I agree with the person who said, if it's a short absence, having someone look in, feed and water the bird once a day is all right. Longer than 3 days I would not leave my birds alone for 90% of the time for longer than that. And there are 3 of them, in separate cages.
For a short absence, tv is good. I leave a little tv on in the bird room when I leave for more than a few hours. (They seem to especially like children's programming and cartoons, with all the sound effects and music!)
Terretoriality refers mainly to the bird's cage, nest box, tent and toys. If the bird is kept in it's own cage with it's own things. I don't see what the problem is moving it to a friend's home temporarily. The main problem is that if the bird is bonded to YOU it won't have you around but according to the original post, that was not an option. Most birds will adapt just fine. They don't like change but they will handle it OK. They are social though, and do get lonely, just like humans. Some species are more adaptable than others. Tiels, for instance are tough little guys and will pretty much go with the flow. Cockatoos on the other hand can be much more sensitive and only bonded to one person, etc. Your mileage may very.
