[boutsega]

I'm going to Europe for three weeks in July and I am trying to figure out the best situation for my little parrotlet Diti.


Summary*
What is the best option to reduce bird stress while I travek.

Option A) Parrotlet stays at home in safe bathroom aviary with roommate checking on her, but not handling her for three weeks

Option B) Take Parrotlet four hour to friends house who has experience with birds and will handler her regularly. However it is a compleltly new environment with new people.


I was originally going to board her with the breeder but they will be out of town so that is a no go. I the only place I could find to board her in the DFW area wanted to charge me $500 and wouldnt even handle her unless I paid $16 dollars a day(Maybe this is standard but it seems very unreasonable for me)

So i decided I could turn my bathroom into a little aviary and have my roommate check on her daily. This way she could stay in a place familiar to her and have more space than she would at a boarding place. She still owuldnt get handle really as my roommate is not a bird person but she wasn't going to be handle at the boarder. My mom has done this for her parakeets full time and they love it. I started to hang perches and bring her stand and cage(and of course take all safety precautions). She seems a little confused being left along in the bathroom sometimes though.

However a new option recently appeared. My friend's girlfriend has offered to watch Diti. She has a cockatoo and has years of experience handling birds. Plus Diti is very fond of my friend and she would be comforted by seeing him occasionally as well. However, they live 4 hours away and I worry the change in environment for her might cause more stress than staying in a place she knows with little to no handling. Itg would also mean she might have to stay away from me for an extra 1-2 weeks depending on when I will be able to go pick her up.
What are your recommendations?

 

[Anya]

I really cannot say which would be better for you. You know Diti better than anyone. What would be best for him? What would make you worry less while you are gone? Just listen to what your gut tells you. I do have concerns about leaving a bird that long in the bathroom with very little supervision. You really need to make sure you safe proof your bathroom really well if that is the choice you make. Ozzy uses a video camera to watch his bird when he is away. Maybe you can look into that? You could keep tabs on Diti that way.

 

[ginziputzi]

I personally don’t feel that comfortable with the bathroom idea. Is there a reason you wouldn’t leave Diti in his cage instead, in the area he is used to? Even if your roommate doesn’t handle him, he would at least be exposed to the activities of the home.

To be honest, I would probably choose the friend. I like the idea of his Girlfriend having experience with birds which would give me peace of mind. The fact that Diti likes your friend and he is familiar with him is a bonus too. I feel he would have a better quality of time with people he knows and who know birds. As long as he has his regular cage, I don’t think the change of environment would be a problem. It would probably be good for him.

How Diti would do in the car for 4 hours is something you would have to gauge.Kiwi loves a road trip.