[Tielie]

Any advice on long travel with birds?

Hello!

I am Tielie and i have 3 cockatiels :wf cinnamon::wf lutino::tiel2:
I live in the netherlands and i am plannin to move to england within a few years and of course i want to take my birds with me.

I am planning to travel by boat and car which will total to around 8 hours of travel (boat takes 90 minutes, the rest is car) and that is quite long, does anyone have any advice for such a long trip?

Thank you!

 

[kat303]

They should be ok as long as you keep them in a quiet place (on the boat) where there's not too many people or distractions. As for the car ride. I have been taking my cockatiel up and back (Florida to Virginia) for 5 years now and never had any problems. I kept her in the back seat and when I had to stop I either cranked down all my windows about 2 inches or ate in the car with the air conditioner on. And it takes me 3 days riding 4 to 5 hours a day.

 

[JimDonna]

We are snowbirds traveling back and forth from Chicago to Florida for the past ten years. we would strap "Mickey's" cage in the back seat of our P/U Truck and he would watch all the cars and trucks on the road and chirp and whistle all the way. He seemed to love it.

 

[Bellaflex]

We traveled from Hawaii to Virginia with our cocktiel. I bought a small cat carrier, made a small hole and poked her favorite perch through it so it sat on bottom of carrier. This helps keep it stable. Use a perch that is wider to help your bird balance. Make sure you put it closer to the front so your birds tail can stretch out straight. I then added food and water cups that have the hooks that would go thru the mesh sides. Make sure you have them explore and get used to the travel cage before you go. We also put her in the cage and drove around with her, took her on short trip to malls, so she could get used to the noise and movement. I’m sure you could modify this plan for your birds.
We left the food in at all times. Then added water when she was on a flat surface. We carried her with us so that she was never alone - covering the carrier with a towel when we went through crowded airports so she didn’t get upset.
Also give them extra vitamins the week before you travel and a couple weeks after you get there to help with stress.
First photo is her getting used to cage. We figured out she did best with the food and water cups in the front. Also we have her a piece of rope or shred paper to chew on when she got nervous.

 

[akg13]

We traveled from Hawaii to Virginia with our cocktiel. I bought a small cat carrier, made a small hole and poked her favorite perch through it so it sat on bottom of carrier. This helps keep it stable. Use a perch that is wider to help your bird balance. Make sure you put it closer to the front so your birds tail can stretch out straight. I then added food and water cups that have the hooks that would go thru the mesh sides. Make sure you have them explore and get used to the travel cage before you go. We also put her in the cage and drove around with her, took her on short trip to malls, so she could get used to the noise and movement. I’m sure you could modify this plan for your birds.
We left the food in at all times. Then added water when she was on a flat surface. We carried her with us so that she was never alone - covering the carrier with a towel when we went through crowded airports so she didn’t get upset.
Also give them extra vitamins the week before you travel and a couple weeks after you get there to help with stress.
First photo is her getting used to cage. We figured out she did best with the food and water cups in the front. Also we have her a piece of rope or shred paper to chew on when she got nervous.

Hi! I’m wondering if you had experience flying your tiel TO HAWAII originally. I’m trying to find an airline that allows birds to fly in the cabin, but every one seems to only allow them as checked baggage. I’m pretty worried about flying her under the plane, although it will be temp and pressure controlled. Also going through all the mosquito proofing for West Nile virus requirements. It’s a seriously process. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[flips712]

For traveling with 2 young 10-week old cockatiels on an airplane inside the cabin, what are people's thoughts on perches? I worry they are kind of clumsy at this age and since both of them would be sharing a carrier I'm trying to decide whether having a perch or just lining the bottom would be better for a 5-hour plane trip. Total time spent in the carrier will be about 9-hours. Some say remove all perches for safety while others use them.

I'm considering a soft sided cat or dog carrier as they seem larger than most bird carriers but I worry about them getting caught up on the mesh paneling whereas most bird carriers have steel/wire panels. If you have any specific carrier recommendations it'd be appreciated. Any thoughts?