IcyWolf
New member
- Jul 5, 2011
- 1,542
- 3
- Parrots
- ~Alexandrine Parakeet~2 Red Lored Amazons~Blue Fronted Amazon~Black capped conure~4 Green Cheeks~4 Parrotlets~2 lineolated parakeets~9 American budgies~9 English budgies~ And lots of babies :)
First, I have to say, I have never shipped a bird, or any animal for that matter, in fact, I have never even been to a commercial airport. I've spent a lot of time at smaller airports as my dad is a small, single engine, pilot and used to live at a private airport and had a plane. But aside from little cessnas, pipers, etc, I don't really know much about commercial jets or how they handle things. I also am just starting to delve into the world of parrot breeding, we have no babies at the moment but I like to be prepared so I'm asking all of these questions hypothetically.
I've never really liked the idea of shipping birds, they just seem to be so easily upset by change that being put in a carrier, handled by a lot of people, strange noises and the general rushed feelings most people seem to experience when at an airport, it just seems like a scary situation for a baby bird, or even an adult. That and I think I would prefer to meet the new parents in person rather than just speak on the phone and through the internet before I would send them a baby that I have spent so much time raising and caring for. I have noticed that a lot of breeders do ship their birds and I'm wondering if it is feasible to expect to be able to sell locally? I understand that selling a bird that is $500+ may not be the easiest thing to do without expanding your market past what most people are willing to drive. But after reading Roxy's post about planes it made me wonder, do airlines that ship animals have any regulation on the health of the animals they are shipping? I plan on having all of our babies checked by a vet before they go to their new homes but I know not everyone does that, like in the case of just rehoming a pet. Is it safe to have a young, healthy bird, in a small area with other animals of unknown health? The best I could do is make sure they are healthy and disease free before they leave my home but once they get on a plane and are stacked in with other birds/reptiles/mammals, how can you be sure that they won't catch something from another animal?
I was also wondering about the pick up procedures. I can't help but think about what might happened if something were to come up and the new owners don't arrive on time to pick up the baby, like if their car would break down, have an accident, or just some other freak thing came up? Would that leave this poor baby just sitting in a carrier at the airport for an undetermined amount of time? And how does it work for giving food and water? Are these people trained in any way to deal with parrots, what if an unclipped bird were to escape from someone opening a carrier? I know these are all worst case scenarios but I can't help but think of that as I try to decide on whether or not I should offer shipping when it comes time to find new homes for any babies we may have. And for any of you that breed, have you had any luck selling your babies locally or is shipping something that inevitably you end up having to resort to?
I've never really liked the idea of shipping birds, they just seem to be so easily upset by change that being put in a carrier, handled by a lot of people, strange noises and the general rushed feelings most people seem to experience when at an airport, it just seems like a scary situation for a baby bird, or even an adult. That and I think I would prefer to meet the new parents in person rather than just speak on the phone and through the internet before I would send them a baby that I have spent so much time raising and caring for. I have noticed that a lot of breeders do ship their birds and I'm wondering if it is feasible to expect to be able to sell locally? I understand that selling a bird that is $500+ may not be the easiest thing to do without expanding your market past what most people are willing to drive. But after reading Roxy's post about planes it made me wonder, do airlines that ship animals have any regulation on the health of the animals they are shipping? I plan on having all of our babies checked by a vet before they go to their new homes but I know not everyone does that, like in the case of just rehoming a pet. Is it safe to have a young, healthy bird, in a small area with other animals of unknown health? The best I could do is make sure they are healthy and disease free before they leave my home but once they get on a plane and are stacked in with other birds/reptiles/mammals, how can you be sure that they won't catch something from another animal?
I was also wondering about the pick up procedures. I can't help but think about what might happened if something were to come up and the new owners don't arrive on time to pick up the baby, like if their car would break down, have an accident, or just some other freak thing came up? Would that leave this poor baby just sitting in a carrier at the airport for an undetermined amount of time? And how does it work for giving food and water? Are these people trained in any way to deal with parrots, what if an unclipped bird were to escape from someone opening a carrier? I know these are all worst case scenarios but I can't help but think of that as I try to decide on whether or not I should offer shipping when it comes time to find new homes for any babies we may have. And for any of you that breed, have you had any luck selling your babies locally or is shipping something that inevitably you end up having to resort to?
