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8 Hour Car Ride with a Budgie

allicat

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Alesia
So, I currently do not own a bird, but I have owned two budgies in the past. However, now I am 8 hours from home on campus for college. I would be allowed to have a bird, and I was thinking about getting 1-2 budgies as an emotional support animal. The only issue now is 1) I am unaware of vets in the area 2) Coming home from breaks would require me to drive the bird(s) 8 hours in a car. My question is: How do you think bird(s) would do on such a long car ride? Any precautions I can take, or is it a bad idea to purchase birds at this point in time? Let me know some thoughts!
 

Spyglass29

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Ok, so, let me make one thing clear: parrots, regardless of the species, are NOT emotional support animals. They are difficult to care for and will need a lot of attention (3 or more hours a day). My birds do help me, but keeping them can get REALLY stressful at times. I recommend searching up "reasons you shouldn't get a budgie" or something like that, and then see if you still think it would be a good idea.
I wouldn't get a bird without having a trustworthy vet in the area. But if you're just unaware of nearby vets, I think you could just do some research and find one.
Many parronts live in areas of the world where there are no avian vets, but I'm not sure how it works out, so I can't speak for them.

About the car ride. Eight hours seems like a really long time. The thing is, every bird is different, so some might get stressed out, and others won't.
I think it should be ok, but you can't do it regularly.
Also, what's your plan once you get home? Are you going to have the budgies stay in their carrier (except for daily playtime, of course)? Are you going to bring the cage with you? Are you going to get a small cage to begin with and have the birds use it as a sleep cage? (I don't think that last option could work out in college, but I don't know.)

It might be possible to do a lot of research and think of a plan that could work out, while making sure the birds are happy and healthy, but that's gonna be hard. You might wanna hold off on getting a budgie until you graduate.
(it's your decision, though. If you strongly believe you can do it, I won't say no to that. I'm just offering my opinion.)
:)
 

Shezbug

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What exactly will the living situation be at campus? That would be more of a concern to me than the travel back home every now and then- some birds love to travel and others not so much, as long as you take into consideration their needs while traveling then that part is not a big deal. Bigger issue is living arrangements and the fact that if you need an emotional support animal you'd be better off with a pet that does not mirror your moods and energy like birds do- when I am anxious or stressed I actually avoid being around my birds as it freaks them out and in turn just causes me more stress and anxiety.
 

Sparkles99

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I also think there are species better suited to this task. I suggest a cat (not kitten) or a small dog. :)
 

allicat

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What exactly will the living situation be at campus? That would be more of a concern to me than the travel back home every now and then- some birds love to travel and others not so much, as long as you take into consideration their needs while traveling then that part is not a big deal. Bigger issue is living arrangements and the fact that if you need an emotional support animal you'd be better off with a pet that does not mirror your moods and energy like birds do- when I am anxious or stressed I actually avoid being around my birds as it freaks them out and in turn just causes me more stress and anxiety.
For more information on my room; I am an RA. I have my own room with my own bathroom, so the bird would be able to be out whenever I am in my room. I am required to hae 10 hours of "office hours" in my room, so the only day I would be gone the whole day except bed time would be Tuesdays. I would only be traveling with the bird at such a long distance for Thanskgiving, Christmas, Spring Break and Summer Break. That is approximately 4 times per year for the next 2.5 years. I have owned two birds before (and I have an anxiety disorder) so I think I should be fine with that as my birds before did not really react to my anxiety. I had both of my birds when I was around 10, and sadly they both died when I turned 19. If you guys genuinely think it is a bad idea do not hesitate to tell me. I am open to looking into a cat, but I have another cat at my permanent home, and he does not do well with other cats. He does really well with birds though (surprisingly).
 

allicat

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Blue bird was the love of my life. She was a small blue budgie with something clearly wrong with her. She was blind and was EXTREMELY quiet. Sonny, a bigger yellow/green budgie, was an older bird that my brother received. He did not take good care of him at all, so I took Sonny in with Blue. They became best friends immediately, and Sonny often guided Blue across rooms, which made it much easier to let Blue out because she used to run into walls. When Sonny turned about 13, he passed away, and Blue became very depressed. I spent as much time with her as I could, but then I moved to college. I will never forget my Mom calling me to tell me she found Blue dead :(. I think she was just too lonely, and my family at home might not of taken as good care of her as they said they would :(. That being said, I know owning any bird is a responsibility with time, and I know they get depressed/stressed and I would never want to put a beautiful friend in a situation where they would be unhealthy, which is why I am reaching out to people to get opinions. It is turning out that it might be a bad idea after all, and I might wait until I settle down permanently.
 

Shezbug

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For more information on my room; I am an RA. I have my own room with my own bathroom, so the bird would be able to be out whenever I am in my room. I am required to hae 10 hours of "office hours" in my room, so the only day I would be gone the whole day except bed time would be Tuesdays. I would only be traveling with the bird at such a long distance for Thanskgiving, Christmas, Spring Break and Summer Break. That is approximately 4 times per year for the next 2.5 years. I have owned two birds before (and I have an anxiety disorder) so I think I should be fine with that as my birds before did not really react to my anxiety. I had both of my birds when I was around 10, and sadly they both died when I turned 19. If you guys genuinely think it is a bad idea do not hesitate to tell me. I am open to looking into a cat, but I have another cat at my permanent home, and he does not do well with other cats. He does really well with birds though (surprisingly).
I am sorry- I have no clue what an RA is. My question about accommodation was because if you were sharing a room you may find others would not care about the things they use which are dangers to birds such as candles, incense, fragrances, chemicals etc.
I think the travel is not a problem (I have travelled with birds in a cramped packed car from one side of Australia to the other and back again a few years later) as traveling is not a big issue if considerations are made for the birds.
I have always had and always will have doubts about how helpful birds really can be as emotional support animals as I know how all my birds react when I am having a panic attack or even when my anxiety is in play. It is not in a birds nature to deal with human stress like dogs or cats do.
That being said brings me to also confess that I need my birds to help me with my constant anxiety and PTSD in other ways as they can not ever help to bring me out of a panic attack or lessen my anxiety but I really need set routines to be at my best and my birds give me a darn good reason to get up push through and focus on doing something other than being stuck in my fright freeze or flight mind set and behaviour- I have very strict standards and rules for myself to live and provide for my pets by and caring for the birds means I have to push myself to think about other important productive things rather than just focus on me.
 

allicat

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I have no roommates, it is just me so that would not be an issue. I get what you are trying to say about the anxiety though, its not like I would rely on a bird to make my anxiety go away, I think I am just lonely and miss my two birdies from the past.
 

Zara

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I have another cat at my permanent home, and he does not do well with other cats. He does really well with birds though (surprisingly).
Birds and cats should not be allowed to interact. The cat should always be out of the room the bird is in, even when caged.
So you would have to work out how you could do that during those trips back home.
 
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