Traveling with budgie

[ladybird]

Hi everyone I am new to the forum and have a question to ask.  My hubby and I are pensioners and recently lost our beloved little dog. It wouldn’t be fair now at our age to get another dog but the house seems so lonely without a pet. We used to have a budgie many years ago, so are now thinking we would like another one.....but.....We have a mobile home and go a lot , the journey takes us around four hours.   So here is my question, would it be fair to take a budgie along with us?  We would buy a Traveling cage and make sure the temperature in the car is correct .  We would of course take the bigger cage with us....  What do you think?

[OP]

Hello and welcome to our forum. A budgie will thoroughly enjoy travelling in your car. All you need to worry abut is anything swinging abut and water sloshing all over the place.
Try and get him/her a window seat so they can look out.

[ladybird]

Thank you that’s just what I needed to hear.  I think there will be a budgie ready for us in about three weeks. We have somone local who breeds and shows budgies. Will never replace my beloved dog, but will fill a gap in my heart and will be extremely well looked after.

[Shirls]

Hello and welcome ladybird. Why don't you get two budgies? I'm sure they would both love travelling around with you, once they get used to the idea, and they'd have each other as company and to look out the window!! As OP has said things hanging in the cage would be a problem swinging about as well as the water splashing, but you can take adequate food/water supplies with you for when you take stops. Toys can go back in when you get home.

Would love to hear about your journeys with him/them later on.

Could I just remind you at this early stage about not using sandsheets and those rough concrete type perches you can get these days. As you haven't had a budgie for a while, I know from my own experience how things have changed. My budgie when I was a girl had all those bad things and honestly, they are not good for the tender feet of a budgie.

[ladybird]

Hopefully I will get a boy budgie and again hopefully I can get it talking, that’s why I wouldn’t want to get two.   The cage I am looking at is 24 wide and I wondered if a smaller traveling cage would be better in the car, so he wouldn’t hurt himself? 
  I am glad you have mentioned about the sand sheets, although I had noticed that most cages seem to have a grate at the bottom. I would have thought they would hurt their feet?

[jellybean]

Put the paper on top of the grate ladybird, thats what I do.

[Hezz]

I don't know of any budgies who have, but some of the larger birds do get carsick, just as a word of warning.
I don't think size of cage in the car really matters, in fact the larger cages can be more easily (securely) strapped in with the seat belt than a smaller one.
If you do get a budgie, is it going to be able to have out of cage time when you are at the mobile home? They really do need some free flying time each day, even if only for an hour or so.

[ladybird]

Yes plenty of room to fly about in the mobile home.    Would you try leaving him in his big cage for the journey? Just securing any dangling toys etc .  Cover the cage or not?

[OP]

If the one cage will fit in the cage then just use the one cage. I wouldn't cover the cage myself. They really do like to see what's happening. I transport one little fellow over 200 miles in his cage strapped to a seat. He whistled and chuntered. He would just sit on a perch and change perches when he wanted. The motor I was driving was one known as a Noddy Van. Not really smooth riding. With regards to the grid at the bottom of the cage, I have never covered mine and never had any problems with the budgies feet. If you saw mine running over the grid you would think it was solid with no bars. It's just the same when they are on top of the cage.

[Shirls]

To make it easier for cleaning purposes I would put the newspaper on top of the grid.

Perhaps just cover the back and sides of the cage when travelling?

[Hezz]

I've never felt that the birds need covering whenever I have had to take them to the vets, but it is only a short drive, and none have ever been of a terribly nervy disposition. I think that is something you would need to play by ear. With two of you in the car, you can easily monitor Birdy and take your cues from him, as to whether you feel he is enjoying the ride or not.

As to whether leave in larger cage, that would depend on the larger cage. It is amazing how small a cage might not fit through a passenger door of a smallish car, or even a larger one. I had this issue recently with a friend who hired a ute especially to transport the bird only to find that the "smaller" cage wouldn't fit through the doors. Luckily it went in through the hatch of my little car no worries. So that's another thing to think about, and one that most people don't consider.

[OP]

You will soon gauge the disposition of your budgie when in the car. If he/she cowers in a corner then by all means throw a cover over. But I'm convinced by the actions of my buds that I have transported they feel much better when they can see what is going on. I will be surprised if after a short while he/she is not sat preening and doing all things a budgies does.

Good advice from Hezz regarding the size of cage. Personally I would have two. One for travelling in and one for a residence. Even the Vision cages cage be a devil to put into a car through the passenger doors, believe me I have done it. You most certainly wouldn't get a Hamberley in a car full stop.

Whilst you are travelling along the highways and byways your little budgie will not need much room to fly about. Something a bit smaller than the Vision cages would probably do perfectly for in the car.