Traveling with your bird

[Littlebird]

I am thinking of bringing my bird from Phoenix to SE Alaska next summer. I don't know anything about travel. Of course I need the least stress on him do is car or plane a better option. How well do they ride in a vehicle? How many hours a day? What do you do at night in hotels etc. how do they ftravel under the seat on a plane? If anyone has any advice or experience I would appreciate hearing it. Thanks

[ShellyBorg]

I drive with one or two of mine a lot. I have travel cages with soft toys in them hooked to the wall. (I just use a small toy breed wire cage) Spirit gets a little carsick on long rides so I offer a chunk of ginger and he will chew on it on and off while moving. I do not have water in their cages, I stick to grapes and juicy stuff. I do stop and offer water once in awhile but with car door closed! I make sure everyone has ridden in the car just for fun in the weeks before I go. I play the same music we here at home so they know its all good. If we have to stop for the night I have perches I made with camera tripods that I put puppy pads under. Sometimes they sleep in their cages, if they are clipped and do not leave there stand I will sometimes let them sleep "out" on the perch that night. Breakfast is fed before we leave. I do not like having anything in there cages that could fly around if I have to stomp on the brakes or swarve fast.

[coltfire]

sue i drive all over the place with my birds, they can be in the car for a 12 hour rd trip, and they never stress never any problem, but they are not in a cage while we are on the road, they just sit on the head rest or play on the back seat or the ledge at the back window. and if we pull up they just go back into there travel cage.

[Turquoise]

I don't travel on a regular basis with my birds, but I did drive over 300 miles to pick up my two Catalina macaws. They had to ride almost the same distance with their breeder to meet me. And I made the trip again a few months later for my ekkie girl. So all total they traveled around 600 miles in one day and are just fine with it. My Green Wing girl flew in to me from Washington state & was calm as could be when I picked her up at the airport after a 10 hr flight & layover and she had to ride in my car another 200 miles to get home.

I would suggest making sure Canada does not have restrictions about taking birds through their country if you decide to drive up to Alaska. And if there are any health certificates the birds might need. I have made the trip by car to Fairbankd, Alaska from Texas with 5 dogs and I had to carry health certificates for each one that was within the month I planned on going through. That was in Aug of '08 for my son Jory's wedding. I didn't have birds then, but if I had I would have taken them if allowed.

Its a beautiful trip by car, but a long one. Our total trip to & from Alaska was over 10,000 miles. :th_biggrin:

[Littlebird]

Lots of good ideas. Thanks. So if I were to fly him up, he should be fine. Someone suggested that he fly under the seat in a carrier rather than with the pets. Anybody try that? Thanks again

[coltfire]

i know they would be fine flying ,but i can not put my birds on a plane , i have sold babies and driven 8 hours to deliver rather than put my birds on a plane, here in Australia i have heard to many stories, and as far as im concerned it only takes one person that does not like birds/ to treat them wrong on a trip , if they are with me i know whats going on, and i would personally drive my birds to flying them any where.