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βFor the first time since getting our Cockatiel last September, we took a family vacation. Here's what happened when we left our bird home alone for a week. (read more) Dengan hadirnya platform data macau 4d, membuat para pemain togel macau semakin bersemangat dalam bermain, Platform yang sangat mudah dijangkau dan diakses menjadikan satu keunggulan bari para pemain untuk menikmati setiap permainan yang tersedia tanpa harus mengunjungi kasino fisik, para pemain pun bisa dengan menikmati hasil pengeluaran angka tercepat dan terakurat hanya dengan mengakses platform tersebut. Jadi tunggu apalagi, yuk nikmati permainan di platform data macau 4d sekarang juga. 
First off, you should know a few things about me:
1. I love my pets. 2. I love traveling. 3. I will not choose pets over travel. 4. I will do everything in my power to make sure my pets are safe while we're out of town. I am prefacing this blog post with the above because I don't want to mislead you. If you don't agree with my point of view on the things I listed, this blog post might really irritate you. So, if you're of the view that a pet should never be left home alone while you go out of town, turn back now, mash that back arrow, this way lay dragons. WE'RE REVAMPING OUR KID'S ALLOWANCE WITH GREENLIGHT, THE DEBIT CARD FOR KIDS If you're still reading, I'm just going to assume you're trying to find out if it's okay for you to leave your bird home alone while you go on vacation.
Beragam narasumber poker online mengatakan terbukti benar bahwa platform Idn Poker merupakan salah satu platform permainan poker yang sangat digemari oleh banyak pemain karena beragam keunggulan nya, salah satu yang mencolok adalah Welcome bonus yang mencapai 15%, ini merupakan presentasi fantastis bagi para pengguna yang baru bergabung. Sungguh menggiurkan bukan? Segera nikmati hadiah di platform idn poker online. I looked this up MANY times after getting the bird, knowing full well that we take one family vacation each year, and that, no matter how much I love the bird, we would be going, period. So I Googled all sorts of things: "Can I leave my bird home alone for a week?", "Will my bird be okay if I leave it home while I go on vacation?" You get the idea. What I learned from all of this is that there are A LOT of people on the internet that are willing and ready to condemn you if you leave your bird home by itself for more than a few hours. How people work and have birds remains a mystery to me. Heck, I even joined a group on Facebook just for Cockatiel owners. Don't get me wrong, some people on that board were very helpful. But, there were a lot of people I would classify as "Keyboard Warriors", totally ready to tell you, in great detail, why they thought you were a terrible bird owner. Take, for example, the one post I made on the board. Just a few days after we'd gotten our bird, I started wondering if we'd made the wrong decision by not getting him a friend. I mean, I homeschool, we're home all the time, he's out of his cage 95% of the time he's awake, but there will be one week each year where he'd be alone. Was that a good reason to get another bird? I wasn't sure. The people on that board WERE very sure. If I didn't get another bird, I was not only a terrible bird owner, but I was also a terrible person and there was a special place for me in feathery hell. I left the board. I did NOT get another bird. You know why? It's because I didn't want two birds. The same as some people don't want two dogs, or two cats, or TWO KIDS. I didn't want twice the poop, twice the flock calling, twice the cleaning, and, heaven forbid if the birds didn't get along, I didn't want to deal with my sweet, lovely bird turning into an antisocial avian. Or, on the flip side, I didn't want my bird to decide this other bird was wonderful, and I was just the person who supplied the seed. Selfish? Maybe. But, as you've figured out by now, I'm okay with that. CHECK OUT MY FAVORITE PRIDE AND PREJUDICE FAN FICTION NOVELS 
When I started trying to figure out how to go about leaving our bird alone while we went to Colorado, I gave up pretty quickly on trying to find anyone who was actually going to post that they'd done such a thing. I mean, admit this to a bird forum and you're going to be tarred and feathered....
Hee hee hee. If your bird didn't just die from loneliness, you might come back and find him bald, with a broken wing, a foot tangled in a toy, and clinging to life. If he did live (after suffering all of those horrors), he'd never want to speak to you again because you basically abandoned him and he thought you were never coming back. Might as well start looking for bird psychologists now. It didn't matter if you'd left plenty of food and water. It didn't matter if you left a bunch of toys, a large cage, and a mirror to help him feel like he had a friend. It didn't matter if you had a bird heater and every creature comfort. If you leave your house without that bird, you're killing him. KILLING HIM! I just want to make sure you understand the severity of the situation. Now, let me tell you what ACTUALLY happened, and how we prepared our little buddy for a week without his flock. CHECK OUT OUR ROBLOX THEMED BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS If you haven't already got a cage you love, one that affords your bird room to move around, check out this Prevue Hendryx cage. Tuko loves it because he can really spread his wings, and we love it because it's easy to clean and easy to move.
There is a tray on the bottom that you can put a puppy pad in (I like these, they fit great and are affordable) and a tray on top where you can do the same. It's also on wheels so it's easy to move, and it even comes with a seed catch barrier, just in case you don't get the mess free feeder I talk about below. 
GETTING READY TO GOFirst off, we didn't tell him we were leaving. I'm halfway joking when I say this because I saw a lot of posts saying, "If you simply must leave your sweet pet, talk to him before hand, tell him you're going, help him to understand."
What the what? We bailed at 4 a.m. on a Friday, took the bird out of the cage long enough to make sure everything was situated, put him back in, threw him a peace sign and said, "Don't throw any parties!" Then we left. That said, I did do some things in advance to make sure we'd come back to a live bird, if not one that was particularly happy with us. (I'll tell you all about that at the end). β CHECK OUT OUR MINECRAFT THEMED BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS THE THINGS YOU'LL NEED1. A VACATION FEEDERI'd really get this even if you never plan on going on vacation. It's just the neatest and laziest way to make sure your bird has fresh food and makes the least amount of mess.
You dump your pellets (we use the type below) into the top of the feeder. The pellets drop down to a tray on the inside of the feeder. Your bird sticks his head in, eats the pellets, and any discards drop down into a little cup below the tray. Every few days we pull out the little cup and dump it back into the top of the feeder.
Talk about not wasting pellets! This is genius. Also, the fact that your bird eats inside of the feeder means minimal cleaning of pellets from the floor since he's not flinging them everywhere. UPDATE - I had to swap from these pellets to a mixture containing ONLY brown pellets. Tuko decided he liked the yellow pellets in this mixture best and started tossing all of the others outside the cage. It was a huge mess and a huge waste. I'm half proud of him because he's so smart, but still, the change had to be made. Here is the link to the all brown pellets, in case you're having the same issue. LINK 
If you go this route, which I think you should, make sure you're not doing a mix of seed and pellets in the feeder. If you do that, you can't dump the discarded pellets back into the top of the feeder, because they'll be mixed with seed hulls.
But, since everything I've read says you should give your bird seeds only as a treat (lest they get fat and unhealthy), you can just use pellets for the feeder and save the seed for a special cup in, or on the top of, his cage. Whatever you do, I'm not judging you, I'm just telling you how to waste less food and spend less money. PEOPLE LOVE SNACKS, TOO. CHECK OUT OUR FAVORITE MONTHLY SNACK BOX. 2. A LIXIT WATERER
Again, this is one of those things I recommend you get even if you never plan on leaving your bird home alone. It's just easier.
Fill the bottle, shut the lid, secure the waterer to your cage with the included bungee cord, and leave it be. If you're worried that your bird won't drink from it (I was worried about this), leave a cup of water in there like normal for a few days. Really though, I did a lot of reading about this before hand and I wasn't able to find any cases where a bird didn't drink from the waterer. They're birds, they're not dumb. They're not going to die of thirst. Using this waterer means you don't have to change it very often (I think I put new water in once every month, if that), it doesn't get bacteria in it since they can't poop in it or spill seeds in it, and it's always nice and fresh for them. βSo much easier than a traditional water cup. That said, I still put a water cup in his cage when we go, but it's the kind he can't poop in, like this. It just makes me feel a little better knowing I've got back up. It's not necessary, but if you want to do it, go ahead. WHAT DO YOU NEED BEFORE YOU GET A BIRD? HERE'S OUR CHECK LIST This is going to depend on your bird, but I would think in most cases it's going to be a really good idea.
If you put a mirror in the cage, your bird feels like he has a friend while you're away. You can rest a little easier knowing he's entertained, and your bird will feel less lonely because he has another handsome bird to chirp at and sing to during the day. Our bird even took to sleeping next to the mirror at night, which we found out because we got home at midnight. If you're not sure your bird will like a mirror, do this simple test. Put him on your finger, take him in your bathroom, hold him about a foot away from the mirror. Don't shove him into his reflection, that will probably only make him want to attack it. Give him some space, see what he does. Our bird makes heart wings, bobs his head, and immediately starts to sing to the "other bird". Once we got home we took the mirror out, but I'll put it back in if we have to leave for a bit, like to the movies, the store, etc. I have heard stories about birds getting really attached to mirrors, so make sure you're not using it all the time, else you might end up with your bird preferring it to you. HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED WHEN TUKO GOT LEAD POISONING 
3. A MIRRORHere's Tuko singing in the "toaster mirror". We actually talk about "toaster bird" now like he's a real bird. The conversations go, "Hey, where's Tuko?" to which someone else replies, "He's talking to toaster bird."
4. FORAGING/BUSY TOYSWe tend to change the toys around in our bird's cage every month or so. We keep the same toys, but we move everything so he feels like he's got all new digs.
I recommend doing this before you go on vacation so your bird gets to spend some time being interested by the new placement of things. If you don't already have some foraging toys, you might give them a shot. Basically they're toys that make your bird think. Maybe he has to pull a lever to get a treat, spin a wheel for some seed, or, like our toy, lift a flap to reach the goodies inside. Make sure you're not putting anything in that is perishable. The last thing you want is for food to rot while you're gone. Millet is a great idea, bird seed if you're not a seed feeder on a regular basis, dried fruits that come in the little bird snack bags, etc. We like to use Nutri Pellets. They are small enough to fit in these particular toys (below), and dense enough to make your bird work on them for awhile, especially if you put three or four in the toy while you're gone for a few days. Your bird will have to work for the treat. It's engaging, takes time, and gives him a way to be less bored while you're away. 
This is Tuko's favorite toy, so of course I had to put it on here. I actually have this on Amazon Subscribe and Save because he loves them so much. At $6.99 each, they aren't cheap, especially since he shreds this in less than a week, but it definitely keeps him from getting bored. I highly recommend it if your bird likes to shred things. The next time we go out of town, I'll actually get the three stack of cupcakes to make sure he doesn't run out.
These are the snacks we like to put in Tuko's foraging toys. I highly recommend putting these (or any bird food you get) in your freezer for a week before thawing and storing per usual. I suggest this because we got a terrible case of pantry moths from one of the bags of food/treats and I've read many a review stating they'd experienced the same thing.
While these next one isn't a foraging toy, it is a toy our bird loves to use. Next to the cupcake, I'm going to say this is his second favorite toy, and the first favorite of the ones he cannot destroy.
He will spend large chunks of time putting the basketball in the net, taking it out, wiggling it around, etc. It's not turning him into Einstein, that's for sure, but it keeps him from sitting there with nothing to do. The most important thing, whichever foraging or fun toys you choose, is that you try to keep your bird's cage interesting. Otherwise, he could just sit in one spot all day. Sitting in one spot can lead to nervous behaviors like bumble foot, feather plucking, etc. If you have yet to find a toy your bird loves, give the basketball a shot. I can't recommend it enough. 
Birds love to shred things, you know this if you've ever left one alone long enough with your phone charging cord. Our Cockatiel loves this toy for just that reason. He can shred it to his heart's delight, and it lasts forever. He likes the cupcake more, but this one lasts longer and he can go back to it once he's shredded his cupcake down to a nub.
5. A BIRD HEATER
Since we were leaving in February, I wanted to make sure our bird wasn't cold while we were gone. I over rode the "away" mode on our Nest Thermostat to make sure the heat came on as usual, and I invested in a tiny bird heater he could snuggle up to if he got too chilly.
(I actually bought the heater right after we got him.) It attaches to his cage with some screws, and we just put it right beside one of his 90 degree perches. You plug it in, it heats to slightly warmer than bird temperature, and he loves it year round, cold outside or not. WE TOOK THE DISNEY ULTIMATE NIGHTS OF ADVENTURE TOUR AT ANIMAL KINGDOM OPTIONAL - A RING CAMERAThis was kind of a game changer for us, something I didn't purchase until a fellow bird owner commented on this post and mentioned that he used a Ring Camera to keep an eye on his bird, turn on lights and music, etc.
We'd already been considering a Ring Stick Up Camera outdoor solar bundle for the exterior of our house, so once we set those up (we got three), we loved how easy they were to use and decided to grab an extra for the inside, just for Tuko. Now, when we leave town we put Tuko's cage in the living room, facing the TV. We turn the TV on during the day, then off at night when it starts to get dark. We don't talk to him much, only because I worry it'll freak him out (we'll see how it goes), but it's so nice to be able to check in any time and make sure he's doing okay. The Ring Camera does let you both talk to and hear from your bird, so if you enjoy whistling back and forth, and you aren't worried your bird will be wary of a disembodied voice, it would work well. We have a Harmony Hub that lets us control our TV directly from my phone, but you may be able to do the same thing if you have a TV that's smarter than ours. If you want to make sure the Harmony Hub is compatible with your devices before you pull the trigger, you can check here to see the compatible list. 
THE END & FINAL THOUGHTSThat's it! That's all we did to ensure our bird was happy and healthy while we were away. We left on a Friday morning, asked my mother in law to come by and check on him Sunday and Wednesday, and got back home in the wee hours the following Friday.
Having her check on him was a bonus. I'd still have left him if she couldn't come by, and I am sure he still would have been fine. There is always a chance your bird could get hurt, but I'm the person who says that this can happen no matter how often you're home. It can happen while you're at work, while you're in the next room, while you sleep, etc. I mean, we're diligent owners and our bird still managed to fly away for almost a full 24 hours right before Christmas. Leaving your bird while you go on vacation doesn't mean you're a bad owner. As long as you've provided the essentials there's a very high chance everything will be okay. If you're wondering about leaving your bird with a sitter or a vet, you can certainly look into that. We chose to keep him home only because I'd read that birds can get stressed out in new environments, and because we didn't have anyone who didn't already have other pets that would not mix well with a bird. That said, if I were going to board Tuko, the first place I'd check would be with my Avian Vet. So, the choice for us was either have him in his cage for a week in a place he knew, or have him in a cage for a week in a place he did not know, around animals who might scare him (cats, loud dogs, loud children that he doesn't know already, etc.) I really hope this post has helped you come to terms with your decision to leave your bird home alone, and I really hope you're beating yourself up less that you were before you read it. Oh, as promised, here's what happened when we got home: Tuko was sleeping, he saw us and let us hold him for a bit before he went back to sleep. He didn't sing as much the next day, no doubt he was a little irritated, but by Sunday he was right as rain, like we'd never left. If you'd like to see this list all in one place on Amazon, I've put one together. Just click that button below. Have a good vacation! βTy 60 Comments
CASEY SMITH
8/28/2019 11:33:34 am
Bless you for being a rationally minded bird owner! The forums have been an absolute nightmare. I appreciate the sound advice! SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
8/28/2019 11:58:28 am
Hi Casey! I know what you mean! There's nothing like the internet to remind you that you're a terrible pet owner. :) ALICIA
7/29/2020 03:06:27 pm
Thank you!!!!! SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
7/29/2020 03:10:09 pm
Hey Alicia! I'm sorry you had to deal with the pet owner shaming, ugh. I was really concerned about it when we started leaving our bird so I went right to my avian vet. She told me that it is SO much harder on the bird to be boarded than to stay home alone, you're right! Don't feel bad about it, have a great time! ZURI
11/21/2019 08:31:11 pm
Thank you so much for this. I am getting my mom a parakeet and of course it’s going to be a family pet. I know my parents leave out a lot and at the moment I’m home but not for long. I’ve been looking for pet sitter and they might have to come in your house... so I’ll do some more research on it. Thank you for not being “That pet owner”. It’s a lot I have to learn I’m ready. SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
11/22/2019 09:07:27 am
Hey Zuri, how nice of you to get your parents a pet. Birds really are sweet companions. It's very doable to leave them home for periods of time. A good "on demand" feeder and waterer, and some toys/mirrors to keep them from getting bored is all they need. If your parents have someone who can check in on them every couple of days, even better. :) JOE
1/2/2020 04:13:41 pm
I left Spike alone with lots to do and eat for a week. We came home and it was like we never left, we’re doing it again this coming week and don’t see any problems. I suffer more than the bird. SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
1/2/2020 04:50:27 pm
Hey Joe, thanks for the reply. That's a perfect way to put it! It really is harder on us than it is on the bird. Enjoy your trip! JOE
1/2/2020 05:01:18 pm
I also play music via Alexa , turn lights on and off and have a security camera on him. Also, have a neighbor on call but that would only be for emergency not visits. SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
1/2/2020 05:02:53 pm
If you don't mind me asking, what type of camera do you use? I have thought about turning on the TV with Alexa, but then I worry I might get my signals crossed and leave it on all night while he's trying to sleep. I'd feel pretty bad about that. :) JOE
1/3/2020 11:43:16 am
I use an outdoor ring cam battery, I can also talk through it. I’ll tell him I’ll be back which I tell him whenever I leave, seems to like that. He like music so I’ll turn that on low till about 7, I have a light timer that is close to the cage, it goes off at 8. JOE
1/17/2020 08:58:19 am
Ok, vacation follow up. Can home about 1am, startled him, got a hiss until he recognized us, then jumped on my hand and rode my shoulder until I cleaned the cage, and changed the food and water. SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
1/17/2020 09:01:09 am
Hey Joe, I was hoping to hear from you when you got back, so thanks for that. Yay! I'm glad he's good, and that he's forgiven you. More questions about your Ring mount set up. Do you have it mounted to his cage? And do you have it set up so that you can see him and the TV, so you know for sure the TV goes on and off when you tell it to? I don't have a Ring, but I want to get one, I just want to make sure I'm getting it right before I make the purchase. Thanks a bunch! - Sheila JOE
1/17/2020 10:07:44 am
It’s the ring cam battery, can monitor him as well as talk through it, I simply sit it on a chair in front of the cage. I don’t use the tv, I play music during the day via Alexa. 2 vacations and he’s fine, 5 mos and just starting to talk! SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
2/23/2020 10:23:26 am
Joe, what kind of bird is it? Ours is a Cockatiel, almost 2 years old, male, no talking in sight. :) I'm a bit jealous! KYM LEUCK
2/23/2020 10:21:01 am
I came across your post, and love it. My daughter is considering a bird as a pet. We have told her no, until she could prove she could take care of one. She is now 15, more responsible. But as a family we do travel, at least once a year, but typically more often. Do not want a pet to hinder that. We have 2 dogs and a hamster already. Our dogs either go with, or go to a kennel, hamster is fine as long as we fill up his bowl with food and water. I loved your intro. Describes our family to a t. Thank you! SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
2/23/2020 10:27:54 am
Hey Kym, I'm very glad the post helped. I still worry each time we leave them, but it gets easier. The Ring camera helped a bit, except the bird's owner (my 12 year old) would sit there watching him fairly often, and I think being able to see the bird maybe made him a bit sad. Still, he was totally fine when we got back, no problems at all, and this was our longest trip away yet, 10 days. We had to extend the trip by two days because I broke my arm snowboarding and had to have surgery. Not ideal, but it sets us up for at least knowing things will be good when we're gone for 12 days in June. His water was still great, the feeder had plenty of food, and other then being a little miffed at being woken up when we came in at 5 a.m., he was fine. :) Oh, the Ring was super helpful for turning on and off the TV with our Harmony remote. It actually made me feel good to know he had some noise during the day. I set a timer on my phone so I'd remember to turn it off and on. LISA
2/24/2020 08:42:26 pm
I love this article!! Thank you so much! The only question I have is do you cover your birds cage at night when you are home? And leave it uncovered when on vacation? Or do you always leave it uncovered? SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
2/24/2020 08:47:13 pm
Hey Lisa! This was one of the things I hemmed and hawed over most, how to handle covering the cage. We do cover it each night when we're home, but I finally decided to leave it uncovered when we go out of town. We move Tuko to the living room and open a couple of the blinds part way so he has sun during the day and (mostly) darkness at night. I figured this was a good compromise, though I'm sure he sleeps better with a covered cage. I also considered covering the back half of his cage, but I thought he might startle easier (like if one of our dogs started barking or something) if he couldn't see the entire field of view. If you do cover, or partially cover, let me know how it goes, I'd be very interested! LISA
2/25/2020 05:28:25 am
Ok. Good to know. I will let you know how it goes when we have to leave him! Thank again for your advice! JOSEPH NEU
2/25/2020 04:24:53 am
All ways uncovered. SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
2/25/2020 09:18:25 pm
Joseph, do you cover at all, like when you're home? SOPHIA
5/21/2020 07:36:13 pm
Thank you for your advice and sharing your experience. I am a new bird owner and all those sites were making me feel terrible for leaving him for a day and a half to visit others. I was like, how do you people work and have a life? I will be at least looking for the food and water containers you recommend. Thank You! I have a little parakeet. SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
5/21/2020 08:17:35 pm
Hi Sophia! I felt exactly the same way, like how do you people work, do you just quit your job to watch a bird all day? It was baffling to me. Those feeders and waterers are great, even if just for the less amount of mess you'll be cleaning. I also love knowing that Tuko's water is always fresh and clean and that he can't poop in it. :) I'm sure your sweet parakeet will be fine while you're away, have fun! JOSEPH NEU
5/22/2020 07:10:04 am
Hi, we are retired, but travel at least 3 weeks a year. Here is what Spike is left with; JEN GRACE
6/4/2020 09:02:13 pm
Hey all. SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
6/5/2020 08:11:16 am
Hi Jen. So if I'm reading this right, you cover her cage at night, and when you came in to wake her, she had a fright when you removed the cover, is that right? Tuko did this a few times when he was younger. I think it takes time for them to get used to their new surroundings, etc. What we started doing when we woke him (before we took the cover off) was to make some noise, talk to him, coo at him, whistle a bit, making little clicking noises, just anything to let him know that we were in there so taking the cover off the cage wasn't a surprise. When we go out of town we don't cover the cage at all, and this is one of the reasons why. I don't want anything to spook him, even if we have the cage half covered. I want him to be able to see everything all the time so he knows what's going on. JEN GRACE
6/5/2020 08:33:58 am
Hey Sheila, MARLENNA LANGFORD
10/26/2021 10:17:48 am
Hi Sheila I have had my little Budgie since February 2021. He has come on great, I never close his cage door and he flies whenever he wants. At night he is covered and he roosts on top of his millet holder near the top of the cage. I am planning to take a couple of days away and thought of travelling with him in the car. However, not sure of this. I think he would be fine as you have said with all the necessary needs if we left him here. So I plan to only half cover his cage at night so that he can see all that is going on in the room he is used to. He flies to all my windows which have toys hanging which he is also used to and loves. He is not used to being shut in so I would be taking a slim chance that something could happen to him while we are away if we left him. I think it would be more traumatic for him to be left with a friend and locked up in his cage because he does not know the room or the people, even although they have had a bird most of their lives. I am also interested in setting up camera communication and would be very interested in how to organize this. My bird also likes music but my radio needs to be switched on when we leave the house. I do not have smart radio or come to that Alexa. If I have to buy what techie stuff do I need. Perhaps your Joe could tell me. All help would be appreciated. My bird is very happy and although I am in the same house I spend more time out of the room he is in. SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
10/31/2021 08:33:02 pm
Hi Marlenna. I'll try to help, but I'm not super tech savvy either, so let's see if this goes well. :) JOE
6/5/2020 08:43:19 am
I don’t cover the cage ever. Spike only hissed once, when fly into a dark room and got scared when I went to pick him up. So, pulling the cover off when he may have been sleeping, heck, you’d get the same reaction from me. The reason I don’t cover him for the simple reason when we are away his environment stays the same. AISHA
6/22/2020 03:27:18 pm
Hi! SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
6/22/2020 09:10:26 pm
Hey Aisha! You're not alone in your concern, I promise. I was so worried about leaving our Cockatiel, but I swear it's been fine every single time. We have him out all day long normally, he's never in his cage unless he flies in there to eat or something, and he has full run of the house, constantly getting attention. I knew that being in a cage for a week would be difficult for him because of the change, but he did fine with it. I also have my mother in law come over once or twice to let him out for a few minutes, but it's really not for very long, 10-15 minutes at most, and at most twice during the week. We like to rearrange Tuko's cage before we go so that everything sort of feels "new" to him. I always feel like that kind of keeps things interesting. We also cover him with a cage cover at night normally, but when we leave we just leave the cover off and let him sleep with the sunset. He's really done great every time, and while it never gets easier (we miss him), I really don't worry that he won't be okay. I hope that helps! AISHA
6/23/2020 10:18:37 am
Thank you so much for your thoughtful response, Sheila!! It makes me feel better, and more likely to go and get a baby for myself! β€οΈ KELLY
7/12/2020 06:46:46 am
Thanks so much for your thoughtful review and all of your follow-ups. I LOVE your into paragraph and list :) Your description of reading the forums is bang-on, and totally nuts. We plan to be around a LOT, but occasionally will go away, and our pets just have to deal with it. Thanks again! SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
7/12/2020 07:20:49 am
Hey Kelly! There really is nothing like social media to make you feel terrible about every decision you've ever made, going on vacation included. :) We leave every year, I think Tuko's probably been on his own for a grand total of 4 weeks in two years, and he's been totally fine every time. There are no guarantees of course, but think of how many people leave their dogs, cats, etc. I don't know why birds would be any different. Enjoy your vacation! (Whenever the ability to vacation starts up again). JESSICA
9/5/2020 03:07:26 am
Thanks so much for this, so helpful. I’ve been looking into getting a cockatiel for months and was trying to work out how we’d manage visiting family over Christmas. This has really put my mind at ease and given me loads of good ideas π SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
9/5/2020 07:00:58 pm
Hey Jessica, how exciting. We love our little bird, he’s such an awesome member of the family. Rest assured, we’ve left him many times and he still thinks we’re amazing. π THATY
10/14/2020 07:58:50 am
Thank you so much for putting this together and for being this amazing bird owner. Thank you for not giving up on your life because you have a pet! Your post gave me all the instructions I needed to feel comfortable leaving mine at home while I go away. Thank you! SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
11/2/2020 01:30:59 pm
Hey Thaty! I hope you have a great time when you decide to go. It's tough leaving them at first, but really no different than if you were to leave a dog or cat, perhaps even easier. :) MCKENZIE
11/1/2020 10:14:25 am
Thank you so, so much for this! We wound up with a rescued baby pigeon in August and have been stumbling our way through parenting these last few months. It's such a relief to know we aren't the worst bird parents of all time for thinking of leaving him for a week. SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
11/2/2020 01:32:06 pm
You're not a bad bird parent at all! Your pigeon will quite likely be absolutely fine, maybe a little miffed at you for a day or so when you get back.:) CHRISTINA FEEGE
2/18/2021 04:03:14 pm
This is such a helpful article, thank you. My almost 8 year old is begging for a bird. Question for the peanut gallery: how do birds and dogs get along? I'm a little nervous that our pup, a rescue with some hunting lineage, might go nuts. Any advice? TY in advance. SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
2/18/2021 06:56:02 pm
Hey Christina! I have two dogs, one is a rescue, the other is a hunting dog (bird retriever) and both leave the bird alone. We have had him for three years so they have had a lot of time to get used to him and they listen to us when we tell them to leave him be. That said, the bird dog has perked up at him before, but only when the bird gets in his face or when he plucks at the fur on the dog's feet when he's sleeping. We try not to leave them unattended in the same room, it feels like tempting fate. So, I guess all of that just means....it depends on the dog? KAREN
3/12/2021 07:23:48 pm
Omg thank you so very much!!! I have a baby budgie, our first bird ever. Always had dogs. We have had him for about 2 months and absolutely love him! Surprised how much lol. We got him hand raised and he loves us so much. We both work so he’s not out all day but whenever we are home he has free range and hangs with us, goes to cage and goes to jungle gym. I am part of 2 groups on FaceBook one I turned off notifications already lol but they make me so anxious! Everything seems negative and hard lol. We left him for 1 night (less than 24 hours ) and I was scared but once we did it he was fine and so we’re we. We have a trip in a month for two nights. Leaving early Friday and coming back Sunday afternoon and I have been sick thinking about hahahah but my mom and dad will come Saturday for a few hours they said so that helps but this post made me feel like I could breath about it!! My biggest worry is he’ll be so sad he’ll die of depression ππ. Dramatic I know lol. Anyways thank you so much. I feel like everyone here is level headed and love their birds but realistic about life as well. SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
3/12/2021 08:58:28 pm
Hi Karen! I am glad you feel better, it really will be okay. :) If you think of it, pick up a small mirror to put in his cage before you go, he'll feel like he has a buddy while you're away. Our cockatiel will take his pellets over the mirror one at a time and "eat with his bird friend", it's so funny. It makes me feel better when we're gone to know he isn't quite alone, at least not in his head. SS
4/19/2021 07:13:46 pm
Thank you so much for this post! I have been stressing out like crazy trying to figure out what to do with my birds once I start going back to the office. I have 2 cockatiels (a 1.5 year-old male and a seven month-old female). I might also need to travel overseas soon. I will have a friend come stay over intermittently when he has time from school. But this post has really helped me relax a little bit. First of all, because they're 2 - even though they don't get along at all (they're still very young). And now that I know someone else has done this, I am way more confident. DONNA
5/17/2021 06:22:49 pm
Loved reading your article. Thanks for the sound advice. I am constantly weighing up whether to get another cockatiel as a companion for the one we have. We seem to have become this travelling circus with dog and now bird in tow! We will look at implementing some of your resources and strategies. SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
5/18/2021 02:14:08 pm
Hi Donna. It's a big decision, I feel you there. Do whatever works for your family, that's the best way. :) PAVEL
6/14/2021 01:05:58 pm
I agree, that bird lovers can be crazy. When I was adopting a parrot, the rescue required me to let the parrot fly in more than 1 room, because, they said, 1 room is not enough for a parrot. I'm from Russia and in Russia, it being not a rich country, a lot of people live in studios or share an apartment between multiple families. So it seems to me that parrots in the United States live better than a lot of people in Russia :) SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
6/18/2021 03:15:03 pm
Hi Pavel. They really can be insane! It reminds me of the time I tried to rescue a dog, the hoops we had to jump through. So much stuff that we ended up giving up on the rescue altogether. We let our bird fly free in the living room and kitchen, that's it. They are connected rooms on an open floor plan so it's easy to keep track of him, but I would not feel at all guilty if he had just the one room to fly around in. KATLYN
8/24/2021 11:09:01 am
I just want to say thank you for being brave enough to write this! It is so hard finding people that are not super dramatic about birds and think they are going to die if you leave them. I hope more people find this and realize it is okay! SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
9/9/2021 01:57:06 pm
Hey Katlyn! Thanks for the nice comment! Yeah, it's a different thing to deal with, the people who want to condemn you for leaving a pet while you travel or whatever. I'm not saying there's no way anything bad could happen, but I am saying that people have been leaving dogs/cats/other pets home for eons and that's pretty much been cool, lol. Enjoy your trip! Oh, do be a little careful when you come back home (if your bird doesn't have clipped wings), our experience has been that our bird tries to stick very close to us when we get back, and that's resulted in a couple of forays into nearby trees to get him back. So now we're super cautious about coming in and out of the house after a trip for a few days, just to be sure Tuko isn't hot on our tail. :) GIUSE
9/8/2021 04:18:29 pm
I am so glad I found this blog. Next week, I am going to have to leave my cockatiel Toffy alone for one and half a day, which I’ve never done before. I was so stressed out about it, but reading your wonderful advice and all the comments made me feel so much more better. We are gonna leave at Friday night, ans return on Sunday after lunch. I know Toffy isn’t used to this, but it’s going to be okay. <3 My boyfriend is also going to watch im through a camera on my iPad, talking to him and whistling with him :) SHEILA (TY THE HUNTER)
9/9/2021 12:27:02 pm
Hi Giuse. It's scary leaving them for the first time, heck it still gives me anxiety when we take a family trip and leave Tuko once a year, even with having a camera on him all the time. Give Toffy lots of love when you get home, and if her wings aren't clipped be a little extra careful leaving the house and coming back in for a few days when you get back. Our bird has flown out a few times and each time it's been after a trip. We think it's that he get anxious that we might leave again, so now we're extremely careful with the comings and goings for three or four days after we get home. I hate that it causes any anxiety for him, but skipping a family trip isn't an option, so we do what we can. Good luck! SPR
1/16/2022 10:26:33 pm
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your blog and website. Definitely one of the coolest bird owner perspectives I've found. I completely agree with your insight and recommendations. You have given me a new assurance that I can leave my little baby Birdie-Ann home alone and she will be okay. VICTORIA ADDINGTONLINK
3/1/2022 10:00:41 pm
I appreciate when you recommended that toys in the bird's cage must be changed before you go on vacation, so your bird gets to focus on the new things. I will follow these tips once we get a TRACEY
8/8/2022 09:49:06 am
Thanks for this sensible post. I'm an post-homeschool empty-nester and I came across this while looking for advice on how to leave my budgie for a few days. With all your great ideas, I might miss him more than he misses me! LEEPSL1
7/19/2023 07:52:43 am
hey! thank you for not just deciding to give in to everyone determined to say a hard no without considering the options. you do more for your bird when you go on vacation than a lot of bird owners ever do for their pets! just two little tips, though: plastic can harbor lots of bacteria, even when it isn’t visibly dirty or pooped on or anything like that. stainless steel is usually recommended. secondly, while mirrors might seem like a great idea, it can make birds either aggressive (which you already seem to know and have no issues with) or hormonal, which can frustrate the bird because its reflection isn’t another real bird. hormonal behavior is also often discouraged, especially with female birds because it can lead to unwanted egg-laying. with male birds they can get obsessed and turn aggressive because of the frustration that comes with its affection not being returned. even if your bird seems fine with mirrors, the singing to its reflection and heart wings are signs that it might see its reflection as a mate. mirrors should always be used with caution, and many bird owners choose to forego them completely. otherwise, though, these are just suggestions. you must do what works best for your bird and your family, and you seem to be doing that wonderfully. thank you! UZ
8/26/2023 09:37:36 am
Hi! I’m 15 and in a few days my family is going on our first vacation in which we plan to leave our two cockatiels alone. In the past they have stayed with my cousins who also have cockatiels but this time they are also going on vacation. I’ve been really nervous of anything bad happening and I have 2 of those no spill feeders and a few bowls of food just in case. I also have 3 bowls of water but I’m still worried. Anything else you recommend? Leave a Reply. |
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