What would you do?

[Nicolep]

Hello Bird Lovers,

I'm having a bit of a conundrum that I need some opinions on. I am going away for 2 weeks at Christmas and have 2 options for bird-sitters. Neither are ideal, so I'm hoping you guys tell me what you would do in this situation. Here they are:

1. My Basement Tenant. He's a very good friend and has offered to house-sit for us (take care of the cats etc.). This way they would get to stay in their own cages with no major disruptions to their environments. He has looked after the birds before and it was fine- the only problem is he absolutely HATES my conure. He makes mean comments about what an a**hole my conure is all the time. I know he would never intentionally hurt them, but I feel like if there was some sort of medical emergency with them, he wouldn't do everything in his power to help them. Or that he might not be diligent in their care (ex. if there was poop in his water dish, he might leave it for too long etc.). I'm happy to pay him for taking care of the birds, it's just that I'm not sure if he's going to be nice to them. I know he won't take them out of their cages,

2. An acquaintance. I met her a few months ago and she is a total animal lover. She has her own bird (a lovebird) so she knows what's up for looking after them. The only problem is that my birds would have to move to her house for the 2 weeks and live in their small travel cages. She also has a large dog and a cat- both of whom are fine with her lovebird but I'm not sure how my birds will be with them. She has generously offered to look after them, but I'm worried about her other pets and whether it would be very disruptive to move them over to her house? She will be taking them out the their cages to interact with them and I'm worried that there might be an accident with the dog or cat. I know they'd get lots more attention there though (and GOOD attention too!)

Obviously this question is very subjective but, if it were you- what would you do?

Thanks for your input!

- Nicole

 

[jugoya]

Best case senario would be to move them to her house for those weeks.

Perhaps she has a spare room that she doesn't use much? And it couldn't hurt to buy another cage or two to give them more space maybe as a temporary solution?

I always take Porter with me on vacation so I know its not much help...

But I have a spare cage that I break down and then take with us in the suitcase...

Two weeks in a smaller cage shouldn't hurt them all that much but with the cat or dog... a seperate room is best.

 

[Birdman666]

Last time I did that, I got a responsible local high school kid to bird sit. The birds stayed where they were and he came over twice a day and fed them, and changed water.

 

[ShellyBorg]

I would look at having a sitter come in and do it. Accidents happen so fast. and only knowing them for 2 months, if anything happens it would not only be bad for the birds but your friendship.

May be sit down and real ask your basement renter about your worry. My kids ***** about the birds all the time and say they hate them, but if they see a dirty water dish they change them with out asking.

 

[strudel]

He has looked after the birds before

I'd go with him. Nasty comments do not mean he'd neglect the birds. Talk is cheap. He's a friend of yours, even if he does hate the birds if he's YOUR friend you should be able to rely on him and you already have before, without problems.

I wouldn't send the birds into a (relative) stranger's place with a dog and cat. If it was just her, maybe, but not with those additional potential hazards. Too much could go wrong.

On the one hand you've got somebody you know and should trust given the previous sitting and friendship, on the other "the great unknown" with a new person, new situation, potential hazards. For me it's a no-brainer.

If you want to ensure their care, ALSO get a carer to call in and play with the birds, check on their containers, etc. Just tell the neighbour that you know he isn't a big "bird person" so somebody else will be sharing the "burden" of the birds. Would the acquaintance be prepared to call in and check that all is ok?

 

[MikeyTN]

I'd go with him as well since he's done it before and they were fine when you came home so I'm sure he does just fine. Like everyone says, with the other pets that girl have, it can be a potential hazard.

 

[MonicaMc]

Vet office out of the option? Or a pet sitter that has experience with birds?


Some bird stores may also do boarding, which is another option, but not ideal.



I would go with whoever you trust the most to take care of your pets.