11 Tips On Traveling With Your Pet Bird
by Milo Piros
Since parrots are very intelligent, curious and social,
traveling with them is quite safe and fun. Like all other
birds, they also love to see the outside world and taking
them on trips is a rewarding experience. But, you might have
heard that a lot of pet birds get lost or meet an accident
every year while they are on a trip. Parrots are prey and
they get scared very easily. Although you may be able to
recover your lost bird doing so can be quite stressful for
both you and your bird. So, there are certain things that
you should remember while taking the bird on a trip.
- Train your parrot to get used to a bird carrier. It is
very important for keeping your parrot safe and reducing the
bird's stress as many others also travel with you. If you
are traveling by car, then keep the carrier safely at the
back because the impact of an exploding air bag in an
accident can kill your parrot. The bird carrier should be
large enough for your bird to sit or rest in it comfortably
so that it doesn't bump its head or tail on the top or
bottom. If you want to use a T-perch on top of your bird
carrier then allow your parrot to sit on the perch for a
short time every day so that he/she gets used to it. Always
remember that your bird will daily need some time to come
out of the carrier for exercise or just for a change.
- Keep sufficient food and vegetables in the bird carrier
that are very high in water content to minimize dehydration.
If you want to keep fruits for feeding your parrot, then
store them in ice to prevent from spoiling.
- Train your bird to wear a harness like a Bird Diaper
before taking him outside.
- When you are out of the vehicle, do not leave the bird
alone or locked in carrier because predator animals are
dangerous for pet animals, especially for birds.
- Get a pre-checkup of your parrot from your veterinarian
before taking it on a trip. Make sure that your bird has
developed no signs of illness prior to the trip and try
implanting a microchip in your bird, for its identification,
in case you lose it..
- Provide your bird with a sufficient quantity of fresh
water in its carrier all the time, so as not to upset your
bird's delicate intestinal tract on trips. Fill the water
cup just enough so that water does not keep on spilling all
the way.
- If the weather is warm outside, take a spray bottle along
with you to sprinkle water on your bird and protect it from
heat. If your parrot is feeling too hot then it will keep
its mouth open and wings raised
- Always carry the contact number of your veterinarian and
a copy of your parrot's medical records in case you have to
contact an unknown vet in an emergency. You should also
carry a first aid kit for your bird containing certain
supplies like septic power, gauze, ace bandages, a sugar
pack to make sugar water and a feeding syringe to administer
sugar water in case of dehydration, and tweezers Also, do
not forget to bring disinfectant for cleaning your bird
carrier during the journey.
- Do not keep your bird sitting in its carrier, direct
under the sun or near direct draft from the vents. Though
auto air conditioning or heating will control the
temperature to some extent, still it is better to avoid
direct contact of sunlight with the carrier.
- Your voice can calm and reassure your bird, so keep
talking to it at regular intervals during the trip.
- If you want to carry your bird's toys on the trip do not
hang them in the carrier as they may swing and hurt your
bird. You can also use fresh fruits like grapes or orange
slice instead of toys, which can be held for chewing.
Milo Piros is the Author of "The Parrot SuperPak"
Sign up for his FREE 4-part parrot training course, learn:
Speaking, Trick Training, No Biting and the 'Up' Command
Click here ===> http://www.parrotadvice.com
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