On the Road

Every year, vacation plans usually mean "What do we do with the birds?" Fortunate, in the past several years, we had the advantage of having 2 lovely bird-loving, bird-owning neighbors who were amused by and delighted to care for our 4.5 year old dusky conure, and our 2 year old yellow nape, Lulu.

However, having since moved into the city, we no longer have that option. This year, encouraged by articles in SQUAWK, and hearing stories from other B.A.B.A. members, we decided to board our little Conure and to take Lulu with us. Nevertheless, we were very apprehensive considering that we were taking a long car trip to SW Pennsylvania and western Maryland.

We were concerned about making the trip stressless for the nape and for ourselves as well. Our concerns were around protecting the bird from undue stress, minimizing bird habits such as messiness, noise, chewing and wondering how we would be received by motels along the way. With these issue in mind, we made some preparations. First, we called some major motel chains via 800 numbers and inquired about their policy regarding animals. Most motel managers indicated that they had never really considered "parrots" in their policies which were mainly directed to dogs and cats. Many were amused but responded positively (at least willing to give it a try) when we told them that the bird would be caged and is known to be rather quiet in strange environments. (Which we have noticed with our Amazon).

Next we purchased a cage for travel. One which was small enough to fit into the back seat of a mid sized car and large enough for her comfort. Her usual cage is not portable. About a week before the trip, we began to let her try it out via her natural curiosity about her environment. She was allowed to climb about in and on top of it and seemed very comfortable with it. We hung some of her favorite toys and in addition to a wooden perch, we mounted a thick braided rope such as in her home cage. This enabled her to perch comfortably during the long drive. Because she is such a lovable but messy creature, we bright along a large plastic drop cloth to place under her cage both in the car and in the rooms. This proved to be an excellent way of protecting car upholstery and area space from food, fluff and droppings. We did not want to become unwelcome guests nor did we want to give birds or owners a bad reputation. Last but not least, having gotten Lulu's wings and toenails trimmed, and stocking up on plenty of food both dried and fresh veggies stored in a small cooler, we were ready to hit the road.

We secured the cage by the seat belts in the backseat. The trip proved to be relaxing and uneventful. Lulu seemed very happy and spent her time looking out the window, talking, singing and occasionally screaming at a truck going by. She ate, drank water and preened so we knew she was comfortable. Since we were not in a hurry, we stopped frequently at rest stops and the three of us relaxed on the grass or at a picnic table.

At motels (we utilized Howard Johnson's, Day's Inn and the Lakeside Motel in DeepCreek, Md.), Lulu was out of her cage except when my husband and I were both out of the room. She proved quite adaptable and probably due to the strangeness of the environment stayed close to home (cage). She was fairly quiet except when on the road.

She always attracted a lot of attention and we met other bird owners as well as people who were just fascinated by the sight of a large green bird. She even made her own friends. Our motel room at the lake had a sitting area at the back facing the lake. There was a metal railing. On the second morning there, we placed Lulu on a towel (to protect her feet from the morning cold) on the railing while we sat and had our morning tea and coffee. Our neighbors came out and we entered into a conversation. Lulu seemed taken with the couple and their son and walked off the toweled area and along the railing and was uninterested in my attempts to pick her up or pet her. She was clearly engaged in her own independent socializing.

At that moment I had such a strong insight into how unlike a "pet" parrots truly are. I saw a little green feathered person. By the end of the third day of our stay, they were asking questions which seemed to indicate their interest in possibly adding a parrot to their own family. In all, we were glad that we decided to take her along. She proved to be a good traveling companion and -- a social asset as well.

Every so often, I have come across interesting parrot stories in unlikely places. While we were in the lakeside resort of DeepCreek, Md., I discovered on the back of a menu for a restaurant named Dr. Willy's Seafood. The amusing anecdote was entitled, "The Legend of Dr. Willy" and stated that in the mid seventeen hundreds there was a cook on a sailing ship who was quite well known for his excellent cooking. Now, this cook had a parrot named Willy. Daily, the cook would send Willy out to spot fish to be caught. Upon his return, Willy was placed upon his perch and thereupon entertained by the cook who sang out his recipes to Willy. Unfortunately, after several years, there was a storm at sea which sank the ship and thus, Willy lost his caretaker. However as luck goes Willy was rescued and given a new home. His new caretaker was quite surprised to hear Willy singing out the many recipes he learned and he took the care to write them down. Willy became famous for his recipes and thereupon known as Dr. Willy.*
*Story is paraphrased.