Hello everyone

 

We are planning to hire a cottage in the Lake District next year and I was wondering if it would be okay to take my budgie, Lukie, with us? I'd hate to leave him with anyone as he is used to being very pampered!! He also does not like being in a cage so he flies about freely. He stays in the livingroom 99% of the time as all his toys are there. He also has a huge playgym in there that he loves (5' tall!!). It's next to a large window where he can see into the garden. We provide him with lots of entertainment during the day as well. I play birdsong tapes which he really enjoys and I video nature programs with trees and birds in them as he enjoys watching those too. I also play music - he has different tastes in music on different days!! In between I chat to him and watch him play, whenever I have moment, as he just adores being praised for doing things eg swinging on his hoops or spinning on his one toy or turning his wheel etc etc

 

My better half is worried that the journey will be too stressful for him as it will take a few hours. I feel he will be more stressed being away from us for two weeks. Once at the cottage I could prepare a place for him near a window with all his toys etc. Everyone I know either works or has cats and dogs so Lukie would either be alone all day or in a cage all day. He would be so miserable.

 

Any ideas?

 

Love

 

Vonn

I see no reason not to take him. If you've got a small travel cage he can be comfortable in during the car trip there should be no trouble. Plenty of people take their birds on holidays with them.

I think taking him would be okay, if you take out toys and only have a small bit of water in the dish so it doesn't spill the trip should be fine.

 

I would check that thecottage owners are okay with a bird being there, even if they don't say the are pet friendly some places are will to allow a small bird.

Thanks for the replies. I will check out whether the owners will allow a bird in the cottage and, if not, we will find another cottage where he would be welcome. I am very fussy about keeping the area around Lukie clean so there should be no reason to object to him being there. I am relieved that you feel he would be fine making the long journey.

 

Love

Vonn

Merlin came to us on a 6 hour drive he will be okay , we had wet lettuce in there for drinking and a little seed in a cup 1/2 full. We took all the perches out of the small carrier and put a small towel in there. Enjoy your trip. Oh and we covered the cage while driving.

You can always throw a sprig of millet in there too as that always keeps them happy.

I agree with lovey. Definitely cover the cage to minimise any stress on the journey. I always cover mine for trips to the vet.

Thanks so much for all those new replies. I am relieved that I can take Lukie with me. I have spoilt him, I know, but we just love him to bits. It would be such a big change for him not to have all the attention he gets at home, as well as all the freedom he loves.

 

With regard to covering him on the journey, Lukie is the budgie who is afraid of the dark! He is a lot better now and sleeps by himself all night through, but we let him fall asleep with us first, and then creep out once he is asleep. If he has a nightmare, which he has had on two occasions, then he knows where to find us and flies to us for comfort. I have never tried to cover him again since he panicked when I first tried covering him, after his visit to the vet. It all started with this first visit to our avian vet for a check up. The vet dimmed the lights slowly, and when it was dark, he put his hand in the cage and grabbed Lukie. He has never really got over this completely but is a lot more confident now. I still feel hesitant to try and cover him though, in case he loses his trust in me. What do you think?

 

Lukie is a very nervous little bird and hates being confined in a cage. He likes the cage to be there so he can pop in whenever he wants to, but the door has to be left open. Since we decided to let him fly freely, he changed from a quiet, rather sad little bird into a very happy bird. He hated the hand training so much and got so upset by it, that we decided to stop taming him. He lets us come very close to him as long as our hands are kept behind our backs. We can just give him a quick kiss before he moves out of reach, but this took a long time to achieve. He is quite happy to have our faces up close to his and he listens intently to whatever you are saying to him. He quite relaxed and puffed up a bit when we do this, and looks as cute as a button. He answers us back in a soft little chirrup.

 

I think that as long as we chat to him a lot during the journey, he will be okay. At least he is with 'his flock' and will have a familiar routine each day, even though the surroudings will be different.

 

Love

 

Vonn xx

I light sheet would work as a cover, more as a sun shader in the car so he doesn't get over heated. But you are the one that knows your bird the best. I was just suggesting. I cover mine over in the car it seems to calm them down.

Some of my birds don't mind being covered for the car ride, others get mad if they can't watch the scenery go by. :bluebudgie: If you think Luke would be okay without covering him in the cage, then don't cover him. It is really only to keep them calm as it keeps them from seeing what is whizzing by. I usually start with the cage covered as I move them to the car, but once in the car after a few minutes the cover usually gets lifted up so they can see. I think it would be wonderful if you could take him with you for your vacation. I would be particularly careful though, as he will be in a strange place so noises and such he thinks of as normal in his own home may make him jumpy in a new place. I'm guessing his wings are not clipped so be extra vigilant about the goings and comings into the cabin. If he flew out chances of getting him back would be slim as he would be very disoriented. When budgies are like that they fly...straight up. He'd have no frame of reference of where he came from so would most likely fly as high as he could.

 

Hi Rainbow

 

Thanks for all the advice. I will certainly keep it all in mind. This is my first budgie so this is the sort of advice I really need. I have been wondering whether to clip his wings but really don't want to do it. He loves his freedom so much. We had special caging put over the windows that we keep open and we are used to closing outside doors after ourselves now. I have heard it said that you should make a tape of your budgie chatting away to himself so that you can play it if he flies outside. Evidently if you leave his cage in a prominent position and keep playing the tape, he will come to the cage. I have no idea if this is, in fact, true. Have you heard this before? Anyway, we are very aware of Lukie being free and do take every precaution. That said, accidents do happen which is why I keep thinking about clipping his wings.

 

Thanks again for the advice. It is much appreciated.

 

Love

Vonn