Shipping birds

[mfrahm]

Can anyone give me some more info on this? How long is too long to be in the carrier? I can't find any flights that do not have at least 1 layover.

I am located in the Midwest & have very few bird breeders within driving distance and none with the species I am looking for.

I know lots of breeders ship their birds but lord it scares the dickens out of me. Please let me know your experiences!

Thanks!

 

[Mizzely]

@Laurie might have some insight!

 

[Destiny]

What kind of bird and what age? That will have an impact on how well they can travel.

I don't have any experience with receiving parrots by mail, but I have bought fertilized poultry eggs, day old chickens, and adult finches.

For the finches, I've purchased them from breeders out-of-state a couple times. Each time, they were shipped to me in a special shipping box that looked like this:



Inside the box is a wooden dowel perch and a water container with a sponge in it to hopefully keep the water from spilling (it doesn't work very well). Bird seed was liberally scattered all over the bottom of the box.

The first time, it took three days for the birds to reach me. The journey was stressful, but they all arrived safely and made it through quarantine with a clean bill of health. The second time, I was able to track down the package at a local distribution center and picked them up a day earlier.

I live in a rural area, so the delivery would reach the regional post office in the closest city to my address early in the morning on the day after it was shipped and then it would be held there until morning for delivery directly to my local post office. From speaking to postal workers, they said this was common practice for live animal shipments, to minimize time spent driving around in a hot vehicle.
Once the package reached the local post office, they would call me to notify it was ready for pickup and I would go get the birds. However, I didn't like leaving them in the shipping container any longer than absolutely necessary, so I made some calls and was able to pick them up early by driving to the distribution center instead.

...

This isn't directly related to mailing, but do be careful when buying birds online. I have successfully purchased birds from three different people, but I have also had one place take my money and run off with it. There are a lot of scam websites out there, especially with parrots and hard to find birds. If something looks too good to be true, maybe it is. Be careful and buy (or adopt) locally, whenever possible.

 

[The_Mayor]

I'm not a breeder, but I did have my birds shipped to me. They came all the way across the country with one stop-over. They came through it fine and we've just celebrated their one year gotcha day.

The thing is, though, I was perfectly fine with it when they were only the "idea" of my birds to me. Now, looking at the two birds who actually share my life, even if for some reason I had to get them across country, I just can't imagine myself closing them into a small crate and handing them over to some stranger at the air cargo office. Knowing that I wouldn't want to do it to the Mustrum and Esme whom I know, would make me hesitate if I were looking to get other birds.

I'm sure others could do the calculations differently, and I could probably make a case that the life they have now is worth one day of flying without actually being able to stretch their wings.

So, yes, it can absolutely be done safely and without harm to the birds, but it is also stressful for them. And, it was hella stressful for me, waiting for them to get to me.

 

[camelotshadow]

Rio flew in from TX right before Thanksgiving 2014.
He had if I recall a stop in Denver & one in SFO before heading to Burbank airport

So it was a most of the day into the night flight. Very stressful as I watched the flights getting in & taking off.
Each change of plane in especially cold winter weather was scary. I don;t think they will fly now if its too hot or too cold in the forecast.

Think he got in around 9PM & I went by buses to pick him up from the airport.

It was United then but I think only Delta may ship now.

They were very careful with him & he was fine when we finally got home after 11PM.

Would not do a mail shipping. Don;t think parrots can be shipped that way but maybe poultry can.

 

[Laurie]

Honestly, I think it is more stressful for the people than the birds in most cases. I have received 14 different birds who were shipped by plane and not one of them looked stressed when I picked them up. That doesn't mean they were not but they were definitely not scared out of their minds or anything and I did not have any issues with them after I got them home.

I have also shipped over 50 birds in the last 15 years and not had any issues with them arriving healthy. Sometimes they are a little late so it's good to have a back-up plan. Pre covid was easier. If you trust that the breeder will prepare the carrier and the birds properly then it is pretty safe.

I would never ship by mail. Only by airline. Currently I use Delta and it is about $155 plus any fees they breeder much charge and you will likely have to pay for the carrier on top of it. For me with the carrier and insurance fees I charge between $225-250 per carrier which can have more than one bird.

If your breeder is willing to ship then be sure to thank them. It is a lot of work for us. My husband spent 30-40 minutes modifying a carrier to make it safe and I got up at 3:30 this morning to take a birdie to the airport this morning for an 8:10 AM flight. Unfortunately, he got bumped off his flight and missed his connection and I had to rebook him on another flight but he will still get to his destination, just a little late. It is complicated and take a lot of doing to get it done. The birds honestly take it all in a stride. (I know this isn't comforting but the point is even when things go wrong it still works out).

Another alternative is to fly there and pick them up and bring them back in cabin. I have met people at the airport to hand birds off before. And lastly, there is a good old fashioned road trip. I had someone drive 14 hours one way by herself to pick up a baby for me.

Meet Kiwi

 

[camelotshadow]

Yeah, my carrier was secured with screws to hold it together as in the zip ties in the photo. Have to be sure those plastic things that hold the top to the bottom don't come loose or open. Zip tie the grate in front too as shown.
Sure is alot of prep for the crate & the booking & getting to the airport etc.

There are guidelines for the carriers.

Found a photo of Rio right after we got home from the airport after 11PM November 25, 2014.

 

[Laurie]

Yeah, my carrier was secured with screws to hold it together as in the zip ties in the photo. Have to be sure those plastic things that hold the top to the bottom don't come loose or open. Zip tie the grate in front too as shown.
Sure is alot of prep for the crate & the booking & getting to the airport etc.

There are guidelines for the carriers.

Found a photo of Rio right after we got home from the airport after 11PM November 25, 2014.

View attachment 395228

Yep, must be bolted together and then I add the zip ties too. I like the door on yours. I wonder where it came from.

 

[camelotshadow]

Its a AKC American Kennel Club carrier or so that is what is written on it.

Took me a little while to figure out how to open the door when I got it home.

Not sure if its the same as mine is old

American Kennel Club Kennel Crate Small Size

American Kennel Club Kennel Crate Small Size

www.oporttms.com

 

[jmfleish]

I've had several birds shipped to me and sent one out as well and never had a problem either. We are in Madison, WI and all three of our pet Galahs were shipped to us, two from Georgia and one from Texas. All had at least one lay over and did fine. I had some Linnies shipped to me from California and we sent a U2 to California. We also had an Ekkie sent to us from Oklahoma a little more than a year ago. As long as you prepare the crate properly, it goes pretty well and Laurie is right, it's a lot of work for the breeder so definitely thank them if they are willing to do it. Delta is probably the only airline that still does it and they will not ship a bird if it's below a certain temperature or above a certain temperature at either the place the bird is leaving or landing in. We also went out to California to pick up our female Slender Bill and flew back with her in the cabin with three layovers...that was a trip I won't soon forget and it was at least four years ago. She did better than I did! LOL! Also, parrots cannot be shipped via USPS or any kind of box mail. Wanted to add, please do not give any money in advance without making absolutely sure that the person is legit. There are a lot of scams out there these days. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Parrots cannot be shipped in from outside of the US. Real breeders generally have web sites. Verify that the breeder is real before handing over your money. There are good breeders out there but there are so many scammers out there too!

 

[hrafn]

My baby WCP Aurélie was shipped to me from Ontario to Alberta by air, and by the way she was acting I'd day I was definitely more stressed about it than she was. For Réy it was about a 5 hour flight, but my friend had a CAG shipped to her who had two layovers and took almost a full day to reach her destination; she was also fine, though understandably pleased to get out of the carrier.

As long as you can be assured that the breeder is legitimate and not going to just run off with your money, you should be fine to have a bird flown out to you.

 

[Laurie]

Just a note about scams. When purchasing a bird from someone you do not personally know to be reputable you should always send money electronically using a method that will allow you to do a charge back. So paying by PayPal for goods and services with purchase protection, or paying with a credit card will give you the ability to do a charge back if it's fraudulent. With a scam you will likely not get that far because scammers want something that they can steal and there's no way to reverse the charges. So a scammer won't will want zelle, or Venmo or PayPal friends and family or something that they don't have to pay a fee on that does not have purchase protection.

Also if you want to know if someone actually has a bird available and are not just reusing pictures of their videos you can ask to do a video chat. Pretty much everybody has the ability to do that and they would at least have to have birds to show you. That's not a guarantee that it's not a scam but at least you could find out if they actually really had birds.

That being said you will absolutely have to pay in full before they send you a bird so if it comes down to the day they they're sending the bird you should expect to be paid in full. But you should also have the option to pay with something that allows you to do a charge back. If you trust them feel free to pay however you want but you should at least have the option to pay some secure form of payment.

 

[camelotshadow]

Good point with all the scams thr last few years. Buying a bird you have never personally seen out of state & having it shipped leads to paying before shipping so you might never get a bird. I had someone want a money order for a CBC before I got Rio. They did not want paypal. Then as I was thinking about it a day feeling sure no one could mail a money order to them faster they decided to accept payment by paypal from another party after telling me they did not want paypal. I guess I did not press the issue but this other person did & they got the bird (or did they?). I knew someone else who got a flockmate of this bird so I was pretty sure it was legit. That was really disappointing as I wanted a baby CBC. Then later my friends young bird from her died at about 6 mo of age (he also wanted to sell his bird to me but changed his mind) so maybe it was best I did not get either of those birds.

Rio I think I paid $100 deposit by paypal & sent the balance thru the bank. Could have been dicey but the seller was well established on Bird Breeders & I had corresponded for weeks & felt secure.

Good point about paypal as you have protection. Most private individuals don't have access to accept credit cards purchases. Paypal has been very good but you would have to prove you never got the bird.

Shipping adds least $200 to the cost of the bird as you have flight & carrier charge. Still with gas these days it would actually be cheaper to ship than to drive half way across the country w gas/time round trip & need a night or two in a hotel.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Jaden was shipped from VA to CA with a stopover in TX via Delta airlines. The carrier was bolted together and zip tied. Breeder added a perch and included two food dishes, one with veggies and one with seed/pellet mix. The dishes were securely attached to the bottom of the carrier with velcro.

 

[Laurie]

Good point about paypal as you have protection. Most private individuals don't have access to accept credit cards purchases. Paypal has been very good but you would have to prove you never got the bird.

Or wouldn't the breeder have to prove that they shipped you the bird. I am not sure. It is not hard for a breeder who shipped a bird to prove it.

 

[camelotshadow]

Yeah, I guess it goes both ways. Paypal might ask them to prove shipping & if they bought a plane ticket then
the airline would know whether the bird was dropped off.

Still things can get tricky with even paypal to get refunds.

Took me months of fighting QVC.

 

[claykroh]

I just want to thank you all for this incredibly useful info! My pair had babies in the early summer, and as much as I'd love to have a house full of happy caiques, I need to find new homes for them. The OP and I have been corresponding to figure out how to get birds from me, located in central Washington state, to them in the midwest. I've never been on this side of the shipping process—my pair of WBCs were shipped to me from AZ and FL—and the logistics are definitely a thing I underestimated! Also, it's been weirdly difficult for me to get accurate flight information for shipping—I get different answers on different calls while attempting to find the shortest flights possible, even during the same time frames.

The babies have recently weaned, but now it's November, so we've been a little concerned about the cold temps. It's been mentioned that the airlines (Delta at least) won't ship if it's too cold at either end of the trek. That's good, but does throw a wrench into getting the babies onto a flight and on their way, because I have to drive almost 3 hours to get to the airport; if I drove all the way out there, and the airline decides it won't ship that day... oof. So, we're considering holding off on shipping until spring.

Here's the carrier I'm planning to use (it's actually one that one of the parents arrived to me in—needs a little cleaning):



Here's the whole family, because of course I can't not post baby pics, too!

 

[camelotshadow]

 

[jmfleish]

So cute! If they are coming or going from the Midwest, I'm guessing it's going to be too cold for a while to ship in or out...it's a cold 48 degrees here in Madison right now...yikes!

Edited to say that Oscar our Ekkie was flown in to Madison from Oklahoma almost a year ago...boy the time flies...in December...we lucked out with freaky warm weather. I just looked back at my PMs and weather had to be above 45 degrees.

 

[Toy]

I never had parrots shipped to me via air, but have had tiny toy poodle puppies shipped from Nebraska to PA. The breeder attached a live animal sticker to the crate along with papers stating vet check, shots, etc., destination to & from. She also taped a bag of food to the crate as well, in case there happened to be any issue or extended lay overs. The cost to fly a puppy has risen from $150.00, I paid years ago, to over $450.00 now. The last one I had driven across country via a pet delivery service. It cost $100.00. They (2 drivers) drove straight thru from Kansas to PA & met me at a rest stop on the interstate, as I live rural. They picked my puppy up in Nebraska & held him over night in their facility in Kansas. They called me to set up pick up time & make sure I was there when they arrived. They had a large van with other puppies & kittens going to pet shops, etc. So you might look into something like a pet delivery service in stead of flying. I'm sure there may only be a few that do this for parrots, but it's worth a try to find a parrot transportation service.