Birds can be good and well-behaved travelers, however, you need to think about the proper ways of transporting them from place to place. While picking out the proper cage is the most important thing, thinking about additional essentials, like a blanket, is also of crucial importance.
Bird owners should cover their bird’s cage during travel in order to minimize side effects. So, using something like a blanket or a lightweight towel would be enough to protect your pet bird from direct sunlight. Birds are good travelers, but they need to be in a sturdy and protected cage on a trip.
If you intend to take your bird on a trip, whether by car or plane, you need to know the right and safe ways to do that. Here, I have provided information about the safe ways of transporting birds, so you will know what you need to take with you in order for your bird to travel securely. You should remember that birds are delicate in terms of traveling even though most of them enjoy trips.
Are Car Rides Stressful For Birds?
Unlike other pets, most birds enjoy traveling, and they usually find car rides amusing. They experience it as something interesting and different for them, so you can generally go on a trip with them without a problem. However, this does not refer to all birds, especially not to the smallest ones.
Small birds, such as budgies, canaries, and finches, do not like car rides very much but they find them rather stressful. This is due to the fact that these small birds are used to staying at the house the whole time, so changes in the environment that happen during traveling do not have a very positive impact on them. So, if it is not necessary to take your small bird with you on a trip, it is best that you leave them at home.
On the other hand, this is not the case for bigger birds. Birds like the Amazons show quite the excitement when they travel, and they are perfectly fine with it. If you have everything you need for the trip, i.e. a good cage and other essentials, you will not come across any issues during the car ride. As I said, they find the car rides amusing, and it seems like they are looking forward to them.
However, sometimes, how a bird experiences car rides depends on their personality. Some birds, even the big ones can feel a kind of separation anxiety, so they do not want to be taken out of the house. Others might experience motion sickness during the travel since they are confused about the fact that they are not moving their body, but they see that they are going somewhere.
If this happens to your bird, you should not worry about it since it is completely normal. Birds like humans have emotions and experience things in a different way, so getting sick is not something that should bother you. However, if you really need to travel with your bird, you might consider some anti-stress supplements that will make your pet more comfortable during the trip.
Should I Put A Blanket Over My Bird’s Cage During Travel?
Besides providing a good and sturdy cage, you also need to take some additional things for your bird in order to give them a comfortable setup for traveling. A blanket over the bird’s cage is needed because they should not be exposed to direct sunlight, especially while traveling. If you do not have a blanket, or it seems inconvenient for you to take bulky things on your trip, consider a different kind of cover, such as a lightweight towel.
Whatever you take as a cover will do good since the important thing to remember is that your bird cannot be exposed to direct sunlight during the trip. The sunlight might make them nauseous and contribute to their stress. Therefore, you should consider a blanket or a lightweight towel as an essential thing that you need to take in your traveling supply kit.
Are Blankets Bad For Birds?
If the blankets are used for covering cages, then there should not be a reason to worry about. As long as your bird is not tightly wrapped in a blanket, then there is no need to worry whether the blanket will have some negative impact on the health of your pet. However, if you are using blankets or towels inside the cage, then you should be more careful.
If you are using a blanket or a towel inside the cage in order to keep your bird warm, then you should pay attention to the type of blanket you are using. For instance, heavy blankets can be quite bad for birds because that way they might get suffocated in the fabric of it. It is understandable that you care about your bird and you want to keep them warm, but you need to carefully choose the type of blanket that you will use inside the cage.
Mainly, you need to eliminate the heavy fabrics from your choices when picking out a blanket since they might be harmful to your pet. If your bird gets tightly wrapped in a heavy blanket, it might lead to suffocation. Therefore, make sure that you pick something that is way lighter, so you will not need to constantly monitor your bird while they are in the cage.
Covering the cage with a blanket during travel is of essential importance since birds should not be exposed to direct sunlight. However, you might reconsider putting some types of heavy blankets inside the cage in order to avoid any unpleasant events for your bird.