transporting greys about 1000 miles

[freda]

Hello, I am seriously considering making a big move around a 1000 miles, has anyone moved their parrots such a long distance, I am wondering the options I have, maybe flying them? or road transport with me but that would mean considerable time in small cages, I love them dearly and would not want anything to happen to them, any advice much appreciated Freda
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[Scott]

Thanks for your great concern as that is a significant distance to transport your birds! You'll have to judge the number of days on the road vs the greater expense and potential hazards of shipping by air.

Driving with several cages is a special challenge that requires proper ventilation, spacing, and cooperative hotels/motels along the way. Being confined for a few days with road motion can be upsetting. You might first experiment with driving short distances to see how they react.

Air travel presents two options: Shipping as freight vs carrying aboard in a carrier small enough to fit in the space underneath the seat in front of you. I am not a fan of the freight method as the chain of custody on the "airport side" can be problematic due to temperatures and occasional indifferent personnel. Many airlines will embargo pet shipments in extreme weather. Conditions inside the cargo hold are generally the same as in the cabin once the door is closed and the engines are started. Transporting birds as "carry on" in the cabin is IMHO the safer method, but requires you as a passenger. IIRC you have at least 4 birds? (unfamiliar with "calyposites" from your into thread?) Most likely the Greys will fit in one cage with the budgies in another. Airlines typically limit the total number of pets in cabin per flight with generally one pet carrier per person. Check with your airline choices for their policies!

To be fair, many members have shipped birds by air freight and have had great success. Good luck with your decision, Freda!

 

[Kiwibird]

A big move is always a daunting task and which method of transport would be better will really boil down to your birds as individuals. We made a roughly 1200+ mile move with our amazon (newt and gecko) a few years ago. 3 solid driving days in a uhaul, but he did just fine and in fact seemed to enjoy the trip and spending all that time in close proximity to his people. When we stopped for the night, we'd let him out in the hotel room, which he rather enjoyed checking out new environments. He was also completely thrilled to be off his normal diet and to get to share in far more human food during the travel days than he normally would.

For our bird, while a flight may have been quicker, it undoubtedly would have been extremely stressful/traumatizing for him, much more so than the drive was. Not only would he have needed to be left with someone who could have dropped him off at the airport in the city we moved from so we could get to the new place ahead of his flight, but riding in the cargo hold of a plane, possibly with other animals of unknown health status, have his carrier handled by numerous strangers who may not be as gentle as us, exposure to the chilly outside air while being moved on/off the plane like a piece of luggage and across the tarmac to the terminal to be collected (and exposed to the fumes of jet fuel and god knows what else)... Nope! He was far better off with us, people he knows and trusts, and being cooped up in a carrier for a couple days.

It would be advisable if you do choose to drive to be sure your birds are acclimated to being in the car ahead of time. Our bird has loved the car since we got him, but I know some birds can be frightened, so a good way to prepare them would be starting as far in advance as possible, take them for daily short trips (drive around the block, as they become more used to it, drive around the neighborhood) to prepare them.

Good luck with your move and whichever route you go with.

 

[SailBoat]

With good fortune, all of the Amazons in our life have been road hounds, loving to travel in the car and the further the better. Our present owner of our household, a DYH Amazons traveled near 1200 miles every spring and late Fall as his family followed the comfortable warm weather from South to North and back from North to South!, every year for twelve years.

As stated above, you really need to get your Parrot into the car and find out if your have a road hound or not!

Regardless of, which choice of transportation you finally choose, you will need to pay close attention to the weather! Too hot or too cold is always an issue, and so is traveling during a major storm.

 

[happy410]

We've never traveled that far with our Amazon and Macaw, but they both love to travel. My Amazon sees her travels carrier and can't wait to get into it.

 

[Loko]

My family and I transported my sun Loco from the NE to Florida, by van with a bunch of other stuff. Id be way too nervous shipping via freight as I have seen how the luggage handlers handle the luggage, and it is not pretty. Sometimes it looks as though they are really trying to break as much in the bag as possible. I would assume fragile items and pets would be handled better but I wouldnt trust them. Driving can be boring and long but at least you have the option to stop and can be with them the whole way. Most major routes have pet friendly hotels along the way. Loco loves car rides so it wasnt a problem, actually hes in the car for about an hour every week and loves looking out the window on my shoulder, not sure if your birds are the same way though. Whatever you do, wish you the best of luck with it!

 

[freda]

thanks for the replies, yes I definatetly think driving is the option, sorry for the miss use of calypsites (French word)its cockatiels, I also have two dogs and cat to take so that will have to be thought through to be able to take all at the same time!

 

[Scott]

thanks for the replies, yes I definatetly think driving is the option, sorry for the miss use of calypsites (French word)its cockatiels, I also have two dogs and cat to take so that will have to be thought through to be able to take all at the same time!

Thanks Freda, now I know! You have a large enough menagerie to make driving more practical. Do you have a vehicle large enough to transport them all?

 

[Tsali]

ROAD TRIP!!!!!!!!!!! Several times a year I make a 400+ mile road trip from north GA to my south Alabama with Tsali (African Grey) and three Yorkies and luggage for all of us all packed in my Mini Cooper. We have a blast and make frequent stops along the way to rest and get snacks.

 

[GaleriaGila]

The Rickeybird and I moved from New Mexico to Ohio (maybe 2,000 miles)...
He rode in his travel cage in the front seat of my car. Took 4 days.
Geeeeeeeeeeeez, was *THAT* an adventure...

 

[DRB]

Perjo loves the handful of 25 minute car rides she's taken. I think she could handle a 2 hour trip in a car but I would want a larger cage than the typical travel cage.

 

[texsize]

This is something I have wondered about though it would be my YNA and distance would be 750 miles.
This is a drive I make once a year (twice if you count going and coming back) and it's a 12 hour drive for me.
What would I do with my bird at a rest stop, lock it in the car??
How would I keep water in a bowl during the drive without it spilling all over.
The biggest reason I have not perused this is that where I go and stay has cats. I don't know how my YNA would react and I want to be safe not sorry.

 

[Jerseyjeff62]

We just traveled 435 miles from NJ to NC. Drive thru eating! This is the cage we used for the trip

 

[Kentuckienne]

Drove from Indiana to Florida with Amazon on Wonder Guy's shoulder. He had to go in the cage at rest stops. It was winter so it wasn't hot in the car. He also went on a trip to Colorado, same deal. Problems: you can't go into any place to sit down and eat if it's warm, even if parking in the shade, and you can't take them in with you. We ate a lot of drive through food. Didn't find hotels to be a problem, I would ask if a small bird in a cage would be a problem and nobody cared. He's very quiet in strange places so it worked out. He got put back in his cage now and then to see if he wanted a drink, especially if we were stopped. Lots of towels over the seats and paying attention to antsyness. Handy container of wet wipes and paper towels. If need be one person stays in the car. The major inconvenience, for me, is it means no stopping to view roadside attractions or have a sit down lunch break, if it's too warm. But otherwise it was very easy to travel with him.