Transporting macaw?

[Featheredsamurai]

So Rita is afraid of coming off her cage, and doesn't know how to step up. We have to figuire out hwo to transport her to my own(Were she will be living downstairs, not with my birds) for three weeks.
Both her parronts and I agree it will be much better to bring her over, that way instead of only 2-3 hours of interaction a day I will be available 24 hours a day for her. I think 3 weeks of little interaction won't be good for a young bird, or any bird really.

Her parronts are thinking about renting a U-haul truck or van and bringing her over still in her cage.

Do you think this will be best? Or should we towel/manhandle her and put her in a crate? I'm worried that the towel will be more traumatic for her.

They live 15 minutes away

 

[Captsteve]

I think it would be just as bad to transport her in her cage, if not worse. If she freaks in the cage, there is a lot of room for her to get hurt. A transport cage would be safer.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Yes, I agree with Steve.

If Rita spooks easily she could really injure herself in her cage. A transport cage is definitely safer. And since this will be a fairly short trip, I'm sure she'll get over it quickly.

GREAT idea about you having her at your place while her paronts are away.

 

[weco]

Riding in an open trailer or noisy truck van would probably stress the bird more than taking a few days to teach the bird how to be toweled.....do your friends not handle this bird? I don't think you really want to transport a bird inside a large cage that would be bouncing around in a trailer or truck van.....I'd think that alone would be the most stressful, then you'd have the same problem at the end of the three weeks.....

What type of bird are we talking about? Being in its own cage might ease any stress it might have being at your house.....

Fostering/temporarily caring for one bird may not be a problem, but for several years I traveled a lot, working out of the country and it was not feasible taking several or more birds to my birdsitters, plus she didn't have the room, even if she would have accepted the extra noise.....

Good luck Copper.....

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Thanks everyone, I'll talk to them about toweling her and using a travel cage.

@Weco

She is a 6-8 month old scarlet macaw, it's their first bird and not knowing better they bought her from a pretty bad breeder who didn't work with his birds and only fed them seed and peanuts. She's on her way to becoming a hands off bird, and starts shaking in fear if she is off her cage. I'm hoping to help start her on a different tracked when she's with me and turn her into a hands on bird.

 

[WeimerHeimer]

I've done a lot of bird rescues and transports and by no means would I recommend transporting the bird in its cage regardless if its an open Uhaul trailer or enclosed trailer. Too many things can happen in transport that could potentially hurt the bird not to mention the stress it would cause the bird.

If the bird will not step then just pick it up. If the owner/handler is too afraid then a towel is OK. They don't like it, but it's only a short term stress on them.

I also recommend transporting the bird in a Pet Carrier. I use both types, open wire style and also the closed in plastic type. Each have their pro's & cons. Some birds take better to the open wire type because they can see what's going on and feel safer, but that also can work against you because it causes some birds to be more stressed out. On the flip side, the plastic pet carrier is more closed in and darker and can have a calming effect on most birds, but then there's some birds that if they can't see what's going on they're flipping out.

What you do have going for you is that it's only a 15 minutes transport. So, no real harm or stress should to be too bad.

Good luck!

 

[MonicaMc]

What about using a collapsible dog crate? You know, one of those crates for dogs that are at least 40-60 lbs or larger??? If they can, have that crate set up next to the cage (on a table? stand?) and put a large perch inside of it and put a bunch of treats and some of her favorite toys inside!

Leave both cage and grate open and allow her to travel between the two before it's time to take her?

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I've done a lot of bird rescues and transports and by no means would I recommend transporting the bird in its cage regardless if its an open Uhaul trailer or enclosed trailer. Too many things can happen in transport that could potentially hurt the bird not to mention the stress it would cause the bird.

If the bird will not step then just pick it up. If the owner/handler is too afraid then a towel is OK. They don't like it, but it's only a short term stress on them.

I also recommend transporting the bird in a Pet Carrier. I use both types, open wire style and also the closed in plastic type. Each have their pro's & cons. Some birds take better to the open wire type because they can see what's going on and feel safer, but that also can work against you because it causes some birds to be more stressed out. On the flip side, the plastic pet carrier is more closed in and darker and can have a calming effect on most birds, but then there's some birds that if they can't see what's going on they're flipping out.

What you do have going for you is that it's only a 15 minutes transport. So, no real harm or stress should to be too bad.

Good luck!

Thankyou I'll insist that do not transport her in the cage.