Hi there

I am a parrot owner/rescuer and I also work in disaster management.
I spend a lot of time educating my fellow parrot owners as to what they should keep in an emergency kit and how they can be prepared with their birds in an emergency.

It worried me that your species specif evacuation lists do not include one for birds.
Is there a plan for one in the future?

Thanks!

I've been wanting more info on the rescue requirements of creatures besides cats and dogs too. I've found a few websites that deal with birds, but generally people just give basic bullet points.

Since you have expertise with parrots, can you share some detailed info? Do you have a website or handouts we can learn from -- or know of other sites that provide this info?

Having more info on rescuing parrots -- and all birds -- would be an EXCELLENT resource to have.

Some useful avian links I found include:

Avian CPR and Rescue Breathing: http://www.wingwise.com/cpr.htm

Birds & Exotics Animal Care:
http://www.birdsandexotics.com/emergencies.htm#The%20Hospital%20Box

Cleo&s Corner:
http://www.cleos-corner.com/carehealth.html

With regards to what to take in an evacuation situation I can tell you what I have ready to go:



1) Plastic tub to keep it all in, small enough to grab easily
2) Towel for towelling or covering birds at night
3) Newspaper for the bottom of cages
4) Bird first aid book
5) Wooden chew pieces
6) Finger traps for shredding
7) Bird first aid kit including: wet wipes, foreceps, nail trimmers, quik stop, a syringe for hand feeding, vet wrap, Q tips and calendula for cuts.
8) Small tub of food for Inyoni (Lovebird) (mix of harrisons fine and TOP Seed mix)
9) Larger tub of food for Lucha (Amazon) and Marnie (African Grey) (harrisons) food is enough for 3-4 days each
10) Medium tub of Almonds in shell as a treat.
11) Small spray bottle for misting
12) Three bottles of spring water
13) Orange bottle has organic ACV w/ Mother, this is for regulating the gut etc during times of stress
14) Pink bottle has white vinegar for cleaning, a lot of regular cleaners are toxic to birds.
15) Blue bottle has aloe juice, this is used in the misting water to soothe the skin.
16) 2 ceramic crocks. Ceramic is harder to tip. Both carriers have plastic crocks too
17) 2 tubs of organic apple sauce (unsweetened).

Missing out of this picture is a small bottle of pedialyte incase of dehydration and a couple of small jars of organic baby food. The baby food provides veggies etc that birds need and is also a comfort food for them.

I replace all perishable items when I buy new food etc so it is always fresh.
I am also planning on adding a couple of collapsable travel cages as soon as funds allow.
I have a large tub of their food (enough for a month) that I can grab in a hurry if need be.

If I were going out in the field to rescue birds I would take the following:
1) forceps for pulling brokem blood feathers
2) nail trimmers for overgrown nails.
3) Large towel for catching and toweling a bird
4) stypic powder to stop bleeding
5) small misting bottle for keeping bird cool and occupied
6) water and small bowl (Stainless steel is best)
6) pedialyte (unflavoured) for dehydration
7) jar of organic baby food
8) pillowcase for transporting bird if no carriers are available.

This will give you what you need to take care of a bird till it can be gotten back to a vet/shelter

This is GREAT, thanks!

I would have never thought of item 14: white vinegar for cleaning.

Also, I'm assuming your list is PER bird?

Must birds travel in their cages, or can you stick them in hard-shell dog/cat crates?

What happens if you are in the middle of nowhere and find a parrot/bird and don't have nuts, fruit and proper food? Can they eat dog or cat food for a few days if they had to?

The list is actually for all my birds. The vinegar and aloe lasts a long time and the food does too. Of course the amount of food, water etc that you need varies depending on number of birds and size. The water is just their drinking water. I include their cleaning needs in my own personal kit.

My travel cages have blind type things that cover the sides and one of my birds is completly hand tame and chilled so she'd actually be able to hang out in a box if I needed. My lovebird will hang out anywhere so long as she is cages, but my amazon was abused and has a lot of issues so the towelling and cover is for him.

Birds can travel in airline crates quite easily and they are actually safer for stressed birds as there is less chance of them catching a wing in the cage bars. The collapsable cages I want to buy are for setting up once we have travelled away from danger to give them a little more room.

If you are stuck in the middle of nowhere and have no bird food, the best thing to give them is people food. Dog and Cat food can contain ingredients that are harmfull to birds and have a completly different nutritional make up.
You can feed birds little bits of pasta, any veggies (except raw onion and avocado), even a small amount of cooked chicken. Rice is a big fav with my birds. So pretty much whatever you have for yourself. My birds love wheat thins and similar crackers, just be sure they are unsalted. Unsweetened cereal is also a good choice for an alternative

Glad I asked about the food as I would have given them dog chow.

Are the collapsable cages you are talking about the same collapsable cages that are used for dogs? If not, where does one find collapsable bird cages?

If they are collabsable dog crates, do you put up a rope perch or something for the birds to perch on, or do they just sit on the floor?

Knowing nothing about birds (although your posts are certainly educating me), why would the crackers have to be unsalted and the cereal without sugar?

Is it just BETTER for food given to birds not to have salt or processed sugar, or do salt and sugar actually get them sick?

Also, how do you keep a bird cool in hot weather or warm in cold weather? Are there any tricks that could be used -- especially if one is traveling on a packed highway?

Can you turn your car heater on in cold weather if the bird is in the backseat? What about the air conditioner in hot weather?

Yup they are the same collapseable cages, although sometimes the coating of the bars is a little different to prevent larger, stronger birds from chewing and eating the covering.
I like to put a low perch in the cage or carrier. That way they have something to perch on, but not too high up, that if they should fall or panic they don't have far to go.
Foods that are salty or sugary to humans are extremely salty and sugary to birds. The salt will dehydrate them, and sugar makes them hyper and jittery. Plus birds are similar to humans and salty and sugary foods are bad for us too!

Keeping a bird cool apart from using the AC: I like to keep a misting bottle just for that purpose, you can drop a couple of ice cubes in the bottle along with the water to keep that cool. Birds will pant like dogs and hold their wings away from their body when overheated. I mix one part aloe juice to 3 parts water to soothe the skin and prevent it freom getting dried out.
Keep the bird out of direct sun and don't have the AC blowing directly on the bird.
In winter the heater is okay, but I like to crack a window so the fresh air comes in aswell.
Keep a close eye on the birds breathing incase there are any fumes that we can't notice ourselves.
Wrap a blanket around the cage, leaving a small gap at the bottom for fresh air and light.

When being trasported, every bird is different. My African grey loves to be able to see where she is going and normally travels on my passenger seat on a perch. My amazon prefers the dog carrier with a towel over the top, but being able to see out through the front. He feels less threatened with only one entrance to guard