# Birdy jet lag



## *Echo (Apr 10, 2012)

Hi all,
I'm moving out west for a job this summer and will be bringing Kuzco the lovebird with me. I've got a direct flight, the perfect carrier, and called the airport to request a private search room so I don't have to carry him in my hand through the metal detector.
I'm wondering what will happen once we land. It'll be the longest he's been away from his budgie friends, but he has travelled without them before. Plus, there's a 4 hour time difference, so he'll be 4 hours behind his current schedule. Is there a good way to help him deal with this? Should I change his schedule slowly, or switch to the new time zone immediately? I know with people, you're supposed to ignore the fact that you're tired/awake and follow the local schedule anyway because it helps the jet lag, but what about birds? We'll be there for about 8 weeks and I want to make sure he has the best time possible.


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## PrincipePio (Jan 21, 2014)

He will probably be fine - birds revolve around their lighting, so he will adjust quickly. He will just see that it's still daylight, so still time to eat and play. I would just watch for symptoms of illness and keep his cage covered during the flight (to avoid drafts of air).

Make sure that you have an avian vet identified before heading out there in case you need one.  I'm sure that with extra love from you, Kuzco will do great!


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## *Echo (Apr 10, 2012)

Thanks for the advice. In all the commotion getting him ready to travel, I completely forgot to locate an avian vet. Luckily, there seem to be serval reputable ones where I'm headed, which is exciting because our current vet is the only one in the province, so I might get him vetted while we're away just to be safe. I'm working on getting him used to the carrier, which is a journey in itself. It also doesn't help that the budgies hate it, so as soon as they see it, they freak out, which freaks him out too, even though he's never been in it


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