where to keep birds for a few nights

[zebsoc]

Has anyone used vet or boarding pet place
Or Something else
For a few nights away from home
For ur birds?

I live in California USA

Any experiences very appreciated even if u don't live in USA

[zebsoc]

Or anyone here available to pet sit 3 society finches for 2-4 nights at ur home? California.

[Sojourner]

zebsoc

Contact your local bird club. There will almost certainly be someone there who would be willing to pet-sit for a few days, especially if you already have a small temporary cage for them that you can transport them in.

If not, here is one on Amazon that (while far too small for even one finch under normal circumstances) will do for your 3 guys for just a few days and is under $15:

https://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Pet-Produ ... 99&sr=1-19



I hope you can find someone to pet sit for a few days so you don't have to give your guys up!

EDIT: Actually there is also this one, which is larger than the above and about $20 more. I've been looking for a travel cage for my budgies and I've been waffling between this one - that would fit the finches in one side and the budgies in the other as it has a solid divider (also has a wire divider) - and the other one, that would actually give the budgies a leeetle more space, and just put the finches in the teeny travel cage I already have.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00244245E/re ... OUZF8ZRJF8

[zebsoc]

Sojourner - thanks for the great idea for trying to find a bird sitter. I found a club in my area and contacted them about needing a pet sitter.

Thank you for the pictures and links for the travel cages.
I used to have the first one. It came in very handy for new birds and to travel to vet.
(Tho I find vets in my new town very annoying because they absurdly assume that the travel cage is the regular bird cage, as if I'm going to bring them in in their full size cage, imagine wheeling my double flight cage into their office)
But I lost the top part of it somehow. So nice to have a link to it again. Nice price.

[Sojourner]

zebsoc

We bird-folk tend to be MUCH softer-hearted than non-bird-folk. At least about birds!

So play it up!

Don't be embarrassed!

Tell 'em how much you LOVE your birds!

And how they're gonna spray for bugs which could KILL your beloved friends!

Someone will come through for you. I know I would. I am a bird lady, after all. If only I weren't so far away.

You know I almost moved to Chowchilla at one point in time, which is probably sorta in your neck of the woods. Ish. It was the drought scared me away. Plus - CA is mostly desert even at the best of times. Moving from one desert to another didn't strike me as the best idea ever.

[zebsoc]

Sojourner - oh how I wish u did live in Chowchilla. That's only about 20-30 minutes from me.

I used to live in Northern California, and I was worried about the drought in the Central Valley when I moved here. Fortunately last 2 winters the rain has increased and this yr of course most of California including here had some flooding. So our water situation is much improved right now.
I don't know this area well yet but it is much cheaper to live in and I just couldn't afford Northern California any more. But a very recessed area like here also means high crime, drugs, stealing. And the towns r much smaller than what I'm used to.
But I am lucky in the apartment complex I'm in. Last yr it seemed to be going downhill but we got new manager and it seems to be doing better now.

Up North the weather can be quite cool if live near coast. Where I was about 40 minutes from the ocean on the windward side, 70s were the norm in summer with some 80s and rare 90s.
Here now in Central Valley we got to 108 in August with regular 90s and occasional 80s. The muggyness at times is the only problems. When the humidity got to 80-90 at night with the heat, that really wipes one out.
But my health couldn't take the damp foggy cool weather any more up north. Tho my health has continued to decline unfortunately. Praying for a turn around this yr.

[Sojourner]

zebsoc

I am sorry to hear you have not been doing well health-wise! I'm also disabled and struggle at times. My guys really help keep the blues away.

I looked at N. CA also and while many parts of it were much cheaper there than some other parts of the state, as you said, in the parts that are cheap enough for regular people to be able to afford living there, it is freakin' COLD all the time.

Granted it never gets much below 50-ish, sometimes even 60s, most of the time - but it also never gets much above that either! Plus - hardly any sun most of the time. So cold, dank, and overcast pretty much 24/7. I just could not tolerate that.

I keep hoping to go back where it actually rains and when you look out the windows the main color is GREEN, not grey-brown. People keep talking about the wonderful mountain views here - and I can see a big one right out my front window - but nothing grows on them! So they are white with rocks sticking out all winter, and grey-brown and dusty looking all the rest of the time. Not a great view IMO.

Hang in there. Let us know if you get a volunteer. I'm sure you will. I'm rootin' for you and your guys!

[zebsoc]

Sojourner. - sorry to hear ur also struggling with ur health. May this yr bring better health to us both.

Yes I totally agree that the birds really cheer me up.

If I can get through the fumigation, make the cleaning lower maintenance, and the birds survive the summer heat
Then I would like to get 3 more society and make it an even 6.
I find zebra finches very lively but they can be difficult if they become aggressive. And I don't want 2 cage to clean.
Unfortunately in this area even society finches r hard to find, only one store carries them. Just zebra and society.
Owl finches seem very lively too but they sound like they would be more compatible with zebras? And none available anywhere in this area.
Africa Silverbills sound really nice too. But again not available.
I'm limited to a 30 minute radius for travel and I can't just have someone pick up a bird for me sight unseen. Big cities r 1 hr away either direction but still just seem to carry mainly parrot type birds not finches.

But that is only depending how things go with my health and birds through summer.

I'll keep u updated if I find someone for pet sitting.

[Sojourner]

Owls, Silverbills, and societies should all be pretty compatible. They're all pretty peaceable.

But yeah, Zebras and Societies are almost all you ever find in the mega pet shops like PetSmart and PetCo.

You know there might be a finch breeder or two in your local bird club. Might be worth looking into.

[zebsoc]

Sojourner - good idea hopefully their is a breeder nearby.

In the Central Valley Petcos don't carry Any finches, only parrot types.
Up north they did carry zebras and society finches.
Both up north and here I found Petco Much better at keeping their bird cages clean and having a specific person who cares for them.
Petsmart both up north and here just doesn't do that. Their goal is squish as many birds into as tiny a space as possible anddon't have that clean fresh cage look nor even the water and food.
The birds in Petsmart r often more sickly, and just more unhappy.

Would be nice to get even the society finches from a breeder if there is a good one nearby.

There is a breeder an hr away. He has a large variety off and on many not common ones but it sounds like he imports some of them considering the off and on very large variety.
He doesn't allow any viewing of his bird area.
That is a nice thing about a store, can view and get to know different kinds over time. Plus chose the ones like most.
I couldn't find any reviews on the breeder. And an hr is too far for me. Need closer. Would be nice if this bird club had someone in same town as me.

[lem2bert]

zebsoc

I have the same problem !! Petco in my area stopped selling the small birds last summer. The only place that does right now is petsmart and I am not thrilled with the way they keep their birds either, but to their credit they do keep their birds with same kind, they do not mix canaries with zebras with societies. There is a pet store about an hour away in the next state but they have not had any societies for some time now. There is a new store opening in my area soon called Pet supplies plus anyone have any experience with them ? From what I understand they are like petco and petsmart .

[zebsoc]

I'm not familiar with Pets supplies plus.
The city I used to live in had several pet stores that came and went plusfive large stores, 4 of which carried birds plus a warehouse type bird store.2 local and petco and petsmart. So other stores didn't last long.
And they only carried pet supplies but No birds.
Hopefully someone else is familiar with that store.

I have 1 chestnut crested male and 2 females chocolate and white that i think r sisters..
I'm tempted to let them breed in Fall if all goes ok.
That way I wouldn't need to buy.
But first of course I need to get through fumigation and summer.

If I had babies you would be welcome to have some.
If both females had babies would be too many just for me.
I prefer the females so I would give away the males to u.
My 1 concern is that babies can make a lot of noise begging for food and I live in an apartment.

[lem2bert]

zebsoc

That is a very nice gesture, thank-you so much !!! Unfortunately we live on the opposite coast. I would like about 6 societies in my flight cage, which is similar to your flight cage. I did go to the petstore to purchase one, but I am not sure if I am going to breed them. I have a pair of gouldians that were given to me by a friend and have been thinking about possibly trying to breed those in the fall. Thank-you again for such a generous offer

[zebsoc]

lem2bert - I forgot to check ur location.
I guess Petco has stopped selling finches coast to coast not just locally.

I got the flight cage my society r in from Petco online.
Had to have it put together tho, didn't come assembled.
Only thing I don't like about it is it comes with the Cheapest wheels possible - like worth $2 ea which just will not roll with the weight of the large cage.
It's a HQ cage.

The 2nd cage is lighter weight andnhas better wheels - not great but ok wheels.
I like the lighter color. Came from Amazon but was much harder to assemble.
It is a tiny bit shorter and a few inches narrower.
It has spring lock doors which due to hand problems I don't like.
If they were the same height and style it would have been interesting to try to combine them together. If my apartment had the room for them side by side.
It's true, birds can be addictive

My birds really like to fly in their cage. They use all of their cage both lower and upper perches.
And it is very helpful to be able to divide it when cleaning. But a larger cage does make a lot more to clean and not just at table top height.

[Finley16]

[quote="zebsoc
"]zebsoc[/quot


I have that same cage ( the first one) to take Finley out at the pool for some shinesine in summer...I got mine at Walmart on sale for 10.00