Car travel with a Linnie?

[Dragonseer]

Hello, Everyone.

I do not have a Lineolated parakeet but am considering the species--and a few others--for the future. (Goodness, Linnies are adorable!)

My husband's family lives 2.5 hours from our home; so it would be much easier on us to stay overnight with his relatives, rather than make the round-trip drive in a day. (We've been making round-trip visits only for the past 8.5 years, due to our current pet's health issues, which are too risky for reliance on a pet-sitter. )

I'm wondering how a Linnie might do in terms of an occasional lengthy car ride? (We probably would visit my in-laws 3-4 times per year.)

Thank you,

J

 

[sunnysmom]

@Lady Jane ?

I don't know about linnies but I take my tiel with us to visit my parents who are two hours from me. He does great. The first trip he was a little iffy on it but now I think he enjoys it.

 

[Dragonseer]

@Lady Jane ?

I don't know about linnies but I take my tiel with us to visit my parents who are two hours from me. He does great. The first trip he was a little iffy on it but now I think he enjoys it.

In the past, we traveled semi-regularly with our 'tiel and Maxi Pi, which was about a 2-hour drive; they did very well and seemed to enjoy their trips away from home.

Out of curiosity, do you insist on certain safety rules for your 'tiel's sake while at your parents' house? I mean, do you require that they not cook with Teflon-coated pans, and whatnot? And if they have any predatory pets, do you require them to be kept separated from your 'tiel for his safety?

 

[Kellie728]

We take our lovebirds with us when we visit my dad. It's about a 4 hour ride and they do fine. Some birds do get car sick though.

 

[sunnysmom]

In the past, we traveled semi-regularly with our 'tiel and Maxi Pi, which was about a 2-hour drive; they did very well and seemed to enjoy their trips away from home.

Out of curiosity, do you insist on certain safety rules for your 'tiel's sake while at your parents' house? I mean, do you require that they not cook with Teflon-coated pans, and whatnot? And if they have any predatory pets, do you require them to be kept separated from your 'tiel for his safety?

My parents don't have any pets. So that's not an issue. I do ask my mom not to burn candles while we're there. As for Teflon pans, I monitor their use. She usually doesn't use them anyway but if she is going to I ask that she let me know. My parents have an addition on their house with a door that can be shut off from the rest of the house. It also has a sliding glass door with a screen so I can ventilate it. I suppose if I asked her not to use them at all, she would but I feel okay with separating Sunny on the occasions that she does. The thing that is the biggest issue for us is that I ask that we leave the TV on for Sunny if we leave the house which irks my dad because it's a waste of electricity. I usually tell him I'll leave him $2 bucks for the electric bill when we leave.

 

[Lady Jane]

I have a male and female Linnie but the only place we go is to the vets office which is about one half hour. Linnies are really not big on flying, they love to climb more. So with this trait I bet they would be ok as long as you have a nice travel cage they can climb in. Not good to put too many toys in a cage when you are mobile. Accidents can happen. FYI Linnies do much better in pairs rather than a single.

 

[Dragonseer]

FYI Linnies do much better in pairs rather than a single.

Ahhh... It's unlikely that I'd get my husband to agree to two of any kind of bird, other than Zebra finches. (He grew up with two Zebra finches and has had exposure to Bourke's parakeets, a cockatiel and a Maxi Pi, courtesy of me. But he definitely leans toward quieter species. And even though the Linnie isn't horrendously loud, I suspect that two of them can make more noise than one. )

 

[moothepoo]

Ahhh... It's unlikely that I'd get my husband to agree to two of any kind of bird, other than Zebra finches. (He grew up with two Zebra finches and has had exposure to Bourke's parakeets, a cockatiel and a Maxi Pi, courtesy of me. But he definitely leans toward quieter species. And even though the Linnie isn't horrendously loud, I suspect that two of them can make more noise than one. )

I have one Linnie and I do feel sad that he is lonely when I am at work every day. But, when I am home, I leave his cage door open and he like to run/walk across the table and play with me.

 

[Lady Jane]

Two Linnies can be just as quiet or noisy as one. I think their happiness is more important that any noise they may make. Really I cannot seem to find a "quiet bird species". Birds do need to call out or express something that is going on with their little sounds. I started out with one Linnie and was advised to get another by a very wise person on this forum. It worked out so well. My two are inseparable now.

 

[Dragonseer]

I think their happiness is more important that any noise they may make.

Agreed, for which reason I doubt that my husband and I will end up with Linnies in the future. (We're used to a very quiet household, having lived with a cat and rabbits for a number of years.)

...I cannot seem to find a "quiet bird species". Birds do need to call out or express something that is going on with their little sounds.

Bourke's and Zebra finches, IMO, count as quiet--especially when compared to any other bird species.

I still lived with my parents when they got two Bourke's parakeets, whose calls never bothered me, even when ongoing. Their sounds didn't bother my husband (then-boyfriend), either, though he didn't live with them.

I started out with one Linnie and was advised to get another by a very wise person on this forum. It worked out so well. My two are inseparable now.

So they're inseparable but still very bonded to you? If so, that's the best of both worlds.

 

[Lady Jane]

Sometimes I am glad I do not have a husband to tell me what to do and not to do.

 

[Tim]

I moved across country with a caique in the car once! He loved it. He stood at the door of his travel cage and watched EVERYTHING as it passed by. Sometimes gave his "that's interesting" squawwwwwwk. He was fearless, though!

 

[Dragonseer]

Sometimes I am glad I do not have a husband to tell me what to do and not to do.

It's not a case of my husband telling me what to do, so much as it's about him stating what he can/cannot live with--just as I do about various subjects. If one's spouse can't handle a certain living condition, it isn't fair to expect him/her to suffer it.

Again, certain birds my husband can handle, per my/our past experience; other species likely would be too loud in terms of chatter for him. (And I can state for a fact that anything that reaches conure level--even Pyrrhura, if really reptitive--is too much for me.) We can tolerate some noise--but constant, loud, hours-long chatter wouldn't be good for either of us. We just are being honest with ourselves and each other.

 

[Dragonseer]

I moved across country with a caique in the car once! He loved it. He stood at the door of his travel cage and watched EVERYTHING as it passed by. Sometimes gave his "that's interesting" squawwwwwwk. He was fearless, though!

Somehow, I could see that being the normal reaction to travel by most Caiques.

 

[Dragonseer]

(And I can state for a fact that anything that reaches conure level--even Pyrrhura, if really reptitive--is too much for me.)

*repetitive

 

[wyrinth]

I have 4 linnies. Very rarely, they make some noise, but most of the time they are so quiet, I check to make sure they are there They are very quiet species. The noisier ones are my two youngsters (one year olds), the four year olds are so quiet, they make little chirps and grunts only (unless they're separated and then they call to each other until they're together again).

I don't know if they would travel well, you could try it, but it took my linnies each a few days to start eating and drinking properly after I first got them and they were in a new place. I usually leave them with plenty of food and water for a period of 3 days (at most) with no problems.

 

[jmfleish]

Actually, I think you'll find that one Linnie is probably going to be more needy and more loud than two...they are incredibly flock oriented birds, more so than any other bird I've ever known and don't do well as singles so they tend to scream louder as single birds rather than in pairs. I've heard many people with single birds complain about the noise they make. They tend to be much happier and quieter in pairs.

 

[Dragonseer]

Actually, I think you'll find that one Linnie is probably going to be more needy and more loud than two...they are incredibly flock oriented birds, more so than any other bird I've ever known and don't do well as singles so they tend to scream louder as single birds rather than in pairs. I've heard many people with single birds complain about the noise they make. They tend to be much happier and quieter in pairs.

Thank you so much for sharing this important information; I hated to think that the idea of having Linnies in the future was completely off the table.

 

[karen256]

Linnies are pretty quiet. I think the only time two of them would be any noisier than one would be if they are separated and calling to each other. If my birds happen to be in different rooms and Kiwi hears one of them calling in another room, he will sometimes start calling to them. It's not a scream, just a rather loud, repetitive peep. But if it gets too annoying, I'll just carry one bird or the other so they're in the same room; then there's hardly a peep out of him. In fact, all of his other vocalizations are extremely quiet and adorable - he makes all kinds of quiet beeps and chirps, and a funny little deep chuckle.
As to car travel, mine has only traveled to the vet, but I think he would do well traveling. Linnies are very calm birds by nature. They tend to rely on camouflage rather than flight when something scares them (that is, they will freeze up and pretend to be invisible when something scares them, rather than panicking). Linnies also have a very gentle nature similar to bourke's in that way.

 

[Dragonseer]

Linnies also have a very gentle nature similar to bourke's in that way.

I am such a sucker for Bourke's; so I know that Linnies easily would win me over.

Ideally, I'll one day have 2 (or 4) Zebra finches and 1-2 Bourke's or 2 Linnies.