailBoat]

Not sure what response you maybe looking for as it sounded as though you have listed out your likely choices?

We have long curtailed our activities based on the needs of our Amazon. What is best for him comes first, but that is us.