Why You Need a Bird Travel Carrier Not a Dog Crate

Last Updated on September 30, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

Owning a parrot travel cage is an essential need for every bird owner.

You may say “I’m never going to travel with my bird, I really don’t need one.”

And to that, we say “it’s not necessarily for travel.” You may need it for a sleeping cage.

How are you going to transport your bird to the vet for a check-up or god forbid an emergency? What about when you clean your birdcage? You may want a second cage to keep him from wandering while you work.

Regardless of where you live in the country, it’s important that you be prepared for emergencies.

We live in the Midwest and although we recently felt some earthquake tremors, earthquakes and hurricanes are rare. But what about a fire?

What if you lost power to your home in the winter and needed to go to a motel or relatives?

Birds can be difficult enough to handle and wrapping them in a towel may keep them under control but do you want to hold them on your lap in a car?

What if you have no one to help you, how would you control them in a car, by yourself in an emergency situation?

Starting to see where I’m going with this? It’s just like (and is) insurance. Something you have that you hope you never use. Having that parrot travel cage quietly sitting in the corner could come in very handy one day.

Dog crate or parrot travel cage?

Selecting the right carrier for your bird is important.

We don’t recommend fabric carriers for birds in general especially if you’re rushing.

“Throwing” things into your vehicle could damage the bird in a soft carrier. If you’re preoccupied the bird may chew its way out without you noticing.

For smaller birds, you may like a hard enclosure for a bird carrier. If your bird is bigger than a cockatiel a fold-away bird carrier may be more appropriate. It’s also easier to attach dishes and perches to carriers with bars.

Dog crates lack a “grate” on the bottom making it harder for a bird to walk while in a moving vehicle.

A parrot travel cage will have a bottom grate so the bird’s foot can grip the “floor” better.

Speaking of a moving vehicle we feel the best type of perch to install for car rides is a bendable rope perch installed as a “U”.

The reasoning goes like this.

If you install any perch in a horizontal position, in order to overcome the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle, your bird’s only hope of not being thrown forward or backward is to grip tighter on the perch, which is very hard on their feet.

The softness of a fabric perch will help overcome this.

More importantly, with the “U” configuration the bird can sit at the bottom of the “U” while cruising but when starting or stopping, he can keep one foot on the bottom of the “U” and one foot on the vertical section (like riding the subway) to help offset inertia and placing much less stress on his feet.

Preparing your bird for the parrot travel cage

Once you purchase the parrot travel cage, please don’t just bring it home and wait until you need to use it.

Just like introducing anything new into a bird’s life, there are right ways and wrong ways.

One of the easiest things you can do is to place the new carrier next to or near your bird’s cage and leave it there for a while.

Maybe for a few days or a week or two. Let them get used to it.

Maybe place some things of interest in it.

Some bird toys or favorite treats are placed inside the cage.

What’s important is you get your bird to spend some time inside the new parrot travel cage before you need to use it.

A parrot travel cage or a small bird carrier can make life easier for both you and your pet.

Whether you choose one with bars or one that’s made of hard plastic, having a carrier on hand will always be superior to the cardboard box you may have brought your bird home in.

If you can afford it you may like an acrylic carrier to give your bird a full range of vision. Much depends on how you’ll be using it.

Commuting with your bird to work daily will require something smaller and more maneuverable than one that you may use once or twice a year for a vet trip or vacation.