upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

What's the best way to move cross country with my three Budgies? People keep saying, "find them a home" NO WAY! I love my little babies!! We're moving from Kentucky to Arizona by car. Anyone have any info for the best procedure for this?

Thanks!

Buy either a travel cage or a small cage, such as a small flight cage. If your budgies eat fresh foods, then bring along an ice cooler with a container filled with moist fruits and veggies. If they are not water bottle trained, then train them to drink out of a bottle/spout before the move. This helps to reduce open water sources, so less water spillage, while still allowing a fresh source of water. The fresh foods can also provide a source of liquid. Bring along a bottle or two of water that they are used to drinking or some bottled water from the store, so that they'll have some fresh/clean water at all times and/or when you make stops. Be sure they have a dish for their dry foods, and perhaps a sprig of millet or two for them to munch on while on the trip.

Bring along some towels or sheets to cover the cage if/when is needed, but don't be afraid to open the windows and/or use the AC so long as it's not too window, hot or cold. If they haven't travelled much before, take them on a few "joy rides" around the neighborhood to make sure that they'll be fine in a moving vehicle, some birds do get motion sickness.

Foot toys are fine to put inside the travel cage but do not use hanging toys that could bash around and frighten or hurt the budgies. Do not allow them out of the cage while travelling (I know many people do this, but not only can it be dangerous for the birds to be moving about freely inside a vehicle, but dangerous also for you and anyone else within the vehicle, if the bird were ever to be freaked out and distract you while driving). If you plan on making any stops at night at hotels, be sure to call ahead first and make sure that they except pets. You might even want to reserve a room ahead of schedule if the place is known to be booked up quickly.

Try to set up the travel cage so you can seatbelt it in, for their sake and yours. (You don't want a cage to go flying in case of a sudden stop or accident.) I never took my tiel on a long trip, but on trips to the vet I put her small travel cage on a little box on the seat to raise it up so she could see out. She liked to watch the world go by although I guess some birds might be freaked out by the unfamiliar sight of speeding scenery.

I once drove cross-country with a kangaroo rat. Easier than birds, though, because it was nocturnal and slept the trip away in its little cage--just needed a little play time in the evening. The biggest challenge was keeping it cool through the southwest.

We took our senegal from Ohio to Florida on a 2 week vacation. While on the road he was in a travel kennel, at night while we were stopped he was in a portable cage. Since the kennel was very near us we talked to him frequently. He seemed to enjoy the trip.The previous advice was correct, we did all of that. He went on many vacations with us and was a very well-rounded companion.

Thanks! I won't be able to talk to the kids as I will be in the truck and they will be in hte car...brought into the motel at night. I"m so worried about them

Many motels do accept pets, so you could always call ahead for reservations before making the trip, so you can better plan out where you'll be staying at night, instead of wondering around looking for a place.