Hello,
I'm relatively new to bird ownership and am looking for guidance on a nuanced situation. I have a single male (I think..) lovebird named Bubo who is very attached to me. In April I will be going out of town for two nights. Normally when I go out of town Roommate A, who is very comfortable with Bubo, takes care of all bird needs. But this trip I happen to be going on with Roommate A so we'll both be gone. Roommate B will be home but he is less comfortable with Bubo and doesn't know all that is involved in bird care. Because of this my initial plan is to board Bubo at my avian vet for the days I'll be gone. The vet has a high quality boarding service that even involves playtime with your bird. But it would still be an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people, not to mention the stress of transporting Bubo there. I could potentially keep Bubo at home and convince Roommate B to do the bare minimum like providing fresh water every day, covering the cage at night, maybe even spending a little time in the room with Bubo, making sure he has youtube videos to watch/listen to. But I know Roommate B would not be comfortable letting Bubo out of his cage (important to note Bubo's cage is quite large for a single lovebird, and would have tons of novel toys and treats).
So here is my question... Which option would be overall LESS STRESSFUL for Bubo?
Option 1: Bubo goes to the vet where he'll probably get more hands-on care but will be in a strange environment with strange humans, other birds, plus the stress of transportation.
Option 2: Bubo stays home in his familiar environment but probably gets less social time, and zero out-of-cage time (remember his cage is big but that doesn't beat being able to fly around).
At this point I'm leaning towards Option 2 assuming my roommate is cool with the extra responsibility. My gut tells me that it's better for Bubo to be safe at home in his familiar environment, even if he is a little lonely/understimulated for a couple of days. As opposed to him being taken in a little travel cage to a scary new environment without any familiar people around. But I'm not sure. Would love any input on the matter.
Attached some pics of my little guy for fun!
I'm relatively new to bird ownership and am looking for guidance on a nuanced situation. I have a single male (I think..) lovebird named Bubo who is very attached to me. In April I will be going out of town for two nights. Normally when I go out of town Roommate A, who is very comfortable with Bubo, takes care of all bird needs. But this trip I happen to be going on with Roommate A so we'll both be gone. Roommate B will be home but he is less comfortable with Bubo and doesn't know all that is involved in bird care. Because of this my initial plan is to board Bubo at my avian vet for the days I'll be gone. The vet has a high quality boarding service that even involves playtime with your bird. But it would still be an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people, not to mention the stress of transporting Bubo there. I could potentially keep Bubo at home and convince Roommate B to do the bare minimum like providing fresh water every day, covering the cage at night, maybe even spending a little time in the room with Bubo, making sure he has youtube videos to watch/listen to. But I know Roommate B would not be comfortable letting Bubo out of his cage (important to note Bubo's cage is quite large for a single lovebird, and would have tons of novel toys and treats).
So here is my question... Which option would be overall LESS STRESSFUL for Bubo?
Option 1: Bubo goes to the vet where he'll probably get more hands-on care but will be in a strange environment with strange humans, other birds, plus the stress of transportation.
Option 2: Bubo stays home in his familiar environment but probably gets less social time, and zero out-of-cage time (remember his cage is big but that doesn't beat being able to fly around).
At this point I'm leaning towards Option 2 assuming my roommate is cool with the extra responsibility. My gut tells me that it's better for Bubo to be safe at home in his familiar environment, even if he is a little lonely/understimulated for a couple of days. As opposed to him being taken in a little travel cage to a scary new environment without any familiar people around. But I'm not sure. Would love any input on the matter.
Attached some pics of my little guy for fun!
