Moving States

[love4beauty]

My family and I are moving from Texas to North Carolina in a few weeks. My dad and I are going to drive there with my cockatiel and parakeet, and I’m wondering if there’s anything precautions that I should be aware of. The trip there by car is around an 18 hour drive, and they both have a traveling cages. Is there anything I should be doing or bringing along during/before the road trip?

Thanks!


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[MonicaMc]

No hanging toys that could hurt them, be sure to get them used to driving around in a car, take blankets/towels if need to to cover them, if you can get them used to using a water bottle, or use cups with very little water in them, be sure to take fresh foods/sprouts for extra hydration.

 

[EllenD]

Agreed, make sure that their travel carriers are well-secured in the car so they don't go flying around the car or falling on the floor of the car, and make sure that there is nothing loose in the cage like hanging-toys that they could get stuck on or hit with.

Make sure that you have blankets/towels to cover their carriers with, and keep a watch on them while on the trip to make sure they aren't getting very stressed or upset by the noises and such, if they are you should cover them.

Bring plenty of bottle water and food for them, 18 hours is a long trip and they'll need plenty to drink and eat, and don't be surprised if they actually refuse food during the trip, sometimes they do and sometimes they don't, but you must be prepared to feed them and give them plenty of water to drink.

I'd also try to make a few short stops along the way, just so you can spend a bit of time talking to them, maybe bring their travel carriers out of the car for a little fresh air (DO NOT LET THEM OUT OF THEIR CARRIERS OBVIOUSLY!!!)

Some birds do get motion-sick or car-sick, so if either of them vomit in their carriers that is most-likely why. Also be sure to put something in the bottom of their travel carriers, such as a towel or blanket, and be sure to bring extra, clean towels and/or blankets to replace the ones inside the carriers as they get soiled, so that your birds are not laying in/sitting in/walking in poop.

I don't know if you're driving straight through to NC or if you're staying overnight in a hotel that allows pets, but if you're staying overnight in a hotel it would be a good idea to secure the room completely, be sure the door is latched and locked, cover all mirrors and pull the curtains to the windows, and allow your birds to come out in the hotel room to spread their wings and get some exercise. If you are driving straight-through, as soon as you arrive to your new home, be sure to do the same, secure a room completely and let them out immediately so they can spread their wings and get settled in.

They'll be fine as long as you're prepared. I drove my Senegal Parrot, Kane, back from Raleigh, NC up to State College, PA, when he was only 10 weeks old and still on 1 hand-feeding a day (nighttime comfort feeding), I picked him up from his breeder around 9:00 at night, and then we spent the night in a motel room, bonding and snacking, lol, and he slept on my chest all night, and we left early the next morning and went on the 8+ hour drive home to Pennsylvania. He rode the entire way home on the back of my neck, in the hood of my hoodie, lol, while I listened to an audio book. We stopped at several rest areas and he went outside on his Aviator Harness (luckily his breeder had trained him from very young), and he basically slept the entire way home except for the rest stops when I got him outside on his harness. So your birds will more than likely sleep most of the time anyway, and be in their new home before they even realize they were on an 18 hour drive...

 

[Kiwibird]

Great tips above!

Be sure their regular cages are the LAST thing you pack in the moving van or car (if your belongings will be arriving after you do) so it can be the very first thing you unpack when you arrive at your new home. Also be sure if they are cages which needs to be reassembled to put all the nuts, bolts etc... from each cage in it's own ziplock bag and tape the bag to one of the cage panels so it doesn't get lost and have any tools needed for reassembly (screwdriver, Allen wrench etc...) as well as dishes and at least one perch packed with the cages. You want to get those set up ASAP (though it can be a spartan cage for a day or 2 until you have time to put in all the perches and toys etc...).

We've moved around a bunch with our bird, never any issues. When we moved several states away with him, we fed/watered him whenever we stopped for gas and for the night at hotels along the way. Birds will not be welcome in any restaurant so prepare for drive through food or some other alternative when you need to stop to eat yourselves! As it is getting warm out there, be sure the vehicle you'll be traveling in has A/C! We moved (thankfully only 45 minutes away) with our bird around this time of year few years ago on a 103 degree day and that would've been a miserable drive without A/C in the uhaul!

 

[GaleriaGila]

Good stuff above!

I'll add a weird little hint. About 15 years ago, I drove from New Mexico to Ohio with the Rbird in the passenger seat. Bumps unsettled him (and sometimes almost caused him to fall off his perch). So I started saying "BUMP BUMP" right before we hit one, and he learned soon to get a good grip when I said that. Worked like a charm.

Good luck.