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Flying With a Cockatiel

Coelle

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Hey all, so Nibbler and I are going to be moving to the UK at the end of the summer (providing it's safe to do so given the current situation of the world) and I am extremely nervous about Nibbler being stuck in his tiny travel cage for the 8 ish hour flight. He is not a very good traveler at the moment, as he really does not like being in his travel cage, I have been trying to get him use to it slowly though but I'm worried that that long of a trip will be insanely stressful on him. Not to mention I don't want to be that person who ruins everyone else's flight because my bird is screaming the whole time.

I was thinking of just covering him the whole time so he'd hopefully go to sleep and not stress; do you guys think that could work? Obviously each bird is different and will react differently with this type of situation but I was hoping to get some insight from anyone who might have flown long distance with their feathered friend before. I plan on asking our vet as well but they are currently closed except for emergencies and so I thought I'd make a post here and see what experiences you guys might have had.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Hope everyone is staying safe!
 

expressmailtome

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Do you know if he will be able to stay with you, or if he will be put in with the cargo?
 

Coelle

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Do you know if he will be able to stay with you, or if he will be put in with the cargo?

I’ll be taking him as my carry on in his travel cage. The cage I got was specifically for being a carry on (it fits under the seat) so at least he won’t be alone and terrified in the cargo bay :(. I’m assuming staying with me will be better for him, though I guess I really have no idea.
 

Yoshi&Raphi

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Hey all, so Nibbler and I are going to be moving to the UK at the end of the summer (providing it's safe to do so given the current situation of the world) and I am extremely nervous about Nibbler being stuck in his tiny travel cage for the 8 ish hour flight. He is not a very good traveler at the moment, as he really does not like being in his travel cage, I have been trying to get him use to it slowly though but I'm worried that that long of a trip will be insanely stressful on him. Not to mention I don't want to be that person who ruins everyone else's flight because my bird is screaming the whole time.

I was thinking of just covering him the whole time so he'd hopefully go to sleep and not stress; do you guys think that could work? Obviously each bird is different and will react differently with this type of situation but I was hoping to get some insight from anyone who might have flown long distance with their feathered friend before. I plan on asking our vet as well but they are currently closed except for emergencies and so I thought I'd make a post here and see what experiences you guys might have had.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Hope everyone is staying safe!
i haven’t gone on a plane ride but a 6 hour drive before, as long as he has toys and fresh food + water he should be okay, is the flight in the morning or afternoon? Maybe if it’s in the morning and he’s waking up a few hours earlier he will be more willing to sleep on the flight.
 

Coelle

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T

i haven’t gone on a plane ride but a 6 hour drive before, as long as he has toys and fresh food + water he should be okay, is the flight in the morning or afternoon? Maybe if it’s in the morning and he’s waking up a few hours earlier he will be more willing to sleep on the flight.
I haven’t booked the flight yet so I’m not sure when it will be. I usually put in his favourite perch and a toy into his travel cage when he’s in the car with me but he kind of just ignored them and freaks out and screams most of the time he’s in there. I feel so bad! Do you think he just needs more experience being in it?
 

Kiwi & Co.

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I went to on vacation with Kiwi and it was a 14 hour drive. He got really borred and started hanging upsidedown from the roof of his carrier :lol:

T

i haven’t gone on a plane ride but a 6 hour drive before, as long as he has toys and fresh food + water he should be okay, is the flight in the morning or afternoon? Maybe if it’s in the morning and he’s waking up a few hours earlier he will be more willing to sleep on the flight.
The toys are a great idea. I gave Kiwi some small shreding/foot toys and they were almost obliberated by the time we got to our destination. I also treated him with extra millet because he was cranky about going in the travel carrier.

Edit: We started driving at 8:00 AM so Kiwi didn't want to sleep
 
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tka

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Are you absolutely sure that your parrot will be allowed to travel in the cabin with you? I don't know where you're travelling from, but I'm guessing that you're from the US or Canada,

Delta flights from the US to the UK or Ireland only allow pets to travel in cargo, not in the cabin. Household birds can travel in the cabin on domestic flights which is where you might have got your information.
Aer Lingus don't allow pets in the cabin on any of their flights. Pets can travel in the cargo.
British Airways also don't allow pets in the cabin on any of their flights. Pets can travel in the cargo.
Virgin only allow pets in cargo on some flights, and they don't allow pets in the cabin on any flights.
Can only find information on the Air France and Air Canada websites for dogs and cats - nothing about birds.

You can see information from more airlines here: Airline Pet Policies - BringFido

If you haven't yet, your bird needs to be microchipped and you need a health certificate just before the bird will fly: USDA APHIS | Pet travel from the U.S. to the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland)
 

Coelle

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Are you absolutely sure that your parrot will be allowed to travel in the cabin with you? I don't know where you're travelling from, but I'm guessing that you're from the US or Canada,

Delta flights from the US to the UK or Ireland only allow pets to travel in cargo, not in the cabin. Household birds can travel in the cabin on domestic flights which is where you might have got your information.
Aer Lingus don't allow pets in the cabin on any of their flights. Pets can travel in the cargo.
British Airways also don't allow pets in the cabin on any of their flights. Pets can travel in the cargo.
Virgin only allow pets in cargo on some flights, and they don't allow pets in the cabin on any flights.
Can only find information on the Air France and Air Canada websites for dogs and cats - nothing about birds.

You can see information from more airlines here: Airline Pet Policies - BringFido

If you haven't yet, your bird needs to be microchipped and you need a health certificate just before the bird will fly: USDA APHIS | Pet travel from the U.S. to the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland)
Hmm, I thought I could bring him onboard with me, I'll have to double check. We haven't booked flights yet so I'm not sure which airline we'll be flying with. He does have a leg band with an ID number on it, and from what I understand that should cover the identification. I'm in Canada so I'm not sure if it's the same as the US. From what I had read Nibbler needed to have a vet check within 6 months of flying to the UK, have been in isolation and have proper identification, and I have to fill out paperwork. I might actually call a few airlines when the Covid situation clears up a bit.

Thank you so much for the links, I've been having a seriously hard time finding information on airline policies on birds!
 

tka

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After some more reading on my part, I found that animals cannot enter the UK by air except as cargo. It's not a case of finding the right airline; it's a blanket ban. If there are exceptions, it would be for countries in the EU.

I highly recommend contacting the Centre for International Trade and checking what you need well in advance of making any travel plans. The UK is very very strict about animal imports and if you don't have the right documents, your bird isn't entering the country.

General enquiries email: SSC.Carlisle@apha.gov.uk
Telephone: 03000 200 301
Fax: 0208 0260 498

Centre for International Trade: Carlisle
Eden Bridge House
Lowther Street
Carlisle
CA3 8DX

It may be worth going through a pet shipping company. They will be very experienced at handling pet travel and will know exactly what documentation you need.
 

Coelle

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After some more reading on my part, I found that animals cannot enter the UK by air except as cargo. It's not a case of finding the right airline; it's a blanket ban. If there are exceptions, it would be for countries in the EU.

I highly recommend contacting the Centre for International Trade and checking what you need well in advance of making any travel plans. The UK is very very strict about animal imports and if you don't have the right documents, your bird isn't entering the country.

General enquiries email: SSC.Carlisle@apha.gov.uk
Telephone: 03000 200 301
Fax: 0208 0260 498

Centre for International Trade: Carlisle
Eden Bridge House
Lowther Street
Carlisle
CA3 8DX

It may be worth going through a pet shipping company. They will be very experienced at handling pet travel and will know exactly what documentation you need.
Oh my goodness, thank you so much! I'm really terrible at finding credible information online for whatever reason :p. I've never flown with a bird before, only our family dog, so this is all very new to me. I've always been a bit worried about how the animals are treated in the cargo bay, which might just be me being paranoid but I would be devastated if anything happened to him. I love that little monster so much!

I like the idea of going through a pet shipping company; I'll definitely have to look into one!
 

tka

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Should add that that contact info is specifically for the the Centre for International Trade for the Animal & Plant Health Agency. There's more information here but most of it doesn't apply to your case because Nibbler would be classed as a personal import: Guidance on importing and exporting live animals or animal products

I really would look into an animal shipping company. Imports can be a complicated area and if you screw up even a minor thing, Nibbler might not be able to enter the country. You really do need to make sure you've done everything right. I wouldn't trust myself not to miss something important! An animal shipping company will also be able to advise you on suitable shipping boxes, the best airline to go with, and even time of day to ship him.
 

Coelle

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Should add that that contact info is specifically for the the Centre for International Trade for the Animal & Plant Health Agency. There's more information here but most of it doesn't apply to your case because Nibbler would be classed as a personal import: Guidance on importing and exporting live animals or animal products

I really would look into an animal shipping company. Imports can be a complicated area and if you screw up even a minor thing, Nibbler might not be able to enter the country. You really do need to make sure you've done everything right. I wouldn't trust myself not to miss something important! An animal shipping company will also be able to advise you on suitable shipping boxes, the best airline to go with, and even time of day to ship him.
That is amazing! I think I will go through an animal shipping company then. I totally agree, I don't really trust myself to not miss something and I want to make sure it goes smoothly for him! Thank you so much for all the amazing information tka!
 
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tka

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That is amazing! I think I will go through an animal shipping company then. I totally agree, I don't really trust myself to not miss something and I want to make sure it goes smoothly for him! Thank you so much for all the amazing information tka!
No problem! The UK has some really tight restrictions on live animal imports. As an island, we're free of some really major diseases (rabies is one but there's a whole list of notifiable diseases, including some that affect birds - here's the government information for your reading pleasure: Notifiable diseases in animals) and have had outbreaks of Foot and Mouth, anthrax, Newcastle disease and low pathogenic avian flu in the past 20 years, so everyone's a bit jumpy.

Hope the information helps and I wish you and Nibbler safe and smooth travels!
 
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