Travelling with finches?

[Nerien]

What do you do about water for the finches if you are transporting them for a couple of hours and have them in a little carry cage or box? do you just not give them any and hope the trip and the stress are not too much, or is there some trick to having water available--like a small cup with wet paper towel or something, so there is moisture but nothing that can spill?

Going into NYC for doctor's appointment, do see some ads that are not horribly far away from dr, toying with idea of contacting them, but then there's the train ride & then car drive home. How long before we'd be in trouble?

oh yeah, and would Metro North have a problem with caged/boxed birds? We'd have them also inside a bag or box or other cover, not just an open cage, but would they put us all off the train if they found out?

[debbie276]

I have transported finch for over 3 hours in a box without water with no problem. The box being dark keeps them quiet and calm. Any time I have had them in a cage they did nothing but flap around and get startled by this and that. If I have to use a cage I cover it with a towel so they can't see anything.
No idea whether the train will be a problem for you or not. I would think if it was in a box in a bag they wouldn't even know you had a bird with you.

[wilkifam]

I live in Montana, when we transport finches, it is often 10 of 12 hours from when we pick them up to when we get home. I put them in a regular small cage with millet and water and put a towel over it. Everyone travels just fine. If it is just a couple hours, they seem to do fine in a small box with holes and nothing else.

[Martie]

I do think you are good for a few hours without water, but I like to keep it available if I can. I soak paper towels thoroughly and then stuff them tightly into a small cup. I add a little water to top it off. It always amazes me to watch the birds - who seem to instinctively understand to push on the paper towels with their beaks to bring up some water and there are no spills.

[Lisa]

Martie's suggestion is a very good one with the soaked paper towels in a small dish. You could also cut a small piece of (new) sponge and soak that with water as well. When birds are shipped, that's often how the water is supplied. I would be much too nervous to not offer them any water at all.

[30 Seconds to Bob]

I once flew home from NJ to Tampa with 2 canaries. (4 hrs with layover) The lady who gave them to me made me the most ingenious little transport cage. It was one of those small plastic reptile "aquariums" with the vented lids. Maybe 8" x 4" x 6". Cardboard was cut to line three sides so that only the front was clear. There was a perch going across the middle and two of the tiniest treat cups were hot glued to the back. I believe these are called "finger holders". A folded paper towel lined the bottom.
One treat cup had seed in it and the other maybe 1/2 ounce of water. The birds ate and drank several times during the trip. Had the water spilled (and it didn't), the paper towel would catch it and it could be refilled by pouring a tiny bit of water through the lid. Worked out great! Bob

[Sally]

If you are using one of those small wire cages, you can get a couple of those small plastic cups that are used for condiments at some fast-food places. Ziptie them in opposite corners. One for seed, one for water. I'd do the paper towel or small piece of sponge bit to provide them with moisture without having spilled water. Add one spray millet and several slices of cucumber (the cucumber could be placed in a third cup, ziptied to yet another corner), and you are all set. I have traveled on planes with birds, and as long as they are inside a bag, no one even knows they are there, they go to sleep in the dark (at least with finches, they do--don't know about small hookbills). Just make sure that the bag is not completely closed--these totes that everyone uses nowadays are perfect on a bus or train. On a plane, a soft duffel bag that will slide under the seat in front of you works well.

Bob, I like that idea of using one of those critter carriers instead of a wire carrier. I think I would just paint three sides with black paint to give privacy.

[wilkifam]

How do you get through airport security with birds?

I have traveled on planes with birds, and as long as they are inside a bag, no one even knows they are there,

[30 Seconds to Bob]

Sally,

I don't know if I would trust paint in such a small container with birds in it. Even the low VOC paint may emit something harmful (or at least unpleasant) to the birds. A thick cardboard cut to size with two folds at the rear corners worked just fine. Bob

[Sally]

30 Seconds to Bob I was meaning paint the outside of the carrier. Once it has cured for a long time, there should be no odor, especially with low VOC paint. Do you think that would work?

@wilkifam The birds and their carrier/cage have to go through security still, but they can't go through the machines. I take the birds/carriers out of the duffel, then put the duffel, purse, etc. in the container, tell the TSA people that I have live birds. It throws them for a loop, you can imagine how seldom they have people carrying birds through security! So they then take the birds around the machine, I walk through the machine, and then on the other side, the TSA people usually want to take a closer look at the birds and carrier. Sometimes they do it right there, sometimes they may want me to go to one of those private rooms. I actually had a TSA person one time rub the entire outside of the wire cage with an explosive-detecting wipe! Eventually, they are satisfied that they have checked me and my birds well enough, and I am sent on my way.

I just have to be calm and patient during this process. As I said, they aren't used to seeing birds come through, so it always causes a bit of a fuss and flurry. Sometimes a supervisor is called, because the agent has no experience with this situation--understandable. The birds handle it all better than any of the humans, myself included!

[Zebrafincher]

I was given a bird - a male zebrafinch as a gift by someone who had no idea - just the bird and the cage at my work! I had to go straight out and get seed, toys, and water for the little finch. He was kept covered for the rest of the day (with a tea towel) in a quiet part of the office, and then had to be transported to the vet for an emergency appt as he was sick (his beak was bleeding) after work. He then came home - over 1.5 hours travel, and had to be kept separated until he could be pronounced 'healthy'. It took him a while to recover, but he's fine now,.

[wilkifam]

So birds can be taken as carry on luggage then? It thought that there was a limit to the number of pets traveling on planes, etc.... Is that only when they are being shipped? What about vet certificates, is that also only if they are being shipped? Co confused.

[Sally]

So birds can be taken as carry on luggage then? It thought that there was a limit to the number of pets traveling on planes, etc.... Is that only when they are being shipped? What about vet certificates, is that also only if they are being shipped? Co confused.

I should explain that I am retired from an airline, so the rules are different for the traveling public. Each airline sets their own rules--some do not allow pets in the cabin at all, some do not allow birds in the cabin. Yes, there are restrictions on how many pets can be in the cabin, so reservations must be made. There will also be a fee, which can be as much as $150 each way. Requirement for health certificates also varies by airline and by state. For example, if I was flying to St. Louis for the National Cage Bird Show this November, I would not need a health certificate--but you always need to check. Here is an excellent article on flying with birds:

http://www.ncbs.org/airline_information.htm

[30 Seconds to Bob]

I had to pay an extra $50.00 to carry my canaries on the plane (the price for any carry on "pet") and have it set up with the airline ahead of time. When I checked in at the counter, they were almost ashamed for charging me the $50.00 for the tiny little container, but they said they had to do it. Did not need a health certificate, but then again I wasn't traveling out of the country, or to Hawaii.

Sally, I would think that dry paint on the outside would be fine. I would still be cautious as to what brand to use. Bob

[PonyAnia]

Well, I have something like that:

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/29/img1584om.jpg/

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/268/img1586d.jpg/

It's a small transporter, but I've seen bigger ones also.

There you have a water-bottle with a ball, so the water doesn't spill, it flows only when bird puts it's beak inside. I have the same in his cage at home. If the transporter is too transparent you can always wrap it in some kind of fabric.