Travel checklist!

Are you thinking of traveling somewhere for the first time since you became an African grey owner? Here is a brief checklist of things that can be good to think about, and prepare, before travel:

- Find a person that you can trust to care for your bird while you are away (in some places they have bird boarding, for example at Omar's Exotic Birds in the U.S., which can be an option). Introduce this person to your bird in advance, before you leave, a few times (if the bird hasn't met this person before it is extra important!). Use these introductions to show the caretaker how you handle your bird, tell him/her what routines are used, if the bird has any special fears or behaviors etcetera.

- Write down instructions of the daily routines, food preparation and such. Also write down your avian veterinarians number and make insurance papers easily accessed (preferably, all bird things and papers should be collected at one place so they are easy for the caretaker to find, if neccessary).

- If your bird will be staying at the caretaker's home, and not your home, make sure that your birds favorite toys are in the cage and that the bird can be introduced to the new home a few days before you travel, in your company, so that everything won't be completely new once you've left (African greys can be very easily stressed, especially when facing new objects and situations).

- Record a CD or tape of your own voice, talking to your bird or talking to someone else, and give the caretaker instructions to play the recording once a day. This way your bird will still think that you are in "the jungle", just farther away and not visible.

- Inform the caretaker that your bird can become sad and seem depressed the first couple of days from being parted from you (especially if your grey has "chosen" you) and this can show in, for example, refusal to eat. If your bird does not resume eating after a couple of days the caretaker should be told to contact the vet (your bird could be sick)!

- Be prepared that your bird could be mad at you, after you've come home from traveling. African greys can sometimes hold a grudge and there is a chance that your bird will be angry at you for leaving, but this will usually pass rather quickly.
I recently came home from a three week trip to the USA. Sarabi had become so sad that she refused to eat the first couple of days. This passed after a while though, to my (and the caretaker's) great relief. The person (my grandmother) who took care of Sarabi, and also my parents' grey Malaika, played a CD that we had recorded everytime she went to take care of the birds. When I got home from the trip Sarabi was shocked and couldn't quite believe her eyes (she was a bit restricted), but she wasn't mad, luckily enough. The day after I could scratch her neck and handle her just as usual, without a problem. Malaika was a bit more mad and didn't want to come out of the cage the first coupe of days. A few years back, when I'd been away in France for a month and we'd then gone on a trip to the U.S. for a month right after(before I bought Sarabi), Malaika stayed mad at me for almost two months (the length of time that I had been away). So how your grey will react at your sudden disappearing is an individual reaction that can differ, from bird to bird. Following the presented checklist could maybe help making the seperation a bit easier for your bird, when the birds known routines are kept the same even in your absence.