Answer

Hello. I can certainly help you on that one, from much personal experience traveling with 9 birds, three different trips that were about that distance. I feel I've become an old hand at it. It's best to use a travel carrier rather than the cage, if possible. I use the cat/dog type of carriers for mine. They will need a perch inside of it so that they don't have to stand flat footed the whole time plus you don't want them walking around in their poop. I use one of the nail trimmer types of perches. I drill a hole for it about half way between the door and the rear of the carrier and only just high enough above the floor so their toes can wrap around. It give them a much more steady ride, a good grip and not at all far to fall if they should take a tumble. You can put several layers of newspaper or paper towels in the bottom of it and if one gets too soiled, you can slip it out and pitch it. If you are planning to make the trip straight through, that's probably best in the long run, for the bird. The problem in stopping in a motel can expose the bird to all kinds of strong and toxic cleaning products that are often used in motels and hotels. Also, you will not dare to leave the bird unattended in the room because of the high risk of theft. Not leaving it unattended will also apply to gas, food and bathroom stops along the way. You can put a hanging bowl on the front door grate for food and if your bird has any favorite juicy fruits, those can also help with hydration along the way. Damp leafy greens, clipped to the cage door or side grates are also good for that. Before you leave, be sure to warm up the car ahead of time and put a heavy cover over the carrier for the time you will be between house and car. Keep the cover handy so you won't have any heat blowing directly into the carrier. Also, depending on how nervous the bird might be, many prefer to have a cover between them and other traffic going by. The trips that I had to make were all on average of 12 hours, which I did drive straight through, just to eliminate the motel stops and those dangers. However, on the final return trip, we were on the road for 23 hours, due to bad weather and other problems. I was a nervous wreck just thinking about the trips but the truth was, my birds handled it far better than I and so much better than I expected they would. I played soft music on the radio and talked with them and they were a happy lot, the whole way. One other caution, if anyone in the car is a smoker, of course you can't smoke in that small of an area with them having to breathe it. You will have to save the smoking for the other stops. I hope this helps you out and will help you to be less nervous about it but if you have any more questions at all or if I haven't covered something you needed to know, just let me know. Patricia

Expert:	Patricia
Pos. Feedback:	99.9 %
Accepts:	1542
Answered:	1/30/2008

Parrot Consultant

Published author, free lance bird behaviorist, adviser to the parrots at Sarasota Jungle Gardens.