First big move!

[Gwiyomi]

Hello everyone!!!!

I am moving in May to an apartment in ATL, Georgia as I will be transferring to Georgia Tech! I am so excited, this will be my first time moving out of my parents house to start an independent life of my own! I will be taking my baby with me but going from Maryland.. it will be a 10 hour drive. He gets car sick, I know that for sure. I've gone on trips with him before but they ranged from 3-7 hours. I'm going to be leaving in the middle of the night. I'm worried my little guy will not be able to get any sleep and will be so stressed from not only the long drive but also because he will be in a totally new place. I would like some advice to make this transition for him to be as painless as possible. He will be stressed but he will be fine after some time, yes?


I am so scared of living by myself and being far away from my parents but I am also super excited! Thank you everyone for taking the time to read my post.

 

[sunnysmom]

Congratulations. Your first apartment is very exciting. Maybe try taking your conure on some car rides and slowly increasing the length to get him more used to taking trips? I've also heard ginger can help with car sickness but I'm not sure in what form or amount. Hopefully, others can better advise.

 

[WallyLoopey]

Maybe try taking him into other people's houses too so he can get used to the idea that there are different homes out there.

 

[Gwiyomi]

Congratulations. Your first apartment is very exciting. Maybe try taking your conure on some car rides and slowly increasing the length to get him more used to taking trips? I've also heard ginger can help with car sickness but I'm not sure in what form or amount. Hopefully, others can better advise.

He goes on drives often! I just hate to see him constantly regurgitate because of his car sickness I will try the ginger! Do I cut a piece for him or put it in his water?

 

[Gwiyomi]

Maybe try taking him into other people's houses too so he can get used to the idea that there are different homes out there.

He goes to my friends houses and my boyfriends house haha I love taking him anywhere I possibly can

 

[MommyBird]

You could discuss using liquid benedryl with your vet. You would need to get the proper dosage to be safe.
It makes them sort of groggy so they don't get carsick.
I would also give it a test run at home before using it on the moving day.

 

[sunnysmom]

He goes on drives often! I just hate to see him constantly regurgitate because of his car sickness I will try the ginger! Do I cut a piece for him or put it in his water?

I'm not sure. I'll try to find where I read about it and post for you.

 

[Gwiyomi]

You could discuss using liquid benedryl with your vet. You would need to get the proper dosage to be safe.
It makes them sort of groggy so they don't get carsick.
I would also give it a test run at home before using it on the moving day.

I don't know how I feel about giving him medicine.. I don't believe I'd be comfortable enough to do that I am super protective and a little paranoid haha

 

[Gwiyomi]

I'm not sure. I'll try to find where I read about it and post for you.

Thank you so much!

 

[Monica]

You can use fresh ginger or ginger tea. Give up to 2 hours before the trip, then some right before and during.

 

[Mizzely]

Copying and pasting my post from another recent thread:

Even my fearful birdie Gizmo didn't stress too much about driving and moving. All my birds except Bobber have gone on 12 hour car rides between Michigan and Minnesota when we were visiting family. A few things that help:

- brew chamomile tea and dilute it by half, and offer that as the water source. Helps with car sickness

- take jarred baby food (make sure it's just veggies or fruit no added vitamins except C which is used as a preservative). It provides water and nutrients and I would offer it on a spoon through the bars when we made stops because they usually don't eat much when the car is moving. Alternatively you can offer watermelon or other fruit chunks to make sure they stay hydrated.

- cover half the cage with a blanket or towel. It helps give them a safety retreat and a sunshade if the sun shifts.

- position the cages so that a perch is able to run from the front to back of the car. While moving, it's easier to brace themselves while standing sideways vs getting pitched forward and backward as you stop and accelerate

- find a way to secure the carriers. In the event of an accident, you don't want them flying. Many cars from 2004 on have latches meant for car seats that you can use to secure them. You can use something like a bungee cord, run it through the cage, and attach to the latch bars to help do this. You might even be able to use the seatbelts depending on your configuration.

- don't fill the carriers with toys. They rarely play with them, and you don't want them getting bashed by a toy while you're driving along

- try to set up the cage at the new place exactly as it was at the old place to give them something familiar

I think that's about it! If you like the baby food idea make sure you try some with them now so they know it's food

 

[sunnysmom]

I'm not sure. I'll try to find where I read about it and post for you.

Motion Sickness In Parrots