Traveling/Vacationing with Parakeets

[thepunnypunkin]

Hi there!

I was wondering if anyone had experience with having to leave their parakeets behind for vacation matters.

I am currently a college student, and I plan from moving from where I live now, Hawai'i, to Oregon to transfer into a zoology degree.

I also have 2 parakeets, their names are Glove and Sock. I love them to death, and they are basically my emotional support animals, and I plan on registering them as emotional support animals as well. With that, I plan on bringing them with me, so they can reside with me in my dorm.

I know they will have to fly with me in order to get to Oregon, but this is where the trouble starts.

During my summer and winter breaks, I intend to visit my family back home, mainly my dad who I would feel extremely guilty about not seeing him. This will be hard to do so, however, with my two parakeets.

I believe that, since they're such small creatures, traveling with them back in forth, in a small carrier and on a plane for 8 hours, would cost them extreme stress.

I could leave them with a pet sitter, that would be very costly. Or I maybe I need to change my direction in general and go to another state where I have family that could take care of them. My last resort would be putting them up for adoption, which I can't think about doing, it's devastating.

How have you guys dealt with having to leave your parakeets? Or did you bring them with you?
Sorry if this whole post is confusing, I'm a bit worried so I'm just smashing my keyboard.

 

[Owlet]

Hi, not much i can comment on but don't waste your money on "registering" them. There's no such thing and all things claiming to be legit are a scam. The only thing you need to validate them as ESAs is a doctor's note.

 

[thepunnypunkin]

Hi, not much i can comment on but don't waste your money on "registering" them. There's no such thing and all things claiming to be legit are a scam. The only thing you need to validate them as ESAs is a doctor's note.

right, I should've mentioned that. By register, I really mean my psychiatrist was going to write a letter for me to show to the college of my choice that I need them But you are right

 

[thepunnypunkin]

I mean, usually summer breaks last 2-3 months. Would that be enough time to let my parakeets settle down before sending them on a plane AGAIN. I did some research and found one lady in Oregon who does bird boarding. Hopefully that will be a good option.

 

[Owlet]

I would avoid taking your birds on trips as much as possible. it is a very big stressor and doing it frequently will not be fun.

 

[noodles123]

I have an Umbrella Cockatoo and since living with me, she has flown once (that I know of anyway...I am her 4th home, so I'm not sure).

It did seem to stress her out because she couldn't fly in the cabin. It was a scary experience for both of us and thankfully, she was fine afterwards (although she did get some sort of respiratory infection--maybe coincidence,maybe from the stress + exposure to other animals and/or temperature shifts). She flew Delta and it is one of the airlines that will transport birds and has a fairly decent reputation when it comes to doing so. That having been said, the weather could definitely pose a threat to traveling birds while loading/unloading. I told them they couldn't let her sit outside on a dolly while unloading other cargo, and I don't think they did....but they didn't cover her either when wheeling her in (to my knowledge anyway, as their was rain on her carrier). She was fairly frazzled when we arrived at the destination--not heart-attack frazzled, but anxious for sure. Initially, I was told that her area of the plane would be climate controlled, but since having been told this, I have heard conflicting information. Having done it once, I wouldn't let her travel separately unless I had no other alternatives....I do think it would have been different if she could have stayed in the cabin with me (and people have done this successfully---mine is just too big).

If your birds can stay with you in the cabin of the plane, I feel that the experience would be far less stressful...even though it would still be a bit stressful--some people start their birds on things like Avi-calm about a week before a trip (in order to combat some of the stress).

In-your-home bird sitters are way better than boarding a bird because boarding poses lots of risk of illness due to the many diseases that can be transmitted via feather dust etc (by asymptomatic carriers--an asymptomatic bird can even test negative for a contagious disease, and then spread it to others). A boarding facility is also not going to be able to give your bird a lot of time out of its cage in most cases-if any..and again, disease is the biggest issue). That having been said, even if you pay for an in-home sitter, that bird sitter is not you, so there will still be some adjustment/stress in any scenario involving travel or departure of flock members. Honestly, if you have the money and a really good in-home sitter, this option is probably the least stressful on the bird (and the safest, due to lack of exposure to the dust of other birds and possible illness).

Due to finances etc, I have found that family is best for me---granted, my family isn't too keen on watching my U2 for more than 3-4 days (my mom compared her to a flying pet orangutan, which is about right). It is definitely an imposition for them, even though they love her...and it is especially problematic when I want to travel with my family (as they are my default sitters..even though they are 4 hours away from me).

Most frequently, when I travel, I take my bird with me by car (which stresses me out as well--as she needs a large cage at her destination and there is just a lot to consider) or I drive 4 hours to drop her off at my parents' house where she has a large cage identical to her cage at home (still a big headache because she doesn't travel light). She doesn't like traveling, but she enjoys my parent's house and has gotten WAY better about her travel cage and car-rides. The first hour is usually the worst, and then she settles down. She will go into her travel cage fairly willingly if I tell her we are going to see certain people...So she does seem to get it, even though the drive is long and bathroom breaks are not an option for me when traveling alone with her.

Much of this will depend on your birds. If you travel with them to a location, you have to be careful about things like Teflon/PFOA/PTFE being used at your point of arrival...I don't use things like that (or chemical cleaners etc) but many people/hotels do, so it is something to think about and plan for.

Sorry I couldn't be a greater help! All I know is that my bird already knows my parents and while she hates it if I leave for a day or so, she likes them better than a random stranger. I also bring my own cleaners and/or cookware for them to use while she is staying there. It is way easier to tell family what to do than a friend unacquainted with birds' sensitive respiratory systems. The fact that you have 2 birds may actually make your departure easier on them, but it just depends on how closely bonded they are. Good luck- it really is a tough call!

 

[Inger]

I went to Virginia for almost 3 weeks last Christmas, and I took my parrotlet with me. She was in the cabin-putting her in cargo is terrifying to me so that’s a non-starter. She did great, I loved having her with me, my family loved having her there and was willing to make the home bird safe for the duration. So I personally highly recommend taking them.

Sunnyclover flies with her birds frequently as well, so hopefully she’ll pop in and give her opinion.


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[EllenD]

Honestly, if you are closely-bonded to your Budgies, then it's probably going to be much more stressful to them for you to suddenly disappear and them suddenly being left with strangers...There are a few major airlines that allow birds to fly in plastic carrier with you, and with 2 Budgies you'd have no trouble at all fitting both of them comfortably in a carrier in the passenger cabin of a plane (the carrier has to be able to fit under the seat to travel in the passenger cabin I believe, so no issue at all with 2 Budgies in a little plastic cat carrier)...

If you're talking about having them fly twice (once there and once back) with months in-between, they'll be totally fine. First of all they are a species of parrot that is small enough to ride with you in the passenger compartment, which makes a huge difference than having to put them in the cargo area, and secondly you have 2 Budgies that will be together, which makes the traveling much less stressful than just having one bird by itself in a carrier...And again, in my opinion, IF you are closely-bonded with your birds, then it's going to be much more stressful for them to have to suddenly be without you over and over again...

So, that all being said, I'd at the very least take them on your first trip as the "trial run", as the test to see how they do. It will be a trial-run for you too, as you'll quickly learn what airlines allow you to carry-on small birds in a plastic carrier, what type of carrier you need and where it has to go under the seat, etc. Be sure to take lots of their favorite treats with you in your pocket or carry-on bag, and a bottle or two of water so they can have drinks too...I would also bring a towel or fleece blanket to cover their carrier with while they are on the plane, so they can relax and just snooze during the flight...And then just see how they do! If you take them on your next trip and you get off the plane and get them to your dad's house and they are completely fine (may take a few hours or until the next day for them to fully settle-down, that's normal and not a problem), then you'll know that they can handle the infrequent flights and you can just take them with you whenever you go away! I really think the fact that it's two bonded-birds that will be traveling together in the carrier makes a huge difference, and the fact that this isn't going to be a very frequent thing should make it just fine...

Like I said to start-off, often with birds who are very close to their owners it's much more stressful for them to suddenly just not have them and to be in a strange place with strange people that they don't know, wondering where you went and if you're coming back...Plus, unfortunately whenever you "board" birds with an Avian Vet, at a bird shop or pet shop, etc., there is always the risk of them contracting an illness/disease, and if there are other birds around then there is also the risk of them contracting a scary Avian viral disease...So I'd definitely at least give it a trial-run to see how they do.

 

[Inger]

Yes! Ellen put into words what I was thinking. I took Bumble because we are closely bonded and I couldn’t imagine “abandoning” her for three weeks. And it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made.

If you want details about airlines and travail tips, hit me up.


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