Question about shipping birds

[BrendaCos]

Hi! I'm new here and I was hoping someone could give me some advice.
After wanting one for a long time my husband and I have decided to get an African Grey. The problem is I can't find any breeders in my area (Snyder County Pennsylvania) and I'd have to have a bird shipped, which is what concerns me. Has anyone ever bought a bird they haven't met in person and how did things work out for you?
The other thing I am wondering about is the actual shipping. Is is stressful for the bird and how exactly do breeders ship birds? On airplanes?
Sorry for all the questions, but I really need some advice.
Thanks!
Brenda

[xafsmom]

I have purchased birds and have had them shipped, and I ship birds out, myself. I've never once been dissatisfied with the bird I receive. Most of what I buy are breeders though, from reputable people in the industry. So, I'm more concerned about health and breed-ability than pet quality.

However, the birds I ship are all babies and I have had zero complaints about the bird being unable to bond with their new owner or anything negative. Usually good breeders will make certain a baby is socialised well enough that new people are looked at positively and the baby is eager and open for a one on one bond. Most of the babies I send out are quick to pick up on the fact that they no longer have to share the lovings and they charm the socks off their new owners. Baby birds are sneaky that way.

As for stressful? Not if done correctly. Most babies like the shipping crates, they settle right down and snooze for the trip. The worst that I've faced was a slight elevation in a gram negative stain, but that goes away to normal after a few days and often happens with the stress of shipping (and going to places like the vets).

Most breeders will ship via a crate with a perch in it, and it will have substrate that's usually food based. I ship in a plywood box, with a doubled wire mesh hole so the bird can breathe and see out without getting hurt (fine mesh). I nail on a 1/2 inch strip of wood on the bottom of the crate so it can perch and not have a chance of slipping under an elevated/free-standing perch. Then, I toss in a decent amount of seed/pellets so it can stand on the food and pick at it, and I add in celery stalks as well. The celery is dry so it won't go mushy, but when chewed on, it releases a lot of water so the bird can remain hydrated during the trip. The crate is then covered with stickers saying bird on board, and live bird, and this end up kind of stuff.

Then, I ship via Delta Pet First, because they've always been very, very good about getting the birds into climate controlled areas before, during and after the flight, as well as taking extremely good care of the bird throughout.

Hope that answers some questions.

[BrendaCos]

Tina,
Thank you so much for your reply, you have really helped ease my concerns about shipping.
Thanks so much!
Brenda

[xafsmom]

You're very welcome. :)

[pi77]

would one of those plastic pet carriers be suffient? the kind that you use to take your bird to the vet?

the trick with the board on the bottom of the cage could be done with 2 screws and a small piece of wood?

i am talking about shipping a tag from nj to charleston sc. neither of us are breeders. it is a rehome of a young tag i think that is at least a year old.

so far i have seen that there are 2 carrier options ...delta and continetal.

i have seen that we will need to get a general 'healthy to fly' cert

so now i need to figure out how to make a crate. i am recieving the bird and a young lady is shipping the bird. she will have to do the fabrication. that is why i chose the pet carrier rather than a wooden box.

any help would be appreciated.

thanks

[girly]

I bought my baby CAG from a breeder who shipped her to me via airline. Let me say at the start that I couldn't be happier with her!

I told the breeder what I wanted, she happened to have four babies, I asked for a female, and she had to guess at that. She picked the smallest of the babies, hoping it was female. (turns out she is!)

I asked for a picture of my baby, which she sent me, and I fell in love instantly.

I was very concerned about shipping via plane, and she, like Tina, assured me of the safety and prudence of doing so. It's done all the time, and even when you buy a bird from a store, it's likely they had it shipped to them.

Bottom line-My breeder selected an outstanding bird for me. Jezebel was perfectly socialized and happens to be a very sweet and beautiful grey. (So says everyone who meets her, it's not just me being biased!)

Lots of luck!

[Lori~D]

yOU need TO CHECK WITH THE AIRLINES. Some of the rules have changed recently on crates. Ask FoxersArtist, Anna said it was a pain they made her line the inside if the crate with chicken wire. The Bird cannot be able to stick the beak out of the openings on all sides. The Chicken wire was all pulled down by Marlee when she got here. Nobody got hurt but it was a pain.

[dmiller91]

I would definitely go with a recommended breeder. Tina raises greys :) (xafsmom)

[pi77]

lori d thanks for the info... after reading a bunch of threads on the subject i saw that the info was relative to the date of the thread.

so i concluded that i should pick a carrier and find out from THEM what i need to do.

thanks good advice