Need help deciding best care for our Nutley while we leave the country for 6-9 months

[nutleybird]

Hi all,

We are the family of a very sweet lovebird named Nutley. He was born in May 2013, and came to us in July. We've never loved a pet more. He's actually my son's bird. He loves my son most of all. He loves to hang on his fingers and sit on his shoulders. Very sweet. We are a homeschooling family and my husband's job has him at home for very long stretches, so nutley is used to having his people around a great deal.

Anyway, my husband's job is taking him to Europe for 6-9 months. We are joining him. we are very torn about how best to care for Nutley. My husband will stay there the entire time, but the kids and I will be there for 4 months and then we will return for 6-8 weeks, then we will return for 2 more months, then we are back in the States for good.

Option A:
My parents and siblings (in their 20's) live down the street, so option A is to have them come over every day to take care of him. There is a slight chance we could have one close family friend house sit for us during that time. He does work and go to school, so he wouldn't have people around always, but he would have someone every day for about an hour, sometimes many hours.

Option B

We take Nutley with us. I am nervous about the stress of travel and exposing him to pathogens, etc. i also am not sure if we will get the paperwork done in time. Husband leaves in 3 weeks and kids and I leave in 8. If he went with us (we are headed to the UK) then I would much prefer to have him go with my husband since I'll have three kids in tow when I fly. BUT, flying and going to a much colder climate (we're in a warm humid one) makes me very sad for Nutley. I don't want him to be hurt while in cargo (would he have to be in cargo?)

Option C

Nutley stays with family friends. Their son is the same age as my son and fell in love with Nutley a while back. That family also homeschools so they are around a lot. their son would definitely give Nutley lots of love, care, and attention. However, they do have a dog who does get overly excited around the family's rats. Also, there's that whole issue of knowing that we spend a lot of time making sure our home is bird-friendly and safe. Other people who are not his owners might not take the same care, i.e. patio door left open while bird is out of the cage, etc.

Option D

Find boarding. This might be horribly expensive, and that is also a long time.

if anyone has any advice, we are so torn about this. He's really the greatest little pet our family has ever known.

Thanks in advance!
Nutley's mom

[linda040899]

Hi and welcome to Lovebirds Plus Community!

Being familiar with transporting parrots into the US, I know first hand about the paperwork involved. What scares me the most is getting Nutley out of the US and not being able to get him back here because an "i" wasn't dotted or a "t" wasn't crossed. I've seen that in action before and it's not a pretty thought. Nutley is safer staying within US boundaries.

I, personally, don't like the idea of someone coming in to care for him daily, as I don't like my birds to be alone for too long, as unexpected things happen. Even with someone being here most of the time, it's amazing what can go wrong! It's a good option if you have a housesitter but not if someone just comes in to care for him every day.

Of the other choices, C is probably the best even if it's not ideal. Perhaps doing a mini wing clip would make escape not as likely but there are always risks, regardless.

[nutleybird]

Thanks! This is a huge help. As much as we are going to miss him (terribly!) I had a hunch it might not be the best idea to take him out of the country.

I have asked the other family to care for him and I am awaiting a response. If that doesn't work out, we'll figure something. :)

Nutley's mom

[linda040899]

Not a problem!

Our feathered companion's safety/well being are always top priority and we are never comfortable when that control is out of our loving hands. :)

Hopefully, the family you have in mind will take good care of Nutley.

[nutleybird]

The other family agreed to take him! I'm a bit anxious about not being able to be in control of his care during that whole time, but they are a really good family and I am really thankful that they've agreed to give him a home. Like I said, Nutley ADORES my son, and I think it will be a big comfort to him to have another boy that age caring for him. (Mom will of course keep a close watch over things.)

A few other questions. Do you think Nutley will remember us when we get back? We won't see him for 15 weeks, then we'll be back for 6 and we'll have him with us, then we won't see him again for 8-10 weeks.

I will probably be visiting the forums more in the coming weeks as we prepare to leave. Thanks again for the advice!

Nutley's mom

[nutleybird]

Oh, I thought of something else. We did offer to pay the boy for taking care of Nutley. He'll be responsible for all of Nutley's daily care, just as my son is.

Does anyone have any ideas on what a fair payment would be that is reasonable? These are close friends of the family and they are happy to do this for us, but I would like to compensate them for their time. I also plan to give them a large pet store gift card for supplies and maybe a prepaid visa in the event of an emergency or the need to put him in boarding temporarily.

Thanks,

N's mom

[Pips mom]

Oh, I thought of something else. We did offer to pay the boy for taking care of Nutley. He'll be responsible for all of Nutley's daily care, just as my son is.

Does anyone have any ideas on what a fair payment would be that is reasonable? These are close friends of the family and they are happy to do this for us, but I would like to compensate them for their time. I also plan to give them a large pet store gift card for supplies and maybe a prepaid visa in the event of an emergency or the need to put him in boarding temporarily.

Thanks,

N's mom

Hmmm, not sure on what would be a reasonable rate, as cost of living for people and pets are higher or lower in different areas, but I think if it was me and this a boy, not sure on his age, but maybe there's something special he's wanted, like the latest electronics gadget or whatever boys his age want, that you could get for him? Being a kid, it may seem like more to him than the money! OR.....ask the parents what they think? Also......make sure they have vet info! and if this is a home that doesn't have birds, make sure they know all the household dangers to birds, like anything with a strong odor, air fresheners, things like that, and teflon pans. If you're worried about Nutley being out of cage, just ask that when they let him out, for it to be in a room with a closed door, this way he's safe out of harms way from the dog as well. You could also have them join this forum for any questions or concerns while you're gone! All the best to you & Nutley on a safe trip and safe stay for the little guy!!

[nutleybird]

Update!

We're back for a visit. A recap: we were away for 3 months, while our lovebird Nutley stayed with another family. They were great with him, although I think he was a bit stressed out by their dog and exhibited some behaviors that are not normal for him (lots of biting, etc.) We brought him home for the month of our return and it was like we never left. He's back on his routine, and was SO happy to see my son. It's like they were never apart.

We head back out of the country tomorrow for 70 more days and then we're back for good. Here is our new dilmemna:

We aren't able to take Nutley back to the other family that was caring for him. (They live in another city about 2 hours away.) As of yesterday, the plan was to have a close family member house sit for us. He was in-between jobs, so Nutley would have a lot of constant care. Last night, however, he got a new job, and will have a very busy schedule.

We now have two options:

A. Nutley stays home. My parents live 3 blocks away. They come to pick up my mail, turn on lights, check on things, etc every day while we're gone anyway. When my dad comes for his morning rounds, he said he would stick around, watch some tv, and hang with Nutley. He'd get about an hour a day of fly time and company. Then in the evenings my dad or mom would come over and tuck Nutley in (put on his cage cover, check his food/water, etc.) My parents have had Nutley in their home and they adore him, but they have cats and after a few days, it becomes of logistical nightmare trying to keep the cats out of the room where Nutley stays.

We would also have each of my three siblings (they also live down the street) come over for an hour a day once a week. (One of them would stay for a couple of hours at least.)

We could also have Nutley visit my parents' house a few times a week for several hours just for some company and activity (like for Sunday dinner, etc) if being here in the house alone would be too much during that time, unless you think being moved that frequently each week would be a problem. He usually does very well in the car and has managed a 20 hour drive like a pro, so I would think 3 blocks wouldn't be so bad, but I don't want to stress him any more than he might already be.

Option B is boarding for 70 days.

My concern with boarding is that Nutley tends to thrive on one-on-one or quiet interaction. He seems to get stressed with a lot of noise. Maybe I'm imagining that. I have found a boarding facility (a bird shop) but I just don't know...something about boarding just isn't sitting right with me. But we're fairly new bird-owners (only 1 year and 1 month now) so I could be wrong.

Thanks in advance for reading and for any advice/suggestions you may have.

Nutley's mom

[longobongo]

I think having family watch him would be ideal. I say this because of the stress I have dealt with myself with finding a bird boarder. You have bird boarders who require your bird to have had every single health check that is available to them, which is expensive, stressful to your bird and potentially needless especially if your bird is healthy and exhibiting zero symptoms. Then you have bird boarders who are a bit more lax in their requirements for boarding, and you have no idea what other birds your bird will come into contact with. Combine that with the fact that all of these people Nutley will be interacting with are new, he's never seen them before, and it just seems to be a situation that would cause more stress than necessary.

On the flip side, my own birds for instance, have a pretty specific schedule. Bailey has to be put to bed at a certain time every night, no exceptions. Boco likes to make a mess of his water, so someone has to be nearby to keep his water fresh and clean. I think if your family is able to visit at least once or twice a day, both to make sure his water and food are clean and to have him out for a bit every day, that would be ideal in my opinion. Good luck!

[nutleybird]

I'm so very sad to report that Nutley passed away today. My mom had decided he seemed too lonely being in our house with them checking on him, so they put the cat outside and brought Nutley to their home. He's been there for several weeks, receiving excellent care.

This morning he was sitting at the bottom of his cage, fluffed up and dragging when he walked. My mom rushed him to the hospital, where an IV was started, but he died soon after. We are heartbroken that we were out of the country and not with him, but we know that he was so loved and cared for in his final months.

Thank you for all of the support. When we get back home, we will be back on here as we prepare to bring a new baby home.

Nutley's Mom (forever)

[linda040899]

I'm so very sorry to hear about Nutley! I'm glad your parents took him to their house, as being alone is not a good thing, even if someone stopped in everyday. My own parrots need observing everyday, as they can get themselves into more trouble without even trying!

[carrier]

What very sad news. I am so very sorry for your loss. At least you know he was being well cared for and he wasn't alone.

Fly High, Nutley!

[Maxie]

Oh no!
That's so sad :(
I remember reading this post. What happened????

[nutleybird]

Thank you for your kind thoughts. My mom said he was happy as a clam up until the day before he died. Then he was just quiet and not flying and really cuddling with my dad all day. He's done that before though after a night fright, so it wasn't something we were too alarmed about. Then the next morning he was sitting at the bottom of his cage with fluffed up feathers. He dragged when he walked. My mom rushed him to the hospital and they hooked him up to an IV for fluids and antibiotics, but he died shortly after. The vet said it was a bacterial infection. She said there was likely nothing we could have done differently, it was just something that happened.

We're all so crushed, and feeling so guilty for not being there with him. We keep looking at pictures of his sweet face. He was the kindest, gentlest little bird. He was so loved and never went without people in his final weeks, which makes me feel a bit better.

Thanks again for your kind words.

[Maxie]

I'm so sorry for your loss :(