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Pet Travel

Taking a Trip With Your Bird

by Larry D.D. Clifford

So, you are taking a trip with your bird! Are you flying or driving? Depending on your mode of travel, there are many considerations you will need to make in order to best prepare your bird for the upcoming trip. But whether you are traveling by car or plane, the first question you need to ask yourself is whether or not your bird is used to riding in a carrying crate.

Pre-Travel Training

If this is your first time traveling with your bird, you have some training to do so that your bird is will travel comfortably. It is vital to work your bird well in advance of your departure, to reduce travel-related stress.

One of the primary goals of this "pre-travel" training regiment is to get your bird accustomed to staying and traveling inside of its crate. Before you begin, find some treats your bird enjoys, so you can use these to reinforce the bird for good behavior. With your travel crate and treats in hand, you're now ready to follow these simple steps for training your new travel companion:

1). Place the crate on a table, carry your bird over to the crate and hold him in front of the crate. When the bird is calm, tell him "GOOD" then give him a treat. Next, hold the bird on the side of the crate; again, when the bird is calm, say "GOOD" and give him another treat. Repeat this training step for a couple of days before continuing to step #2.

2). When the bird is calm and relaxed around the crate, put the bird inside the crate. Leave the bird on your hand, say "GOOD", bring the bird out, and give him a treat. Again, repeat this step for a couple of days before proceeding to the next step.

3). When the bird is relaxed inside of the crate, put him/her on the perch. Pull your hand out and say "GOOD". Put your hand back in the crate right away and remove the bird, say "GOOD", and give a treat.

4). Put the bird inside the crate on the perch and say "GOOD", then give a treat. Now close the door. Count to three, say "GOOD", open the door and give the bird a treat.

5). Once the bird is comfortable sitting in the crate by itself, shut the door, pick up the crate and walk around the room. Put the crate back up on the table and tell the bird "GOOD". Let the bird out, and give him a treat along with a lot of affection.

6). Gradually increase the time your bird spends in the crate. Then, take your bird in the crate to the car and drive around the block. Return to your house and place the bird back on the table. Remove your bird from the crate and give him a treat and a lot of affection.

Repeat this over and over until the bird enjoys traveling in its crate. If you are traveling by car or by airplane, this training will help relieve any stress the bird might encounter during the trip.

Traveling by Car

Traveling with your bird in extremes of hot or cold weather can be dangerous for your bird! During hot weather, make sure your bird is not sitting in the direct path of the cold air from your car's air conditioning, as it can make him sick. Also, removing the bird into the outdoor heat from a car that is air conditioned can put your bird into temperature shock.

When you are traveling with your bird by car, don’t let your bird be exposed to direct sunlight. I know what you're thinking...birds live in the wild and spend most of the day in the sun, right? Yes, but they are use to it! In addition, should they get hot, they will find a shady place to rest. There may not be shade in your car for the bird unless you provide it!

Remember all that training we did to get your bird use to riding in a crate and loving it? When you're transporting your bird from the comfortable house to the car and it’s cold outside, place some towels or shavings inside the crate and cover the crate with a towel. This will help reduce temperature shock to your bird regardless of whether it’s hot or cold outside. Preheating or precooling your car is something you might want to do for the health of your bird too.

Traveling by Air

Regarding traveling by air, I must say that I am personally not comfortable putting my birds in the cargo area. If you have a large bird that will not fit under your seat, consider buying another seat for the larger crate. If this is not possible, I would suggest you reconsider taking the bird on the plane as the cargo area can be very, very stressful on your bird.

Enjoy your trip and if you have any questions about training your bird, contact me at parrottraining@aol.com.

Larry D.D. Clifford is an Exotic Wildlife Animal Trainer with over 35 years animal training experience, including working with parrots, eagles, killer whales, lions and grizzly bears, to name a few. Larry has trained animals for movies, commercials and talk shows and his credits include Manager of Animal Behavior at SeaWorld in San Diego and Ohio, as well as Director of Training and Shows at Miami SeaQuarium.

Larry has been conducting exotic bird training workshops since 1978, and travels across the United States to speak at numerous clubs and organizations about bird training and behavioral problems. For in-home training or to have your club host one of Larry's training workshops, contact him at parrottraining@aol.com or call 509-768-5303.