Cruising with Parrot?

[sailorgal]

Anyone ever cruise with a parrot or other bird? I have an African Grey, and when we start cruising in a year or so, I can't imagine not having her along. Any regulations in other countries that you know about (Caribbean mostly).

[aeg193]

We have an African Grey and I can't imagine cruising without her. She is such a joy to be around. When the boat is on the hard all she talks about is the boat, in the winter we take her to the boat so she can see the boat is not in the water.

Andy & Sandy
s/v golightly
35' Young Sun

[Steve Pavlidis]

I cruised for many years with an African gray parrot, and the paperwork was horrendus, not as far as foreign goes, but in the US. I had to get a complete health check, then take the bird to Miami to get a US Agriculture vet to sign off on my vet's certificate. In foreing waters there was no problem as long as the bird didn't come ashore. The return to the US was a bit of a hassle. The parrot was micro-chipped and the only port at that time that could scan a micro-chip was Ft. Ladeeda. I had to quarantine the bird aboard for 30 days. The USDA vet came out when we arrived and returned in 30 days..the cost was $163!!!

Steve Pavlidis
S/V IV Play
Port Antonio, Jamaica

[Greenman]

I have an Eclectus that will be cruising with me when I go. If I need to avoid certain areas because of her, so be it. I have done a lot of research on Noonsite and understand it might be a real pain in some locations, but when the time comes I will deal with it.

Of course my sister in law loves her and wants to kidnap the bird, So maybe she will become a foster-bird for a few years.

[Hud3]

Greenman, If you're planning to cruise the Caribbean, all of the eastern Caribbean countries will ask you when you clear in if you have animals aboard (as well as firearms, ammunition, alcohol, and tobacco). Things haven't changed since Steve's post four years ago. If you tell them that the pet is always confined to the boat, there will be no issue. Doesn't matter if it's a bird, dog or cat, as long as it stays on the boat.

[sailorgal]

Hi Greenman
I noticed your eclectus avatar a while ago and was wondering if that was your bird. My mom has a male grand eclectus. She had a pair, but the female died many years ago. The male is around 30 years old now and is the most gentle bird.

Thanks for the information about cruising with birds. I had also heard that the main hang up was coming back to the U.S. I was planning to have my bird, Lola, micro-chipped, although the thought of it makes me nervous. Luckily, we are in florida and when we set out for the bahamas and Caribbean, we will be near Miami and/or Ft. Lauderdale so I can get the paperwork taken care of. I'll be sure to get all of the latest procedures, etc. from the proper authorities well in advance. I also realize than when coming back to the U.S., the bird must be quarantined for 30 days. Luckily this can be done on the boat. We may never want to come back anyway!

Obviously, Lola, will never leave the boat when we are traveling. We'll be cruising on a motor vessel with a covered "sundeck" that we are going to have fully enclosed with screened curtains. We bring Lola's cage up from the saloon to the sundeck on nice days. She is definitely part of our "family."

I think that other than all the paperwork required by the U.S., it's more difficult travelling with a dog because they really do have to go onshore!

Thanks for all the information.

[imagine2frolic]

sailorgal,

If you make it to the Spring Fling. There will be a man there that cruised in, and out of the Bahmas, and Caribbean for over a couple of decades. With his parrot Chico, by the way is a female.....go figure....lololol.......i2f

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by imagine2frolic

<snip> . . . his parrot Chico, by the way is a female.....go figure....lololol.......i2f

My double yellowhead Amazon, Henry, is actually a Henrietta. It happens with birds quite often, I think, and having them sexed by a vet seems unnecessary unless one is into breeding.

At least, I'm pretty sure Henry's a female - when you stroke Henry just right, you'll see a lot of "female behaviors" (use your imagination.) The owner of the sanctuary that effected Gulliver's rescue from Fanning Island warned me that if I did that a lot, Henry would start laying eggs!

TaoJones

[Soft Air]

nice to see you with your "usual" postings i2fro...I was missing this free entertainment here

Get yourself a parrot call him/her fro2i

[sailorgal]

That's cool I2F. I plan to be there. I'll post on the appropriate thread.
It will be good to talk to someone who's travelled with their parrot.

see you next week!

[FrankZ]

We have two love bird Navarre and Isabeau which we named arbitrarily. After a year we found an egg and Isabeau is assuredly the male. We felt it was too late to switch names.

[sailorgal]

My Lola is actually a male. I did't find out until I had already named "her" and she was about 8 months old. I just remembered the Kinks song "LOLA" and just kept the name. Most people never find out if their bird is actually a male or female and the breeder thought she was a female when I got "her"

Anyway -- I'm glad she's actually a male. I had another african grey, Lucy, for 18 years. she died very unexpectly from "egg binding." She had never laid an egg before, but then at age 18 --- well, I don't need to go into it. It was a very traumatic, terrible day for me.

so, don't encourage your female bird to lay an egg. Seriously.

So, now I have my new baby Lola, who is actually already 6 1/2 years old. Anyone who has a parrot knows how bonded you become, and my Lola is no different. So I would not even consider cruising if she could not come along.

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by sailorgal

My Lola is actually a male. I did't find out until I had already named "her" and she was about 8 months old. I just remembered the Kinks song "LOLA" and just kept the name. Most people never find out if their bird is actually a male or female and the breeder thought she was a female when I got "her"

Anyway -- I'm glad she's actually a male. I had another african grey, Lucy, for 18 years. she died very unexpectly from "egg binding." She had never laid an egg before, but then at age 18 --- well, I don't need to go into it. It was a very traumatic, terrible day for me.

so, don't encourage your female bird to lay an egg. Seriously.

So, now I have my new baby Lola, who is actually already 6 1/2 years old. Anyone who has a parrot knows how bonded you become, and my Lola is no different. So I would not even consider cruising if she could not come along.

You're right, sailorgal, and I don't do that anymore for that very reason. Henry will be 21 this October, and the "behaviors" became apparent at about 16, IIRC. Since they have a human lifespan, that sounds about right.

Henry has been in our family since hatching in October '88, though I've only had him/her for the last 7+ years.

Years ago (more than twenty, I think), there was an exotic bird act at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, and the star of the show was Lola. Really! She was (and, I hope, still is) very entertaining, and she and her trainer were thick as thieves. If i'm remembering correctly, Lola was a Cockatoo, but he had many birds in his act, so I may have that wrong. It's also possible that the act I'm remembering was at the San Diego Zoo.

I guess I'm having a "senior moment."

TaoJones

[FrankZ]

We don't encourage it. Really. We don't want her (him) to do it. Seriously.

Of course nature can have a mind of its own, but we don't have a good nesting place for eggs and that seems to help. We found the first egg soon after Kathleen put in the "cute little house".

[imagine2frolic]

I guess I'm having a "senior moment."

Any moment is better than NO moment at all.......i2f