Parrots benefit from getting out of the house and experiencing more environments. The key to this travel is the safety of your bird. Equally important is that this is a positive, non-stressful experience for your parrot. Now, I know some people travel long distances and over vacations with their parrot. My focus here is more basic, being a short trip to a friends or a day-long excursion for your bird.
Before going any farther, I would suggest that you consider keeping your bird's wings properly groomed. A proper groom allows your bird to glide to the floor, but not achieve a good lift while indoors. I've specified indoors because when outside, wind increases the lift a bird can achieve. A flightless bird inside may easily fly into a tree or out of your view when outside. When I am outside, my travel carrier is always kept closed, which I feel offers Pepper the most safety and security. A lost bird is usually avoidable and a situation we don't want to place our birds or ourselves in.
An appropriately sized travel carrier is critical to traveling with your bird. There are many sizes and styles of travel carriers. I purchased a small size Clark Contemporary Cages Wingabago for Pepper. My original reason for buying this carrier was I felt all the clear sides would give my bird a better view and therefore a better experience when he was in it. It took Pepper about six trips in it before he realized that the clear sides couldn't be walked through or climbed.
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This is a photo of Pepper's Wingabago. |
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To make Pepper's travel experience better, I added a small Comfy Perch to the original wooden perch to give him more perch space and a better surface to grip.
I have experienced one major problem with my Wingabago. The venting (there are nine ventilation slots on each side and on the back, along with eight slots on the top) is great for a mid-winter trip, but spring through fall the temperature inside the Wingabago gets too hot. Usually, within ten minutes after being out in the Wingabago, Pepper exhibits signs of overheating. He holds his wings away from his body and has his beak open while panting. When I quickly take him out of the Wingabago I feel his body and feet being much hotter than usual. Once I realized this was a heat problem and not an anxiety problem, I no longer take Pepper out if the temperature is above 70 or if it is a bright, sunny day. To eliminate this problem I bought a replacement stainless steel door, but it took from December 2005 through August 2006 for this door to become available again.
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This is a photo of the stainless steel door on Pepper's Wingabago. (The stock, seed and water cups can be attached to this door.) |
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When temperature is not an issue, I try to take Pepper out at least once each week. This may be as simple as being out on the porch with me. It often involves a ride in the car. Yes, his carrier gets strapped in with a seat belt. It took a while for him to get comfortable in the car, though he still gets nervous when I drive on the highway. I don't know if it's the vibration from the tires, the trucks, or something else. Usually, a ride around town for about an hour is a good trip for Pepper.
As a back-up carrier, travel cage or emergency cage I purchased a Blue Ribbon Cage Creations 14"x16"x22" cage. If I was visiting relatives for a weekend, I'd bring this and use it once I got to my location. I like its locking mechanisms and that the front door is large and can be opened and locked to form a secure landing platform. For transportation or storage, this cage may be broken down to a much smaller size.
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These photos show the Blue Ribbon Cage Connection cage. |
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