# Going on vacation



## wzheng (Jun 2, 2018)

Hi guys, I'm in a bad situation right now and I'm not sure what to do. First, some background: I got my budgie about 3 months ago, and it's been fairly easy to tame. I have no idea what it's exact age is, but I have noticed that it's starting to form a ring around its eyes, although it hasn't started molting yet. He is super chill, and will usually come out of the cage the moment I open the cage door. Here's the issue: In about a week, I'm going on vacation and I'll be away for a week. I'm travelling overseas, so sneaking the budgie onto the plane won't be an option. There's no pet hotels or anything like that near me, so that's not an option either. I do have relatives and friends, but I deeply distrust them with my budgie. They're the type of people that would grab my budgie even if I specifically told them not to. They also have no knowledge on birds, so my budgie would probably live longer without food and water than it would with any of my relatives. I would also probably die from stress while I'm on vacation if my budgie was with any of them. I have no idea what to do right now. 😢 Do you think I could leave large amounts of water and food in the cage for that week?


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## philw (Aug 22, 2014)

I would never do the route of leaving your budgie without some routine human attention for that amount of time. You might check on a "pet sitting" service that could come in every or every other day, for routine feeding and checking water, etc. If you find a service near you, make sure that you check for references/reviews and experience with birds very important. A single budgie would not require a large time requirement for this type of care. Good luck.


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums!

I definitely agree with the above poster. You cannot leave your budgie alone for a week. Budgies are flock animals and it is cruel to leave them by themselves for such a long period of time. Additionally, someone needs to look in on the bird at least once per day to ensure that nothing is wrong, they have not knocked over their water/food, etc. 

Finding an pet-sitter who is experienced with birds would be the best option. 

Meanwhile, you've come to the best possible place to learn even more about the best of budgie care practices. Be sure to read through the many budgie articles and "stickies" (threads "stuck" to the top of each subforum for easy reference) to ensure you're up to date on the very best of budgie care. If you have any questions afterwards, please be sure to ask as we'd love to help! 

We hope to see you around the forums! Please keep us posted on how things go. 

Cheers :wave:


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

A budgie should most definitely NOT be left alone with only seed and water for a week's time.

As the owner, it is up to you to find someone to care for your bird properly while you are away.

Some pet kennels will take birds for boarding just the same way they do dogs and cats.
Some pet stores offer boarding for birds.
Some veterinarian clinics will also board birds.
There are even pet sitters (the type who walk dogs and care for cats) that can come into your home on a daily basis to give the budgie fresh food and water, clean up the cage and spend a bit of time with it.

You need to do the necessary research to make the proper arrangements for your budgie right away.

Please take the time to read through the Site Guidelines, all of the How To Guides, the FAQs, the Budgie Articles and the stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.

Truly, the very BEST advice anyone can offer you is to take the time to read ALL of the stickies throughout the various Talk Budgie forums as well as the Budgie Articles we have posted.

These are great resources for Talk Budgie members and have a wealth of reliable information which will assist you to learn the best practices in caring for your budgies for their optimal health and well-being.

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:wave:*


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