roadtrip?

[Starre]

my mom got a job offer type thing in new york.
this isnt by any means the first roadtrip type thing we've done, nor the first with animals (we once drove from MA to NM with 4 cats, 10 mice, a rat, and 2 dogs. not fun) but the first we've done with a bird. chezza is okay in the car and what not, but i dont know how shes going to handle this sort of a thing, espeacially because her cage wont fit in the cab of the truck, at least not while we are in it.(not to say i let her roam loose but when she goes on car rides its usually just me and her.
soo.. has anyone done this sort of thing before? (its a 3-5 day trip. according to my mum.)
how to we make this easier on her?
and does anyone have a good idea on what to do to keep her safe in the car?
(the cage is going to be in the back of the car for the hotel stays, so we are covered for the night time)

three people in a pickup truck. im going to go crazy...


sorry if i posted this in the wrong category...

[Jannabellsmom]

I have no experience on this but I'd like to hear how it goes! Good luck!

[Ashling]

Around 2-3 years ago, we took two cockatiels, three adult budgies and a barely fledgling baby budgie, as well as two dogs- on a four day car trip. We were moving states.
The mum budgie became stressed and wouldn't feed the baby, which I- having no idea- had to hand feed most of the trip!
All we did was keep them all well fed and watered, kept the temperature consistant and give them plenty of good rest on the nights between. I have to stress the keeping temerature consistant, cause (especially here in Australia) cars on the road can get pretty hot! There isn't much more you can do while you're on the road. As long as she is covered from the wind (cage inside the vehicle) and doesnt get over heated or dehydrated you should be ok!!!
My birds weren't even companion birds, they were avairy birds!

ps. I let my girl roam free in the car too!
pps. MM!!?? Coolest name a sucker fish ever had!

[Starre]

wow. hand feeding in a moving vehicle. thats something i dont ever want to try.
its winter here. so im worried about the cold, shes obviously going to be inside, but i open the window a bit otherwise i get carsick.


oh yeah. mansons pretty awesome.

[Bradleyzoo]

Starre, we drove from Alaska to Tampa, Florida (then took a freighter to Honduras) with our 3 large dogs, our B&G Macaw and our CAG. The trip took 41 days, including several stops to see family along the way. We had the time of our lives!! I´ve been on lots of road trips, but that one was the best.

The key to a successful trip is planning, planning, planning. We had a large, older Dodge van that my husband completely stripped and turned into a camper for all of us, so we had plenty of room. Doesn´t sound like you´re going to have a lot of room in a truck with 3 people. So, you have to find a way for Chezza to have stimulation without driving you crazy. We were able to install perches in several places - on the dash board, on the sides of our bucket seats, on a little table so we could put the fids on a perch and have a little break. If you can´t do that, then I would suggest getting a simple T-stand that you can put on the floor between your legs so Chezza is right in front of you, but not having to be crawling all around the whole trip. If you´re creative you can attach a toy or something that is familiar to her.

I know it´s bad to let them roam freely in a moving vehicle, but we couldn´t possibly keep our fids in small cages for 41 days - or even 4 days. You just have to be extra careful with such precious cargo in your care - drive a bit slower, have a little bit more caution, etc.

Also, not sure if I read your post correctly, but the handful of nights that we stayed in motels we took the birds (and the dogs) in with us. We just found motels that would let us. You might do some checking on-line for "pet friendly" motels along the way.

I hope this helps. If you have any more questions I´ll be watching this post for a while, or you can PM me.

[Bradleyzoo]

I hope this works... first time I´ve tried it.... here is a pic of our fids during a break in the road trip from Alaska to Tampa, FL.

[birdmom]

My Birds LOVE to travel! They're quite used to it though. I just returned from a trip from San Diego, Ca. to Laughlin, NV, down to Palm Springs and back home. I suggest you start taking your birds for rides in the car before going on this trip. Mine are loose in the SUV when I take them....although they have a lot of places to ride, the ones who hatched at home and know me as mom....usually end up riding on me...on my arms, shoulder, and I have to keep taking them off my head! If you take your birds in the car for rides...to the park or the ocean or a lake...make it interesting for them...and take them out of the car if the climate permits...birds are like kids...sometimes mine won't let me put them back in the carry cage when we get back home...if they're not done with their afternoon "bye-bye". For years, I stayed in Motel 6 because of the pet policy...and they recognize the sign...so when I went to check out another Motel across from Motel 6, they all started to scream...like "what are you doing?...the Motel is over there!"...and by the way, I have travelled with as many as 11 cockateils, one lovebird and one parakeet...all loose in the car....and they never tried to fly out when I'd stop at the gas stations, etc. They get used to the routine...but then, my birds have travelled for many years and taught the newcomers what to and what not to do. So I'm not suggesting that anyone do as I do....but do take them for rides in the car especially weeks before travelling with them....I may try to post a picture from a couple years ago with them on my shoulder in the car.

[Starre]

well thank all of you for the help. ill deffinatly let everyone know how it goes.

[flyingfluff]

I've taken my budgies and cockatiel on multiple 6hr car rides before with no problem. I just make sure I keep their cage partially covered so the sun isn't beating down on them the whole time and try to make sure they don't get a draft, as well as not letting them inhale too much car exhaust. For the trips though, I put them in a small cage with some food and water and secure them into the seat.

[T.W.]

We had quite an adventure moving from queens ny to florida. We had 10 cats, 6 dogs, 3 rabbits, 2 guinea pigs, and 4 birds!! We had to go slow, because there was a difference between closing on the houses, so we arrived on the third day. Boy it was amazing!!! My yellow nape was in a cage with his 2 cockatiel friends, and my CAG, who I was babysitting (his owners were our neighbors back in ny, they were moving here too, but later on) was in a small cage. (he's mine now!) We left with only the clothes on our backs, and blankets and comforters and pillows for the dogs to sleep on, in there space in the van. The cats were stacked in their carriers toward the back, the guinea pigs got the back window, and the bunnies were stacked in with the cats. We had an extended van, we had only the bucket seats up front, we couldn't even lay down!!! No hotel would have us, so we slept at rest stops all along the way, and ate take out, and fed everyone in the van.
Anyway, I had the birds' cages next to each other, and I covered them with lite sheets, and I would yell out evry so often "Can I get a shout out" and the CAG would whistle or do a car alarm!!! The birds and everybody did great, the only one that had trouble was my 11 year old collie who was crippled in his joints from the ny cold weather. We had to carry him in and out of the van, by the time we got here he was done in, but he came around and he is now 15years old and still going, his joints are great here in florida.
I guess what I am saying is, you'll do fine, our pets are stronger than we think, and they actually enjoy a road trip!!! Good Luck!