I'll leave the town for 10 days, what should i do?

[xauri]

Hello,
I'll be out of town for about 10 days and i have no one to take care of my budgie in their own house. I'll give the keys to my neighbour to check my budgie's food and water in every 2 days, but he's very busy and won't be able to come every day. I normally put my budgie in his cage only in the night, cover the cage and turn off the lights. Since my neighbour won't come every day he won't be able to do these and that's the problem. I'm thinking about leaving the light on all the time because i'll leave the cage open, and since bird's can't see well in the dark, it'll dangerous for him in the dark with the cage open. But that also means he won't be able to sleep in dark. I also thought about turning the lights off and leave him to the natural day and night cycle, but like i said, i'll leave the cage open and it makes me very anxious to leave him in the dark with the cage open. I really have no other alternatives and i'm very nervous, would the light affect and stress him too much?

 

[Hankmacaw]

Isn't there somewhere you can board your bird? Mine stay at their vet's and that makes me very comfortable.

 

[Wardy]

Leaving the cage open will increase the oppertunity for accidents to happen

 

[sunnysmom]

Are there any pet sitters where you are? I found one on care.com. I have found sometimes that "professional" sitters are more dependable than asking someone to do you a favor- unless it's another bird owner who understands all their care requirements. I also always leave detailed instructions and also vet information with whoever is watching my bird(s). Or would your neighbor let your bird stay at his house? (Assuming it's pet safe- no teflon, candles, etc.)

 

[Sparkles99]

I'm afraid if you leave the cage open, the bird will escape when your neighbour comes.

 

[Dorcas George]

I agree with others to not leave the cage open. Maybe some noise...music playing...? Something so not total silence?

 

[Shezbug]

I don’t think leaving your little one out of its cage while you’re gone and a stranger (to the bird) comes into the house is safe- there’s huge potential for a lost, escaped or seriously hurt bird with this situation.
Gosh, there’s been times that other members of my house have nearly let my bird out accidentally while directly looking at him through the glass door- no one is as careful or thoughtful with birds as other bird owners are.
The other thing that worries me is that only checking and food refreshing every second day is taking a huge risk… If your bird finds itself in a sticky spot or hurts itself it has a very long wait for help.
If your neighbor is too busy to check daily how can you be certain they’ll not get too busy to check every second day?
You might have some luck with some local pet sitters or your vet if you call and ask about someone to care for your bird.
If you’re comfortable with the deal made with the neighbour and lights being turned on and off are your only concern then there are actually light globes you can buy that you can fully control remotely via your smart phone- this may be helpful.

 

[Lori D Pert]

Sorry but leaving a solitary budgie alone for 10 days and only having him checked in on every 2 days is exceedingly dangerous. I won't even touch on the loneliness he will feel. Is there no one else who can take him?

 

[JornsBergenson]

The only comment I can office is about the lighting control. I have timer switch that can turn the lights off at night. I think it is this one: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zoo-med-repticare-day-night-timer-1525417

 

[xauri]

I don’t think leaving your little one out of its cage while you’re gone and a stranger (to the bird) comes into the house is safe- there’s huge potential for a lost, escaped or seriously hurt bird with this situation.
Gosh, there’s been times that other members of my house have nearly let my bird out accidentally while directly looking at him through the glass door- no one is as careful or thoughtful with birds as other bird owners are.
The other thing that worries me is that only checking and food refreshing every second day is taking a huge risk… If your bird finds itself in a sticky spot or hurts itself it has a very long wait for help.
If your neighbor is too busy to check daily how can you be certain they’ll not get too busy to check every second day?
You might have some luck with some local pet sitters or your vet if you call and ask about someone to care for your bird.
If you’re comfortable with the deal made with the neighbour and lights being turned on and off are your only concern then there are actually light globes you can buy that you can fully control remotely via your smart phone- this may be helpful.

Sorry for the late reply- It was an family emergency and i had to leave asap. I would never leave him like that if i had at least a few days and i'd bought a light globe or something. I only had a few hours to plan everything so i couldn't really have talked to my friends and i just moved to my apartment so i know only two people in there, one of them has a cat. The bird is in the room in the end of the coridor, so he can't escape from the entrance door, and i strictly told my neighbour that he shouldn't open the door fully so he can't escape from the room. Pet sitters isn't really common in my country, especially for birds. I had to left the house 1 hour after i post this. I'm also very anxious but i really have no alternatives, i have to trust to my neighbor. You're right about the accidents, it's a small room and i removed most of the furnitures from the room that he could stuck into, removed the curtains so his claws couldn't stick to it etc. He doesn't roam around the room and spends his time only in certain places so i can only hope for the best at the moment. These were the only things that i could do. I know he'll be lonely and i'm very sad and anxious.

 

[Olliebirb]

Do you only have one budgie? Being alone for 10 days and only being checked on every two days or so doesn't sound very good. I suggest finding someone who can watch your budgie and give it the care it needs while you are gone. Leaving the cage open is definitely not a good idea.
Oh I just read your recent post. Prayers for your budgie being safe and in good hands!

 

[Lady Jane]

One budgie is not difficult to take with you on a trip rather than leave him alone. I would never do that to any species of any bird.

 

[Shezbug]

Sorry for the late reply- It was an family emergency and i had to leave asap. I would never leave him like that if i had at least a few days and i'd bought a light globe or something. I only had a few hours to plan everything so i couldn't really have talked to my friends and i just moved to my apartment so i know only two people in there, one of them has a cat. The bird is in the room in the end of the coridor, so he can't escape from the entrance door, and i strictly told my neighbour that he shouldn't open the door fully so he can't escape from the room. Pet sitters isn't really common in my country, especially for birds. I had to left the house 1 hour after i post this. I'm also very anxious but i really have no alternatives, i have to trust to my neighbor. You're right about the accidents, it's a small room and i removed most of the furnitures from the room that he could stuck into, removed the curtains so his claws couldn't stick to it etc. He doesn't roam around the room and spends his time only in certain places so i can only hope for the best at the moment. These were the only things that i could do. I know he'll be lonely and i'm very sad and anxious.

I hope everything is ok with your family member and I also hope your time away is non eventful for your bird.

 

[Dorcas George]

Sorry for the late reply- It was an family emergency and i had to leave asap. I would never leave him like that if i had at least a few days and i'd bought a light globe or something. I only had a few hours to plan everything so i couldn't really have talked to my friends and i just moved to my apartment so i know only two people in there, one of them has a cat. The bird is in the room in the end of the coridor, so he can't escape from the entrance door, and i strictly told my neighbour that he shouldn't open the door fully so he can't escape from the room. Pet sitters isn't really common in my country, especially for birds. I had to left the house 1 hour after i post this. I'm also very anxious but i really have no alternatives, i have to trust to my neighbor. You're right about the accidents, it's a small room and i removed most of the furnitures from the room that he could stuck into, removed the curtains so his claws couldn't stick to it etc. He doesn't roam around the room and spends his time only in certain places so i can only hope for the best at the moment. These were the only things that i could do. I know he'll be lonely and i'm very sad and anxious.

I hope everything is all right for your family, you, and your bird. This has to be stressful. Please update us when you get home, okay?

 

[xauri]

One budgie is not difficult to take with you on a trip rather than leave him alone. I would never do that to any species of any bird.

Like i said in the replies, it was an family emergency, the place where i have gone is not suitable for pets and it's an 8 hour long car ride. He's never been on a car ride more than 10 minutes, that would stress him much more. I did what i thought was best. I wouldn't leave him like this if i had other choices.

 

[xauri]

I hope everything is all right for your family, you, and your bird. This has to be stressful. Please update us when you get home, okay?

Thank you so much for your concern, i'll update when i return home.