Traveling With Birds: Calm, Safe Journeys

Choosing a Carrier

A travel carrier should be smaller than the cage, so your bird can't be thrown around if the car brakes. Look for:

• A secure door a clever beak can't open.
• One low perch your bird can grip comfortably.
• Good ventilation and a way to cover part of it, which helps many birds stay calm.
• Easy cleaning: a removable tray or a liner of paper towel.

Use one carrier per bird for most species, unless a bonded pair travels calmly together.

Getting Your Bird Used to It

If the carrier only appears before a vet visit, your bird will soon learn to dread it. Leave it open near the cage with a treat inside, reward your bird for stepping in, then close the door for a few seconds, then minutes. A few short practice drives around the block help before a long trip.

Car Journeys

• Strap the carrier in with a seat belt on the back seat, away from airbags. Never let a bird loose in a moving car.
• Watch the temperature. Avoid direct sun on the carrier and drafts from vents. Never leave a bird alone in a parked car: cars heat up fast, even on mild days.
• Food and moisture: water dishes slosh, so on short trips offer juicy fruit or vegetables such as apple or cucumber. On long trips, stop and offer water.
• Keep it calm: quiet music or none, no smoking and no air fresheners.
• Plan for arrival: set the cage up straight away in a quiet room, with familiar toys and food.

Holidays: Take or Leave?

For most holidays, birds are happier at home with a trusted sitter who visits at least once a day, or a bird-experienced boarding service. Travel and new places stress many birds. Leave clear written instructions, your avian vet's details and enough food. See boarding, sitters and holidays.

Never take birds anywhere near poultry shows or wild bird areas during a bird flu outbreak; see bird flu and pet birds.

Flying and Moving Abroad

Airlines set their own rules: some accept small birds in the cabin, some only as cargo, some not at all. Check before you book.

Crossing borders with a bird takes paperwork and time. Rules differ by country and change with bird flu outbreaks, and many parrot species also need CITES permits. Some examples:

• United States: USDA APHIS says requirements depend on where the bird comes from, whether it is US-origin and whether it passed through areas with bird flu, and some birds must spend 30 days in a USDA quarantine facility.
• Great Britain: pet birds need a health certificate. From outside the EU you also need an import license from APHA and must arrive at one of a few named airports; from the EU you must tell APHA before you travel.
• Elsewhere: contact the destination country's agriculture or veterinary authority, and your own, well before you travel.

Check the official guidance (USDA APHIS in the US, gov.uk and APHA in Great Britain, or the national authority where you live) and a vet who issues export health certificates. Rules differ by country and can change quickly.

See traveling abroad with pets for general planning.