finches on the road

[Tommy's Human]

I'm driving from Central Florida to Arizona in June with two finches (and a bearded dragon). Does anyone have any tips for making a long trip pleasant for the birds? They love car rides but this will be 3 or more days in the car. Can anyone recommend any bird-friendly hotels? Thanks.

[finchmix22]

I would make sure you have cucumber slices and other veggies and seed on the bottom of the cage, so they don't get knocked around and spill. I bring a sheet to cover the cage at night because the headlights and lamp posts scare the finches. If you're only bringing two finches, I don't think you need to worry about pet friendly hotels.

[Sally]

You can make a shipping waterer to put in the cage if you want. Get some baby food, the kind that comes in a plastic rectangular container. Cut a large hole in the lid, leaving most of the lid open, but with a rim all around. Use a hot-glue type gun to smooth the edges of the cut. Put a small piece of sponge in the bottom of the cleaned out container, fill it with water, put the lid back on, and you have a water container that won't splash all over the place, yet the birds can still get a drink.

Bring a towel or something to block the sun when it is coming through the window and hitting the cage. A little is OK, but it can get warm. Or move the cage out of the sun periodically.

For the hotel, I too wouldn't worry about one cage of two finches, but bring a sheet with you. You can put the sheet on the floor (or the desk), set the cage in the middle of the sheet, and seed hulls will fall on the sheet. Then when you are ready to leave, you can roll up the sheet, shake it out outside, and you haven't left a bunch of seed all over the floor (the hotel maids will appreciate this!). If you do get much seed on the carpet or furniture, then I'd leave a nice tip for the maids. We all know what a pain it is to vacuum seed out of carpet. This is a tip I learned from show people, who may have multiple cages of birds in their room, and they try to minimize the mess.

[Tommy's Human]

Thank you for the tips about hydration and keeping the hotel staff happy!

[wildbird]

Motel 6 always takes pets, but get there early to check it out as they are not a Holiday Inn. If you don't fill the water cups too high, they won't spill. Mine were ok traveling at night on the Interstate in a big truck. The headlights didn't bother them, but complete darkness sometimes did, so I'd switch the light on for a few minutes until they settled down. I always took several gallons of spring water, a spray bottle & ice box in case of a breakdown in hot weather. Be sure not to leave your vehicle unattended with the birds in it. They cannot stand as much heat as dogs or cats.

[lovezebs]

wildbird
Not sure how well birds travel.
Just a quick note regarding cats and dogs, seeing as you mentioned them. Both cats and dogs can overheat and die very quickly in a hot, airless car.