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dim1g
Flutterer
Joined: 15 Mar 2005
Posts: 126
Location: Chicago |
| travel: take or leave at home?? |
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so i've had Sake, my adopted 2yr-old CAG, for about 5 months now, and he is really settling in well and is quite bonded to my boyfriend and i. he loves his cage and play areas, and definitely feels quite comfortable in the house. i've never yet needed to leave for more than a day.
but, something has come up. i got some bad news from the vet yesterday about one of our horses, and so i have to retire the big guy (thoroughbred). many tears later, i luckily i think i have found the perfect place: a home where my sweet horse can run freely and play on a beautiful farm in northern wisconsin while getting care and attention from people who sound like they love animals. i even have family near by there who can check on him frequently. the details are going to be arranged this afternoon, i think/hope. so i need to take him up there, and being located in chicago means that the trip plus settling him in will take a few days. but i don't know what to do with Sake... both my boyfriend and i will need to go to wisconsin. my two options are to 1. take him with us - he has a travel cage that is large enough for him to stay in for a few days, or 2. to leave him here and have a housesitter. the housesitter option would be with someone that is great with animals (a trainer at the barn where i currently board both of my horses) but whom Sake has only met once or twice thus far.
we will probably be leaving in two weeks for 2-3 days. any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
dim |
Sunday March 27, 2005 12:38 pm |
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LVMY2S
Fledgeling
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 255
Location: Chicago,IL |
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First off, I am sorry to hear about your horse but I'm sure he will love retirement. Well you really don't have time for them to get to know eachother so I quess I would ask the questions, has this person been around birds before?,would this person be ok if by chance they got bit?, are they staying in your house so they will be able to get the bird out frequently? etc. I have a great animal person who is a vet tech at my clinic but I don't feel he is qualified to take care of my birds. Their needs are so different then a dog or cat. On the flip side it is only going to be two or three days. Have them come over and see how your bird reacts to them touching him, putting their hands in his cage, etc. As far as traveling with your bird, I'm sure that will go just fine. We have traveled to Florida from Chicago straight through for six years with my M2. We keep her covered in the car so no draft can get to her but we let her see us through the front of the cage. We traveled with our MSC2 for the first time at Thanksgiving taking them to Michigan and she did fine but got a little car sick on the way there. Either way I think it will be fine, it's just up to you and if you feel comfortable with this person. If it works out maybe you are one of the lucky ones that have found someone to look after your birds for longer periods of time. Karen |
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Sunday March 27, 2005 1:10 pm |
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Wings
Fledgeling
Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 247
Location: usa |
I want to say first off how sorry I am about your horse, hopefully he will get better, please keep us updated as I too have a great passion for horses as I used to own a few for pleasure.
As far as traveling with your CAG, I'm sure he would do fine but for only a few days, imo, I wouldn't take him. You will be spending much of your time on your horse and he will see alot of sorrow when you leave, not saying you wouldn't him also but for only a few days I just wouldn't do it. Greys are not ones for adapting rapidly to changes and with him still fairly new settling in, I just wouldn't risk it. I would ask the caretaker for him to come around more before you leave.....Good Luck in whatever you decide. Pam |
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Sunday March 27, 2005 1:45 pm |
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Fluffy Sue
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 10063
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| Re: travel: take or leave at home?? |
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I'm sorry to hear about your horse.. Though I hope he'll like his place in Wisconsin..
Good to hear that you have family there to check him.. I guess that makes you feel some better?
To the question: I don't know how well adapted Sake is at the moment. I sure don't want to put you three in a stressful situation.
My fids just love travelling, holidays & outtings.. But I am not sure about Sake?
Eventually, he can like it, but as the situation is hard for you & your boyfriend, I think it'd be best to leave Sake home with a trusted person..
(I say this, as parrots sense our stress very well and they can react on it very 'severely': Resulting in biting, plucking etc.. I am not saying this will happen to Sake, but it might!)
When Sake would react heavily on your stress, you might become even more stressy, resuling in a 'snowball effect'..
I hope you understand my words as my English isn't very good..
(I live in the Netherlands)
I'd tell the 'birdsitter' about Sake's jumping, so that she won't 'undo' your work! |
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Sunday March 27, 2005 4:07 pm |
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dim1g
Flutterer
Joined: 15 Mar 2005
Posts: 126
Location: Chicago |
| sake will stay at home |
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sorrry i haven't gotten back sooner! thank you all so much for your suggestions. i think that leaving him at home so that he doesn't get afffected as much by our sorrow at having to leave our horse at a farm so far at home is indeed the right thing to do. and i don't know that i would have thought of that. so thank you so much! (btw your english is great, admin.) thank you also for your words of sympathy. we are sure going to miss the big guy, even though we know it is the best thing for him and that after he settles in he will even like his new home much better. and maybe someday we will be able to bring him home, if/when we are ever able to afford to buy a place with a barn and pasture... dreams... we will be taking him to his new home on April 23rd. and sake will stay here with homecare. i'm having the sitter come over this weekend to get to know him better before we go.
thanks again.
dim |
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Thursday April 14, 2005 10:40 am |
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Fluffy Sue
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 10063
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| Re: sake will stay at home |
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I think your decision is the best you could make, given the fact that you'll probably be nervous..
Please do inform the birdsitter about Sake's jumping else he might start jumping again..
I'll be thinking of you april 23th.. (I think I'm still on holiday then)
I know it'll be hard.. 
I'm glad you can understand my English..  |
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Thursday April 14, 2005 11:10 am |
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dim1g
Flutterer
Joined: 15 Mar 2005
Posts: 126
Location: Chicago |
| trip leaving bird at home went well |
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sorry it has taken me so long to post! the trip to take my horse to his new home went well, and sake did just fine at home with the animal-sitter. she said he was even talking to her on sunday morning (we left saturday and got back late sunday). he didn't seem fazed at all, to be honest. funny guy - the things you think will bother him don't, and the things you think won't bother him do. it is sure taking me a while to figure him out! thanks again for the replies and help. great forum!
i'm going back up to wisconsin to hang out with family and my horse for a week, as soon as my teaching responsibilities are over for the semester (next week). i'm going to take sake with me this time. i've been training him to sleep in his travel cage (which is still fairly large), up in our bedroom instead of his main cage, and he seems to like it a lot. i think he likes going to bed in the same room as us. he even seems more cheerful during the day. boy has he been asking for scritches, too! anyway, i'm driving up there (about a five hour drive) and since i'm going for a week and it will be a hppy visit this time, i'm going to try taking him. any suggestions/advice on traveling with a bird is welcome! (i'm also scanning this forum as well).
cheers
dim |
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Monday May 9, 2005 10:34 am |
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LVMY2S
Fledgeling
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 255
Location: Chicago,IL |
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Hi Dim, glad things went well with the sitter. We travel alot with out Too's. I always make sure that the car vents to not hit the cage directly. I always cover the top and sides of the cage with a sheet but leave the front open toward the front of the car. I have one cockatoo that gets car sick pretty bad so we can not feed her before we go. I have found that the best foods to put in their cage during travel are foods that they don't need to pick up with their feet. It's always a little bumpy traveling in a car and they usually need to hold on with both feet. Because you are only going to be driving for five hours, you might want to try some cooked veggies. They are easy to eat without having to pick them up. Just take them out of the cage after a couple hours so they don't spoil. I ususally put in a slice of orange for liquid. Sometimes it is hard for them to drink with the water splashing. As I said before we have traveled alot with out Too's. Usually to florida from Chicago which is a 17 hour drive straight through. They always do fine. When we stop to get gas, we take the birds out to stretch their wings. Just watch the gas fumes at the pump. Make sure you take them away from the station itself or take them out at a rest area. Two of my Too's are fully flighted so they only get to stretch their wings in the car. Enjoy your trip and give your horse a big hug! If you have anymore questions ask away. Karen |
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Monday May 9, 2005 1:43 pm |
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Fluffy Sue
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 10063
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| Re: trip leaving bird at home went well |
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Great to hear from you again!
I am thrilled you're taking Sake with you, I hope everything will be fine travelling.. Please let us know how things went!
If you're travelling, and he can see what's happening outside, just explain him that this is a tree, or just talk to yourself. You'll be surprised how much he'll be interested.. (I think!) |
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Tuesday May 10, 2005 8:54 am |
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