Air freighting birds

[bleeding green]

Personally I wouldn't be freighting birds over night. The best time to do it is early in the morning, that way the birds have had a decent night's sleep.
Spark before and after is a great idea. And the freight box is a must. Keep it fairly dark, some seed scattered on the floor, a small water bowl with cotton wool and not too much can go wrong.

[desertbirds]

Healthy birds will have no problems coping with a overnight transfer.Coming out of Perth is no problems but sending birds in to Perth can be a drama.No vegetable matter going in and even seed is to be emptied out at the airport.They are strict and both parties ned to be aware of the regs.Im sure there is actually a site that contains minimum requirements for boxes ect.Zoos have been doing it for years and not just interstate.It is bloody stressfull sending birds but i think we stress more than they do.Its what happens before they are put in the box thats really important.Swinging a net for an hour and trying to catch them,stuffing them in poorly desingned box,then sending them off will upset them.There are few inlanders on this site that have no choice about freighting birds and hopefully a few add to this post.As VR1ton said, he has had no problems but some real common sense needs to used.

[SamDavis]

I rang Birdworld in Perth to see how they do it. They freight numerous birds to the east coast and were very helpful. They freight overnight using the last flight (11pm) out of Perth and only on week nights. They always include seed on the bottom and water (with cotton wool to stop spills). Apparently they rarely, if ever have an issue. The way I'm doing it is the same as how they do it, so feeling much more relaxed.

In terms of the cage requirements for birds, all airlines subscribe to the IATA Live Animals Regulations. Strangely these regulations don't seem to be freely available (refer http://www.iata.org/ps/publications/Pag ... imals.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) - scroll down a bit, cost is US$175! I'm not paying that, and I doubt any individual would. Crazy that these regulations are not freely available. AAE and Qantas include details for Cat/Dog cages but nothing for Birds except the link to the $175 regulations!

In terms of quarantine I found this link http://www.quarantinedomestic.gov.au/de ... s-act.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (scroll down) which confirms there'll be no issue at the NSW end. So that issue's resolved.

[AMCA26]

Take note. Boxes as of May i think have to be 12mm thick. Up goes the price on freighting. When i freight i charge the person what i am charged.

[Misso]

Yeh there is a change in thickness, airlines changed because a few boxes have been squashed.

[Keven S]

What the issue is with the freight boxes is that your charge on weight as well as size and there has been a few issues with boxes being damaged(people trying to save a few bucks on flimsy boxes) and the air lines have had to pay out on birds lost but I must stress this has only been isolated cases. As dessert birds stated some of us that are situated out in the back blocks rely heavily on air freight to sell or buy in. Have sent birds into W.A and dosnt matter if there native or foreign birds is that they need to be inspected.

[desertbirds]

Here`s a few shots taken interstate after arrival.I think they actually photogragh the birds at Perth airport as well.If the birds are going to Perth i believe there is a aviary set up there and the birds are released,the seed emptied,the owner re catches the birds then is able to take the birds.Foam padding on the roof is also a good idea.Pictorellas sit nice and quiet but Diamonds will bounce around and hit the roof if the box is more than say a 100mm tall.I also dice up a bit of cucumber and sweetcorn to add to the seed just in case the water spills.

[E Orix]

Freighting birds.
Having done this a few times over the years I do follow a few simple steps.
The freighting box is generally low in height but a reasonable size,basically the same shape as a cigarette packet.
Don't make it too small as it may get misplaced or moved roughly, there is a minimum kilo rate anyway.
My personal preference is a section of wire on the front but drill 3 or 4 holes at the rear.This will enable air to flow front to back.
Also if the front gets pushed up against something fresh air can still enter. I try to put a perch in which runs side ways up towards the back.
This will give the birds something to grip on to if rough conditions are encountered.
If you don't put a water container in then please put some slices of Cucumber in or both. I personally also put a tin fixed to the wire with cotton wool in it, then 2/3rds filled with water. The cotton wool stops the water from sloshing around. I also always put seed in, nervous birds seem to pick at seed.
Why do I always put seed and water in,because I have had birds forgotten to be loaded, not loaded for some reason and held over night for the next plane.
There have been several times when birds have arrived late the following day. Having feed and water should get them through.
If you are freighting quail a very low box and if possible sponge rubber or foam fixed to the underside of the top so their verticle jumps wont be as damaging with the protection of padding.Always put your own phone number on the box as well so if a problem does occur you can be contacted.In general air freighting birds is a very easy process, you pay a premium so you should expect good treatment.
WA is the only state that requires a quarantine type inspection and removal of the seed in the box on arrival, the other states only require the correct paper work if the specie requires it. Don't be phased about sending or receiving birds by air freight,if boxed properly you will generally find the birds arriving OK.
Just a tip, if you have a company freighting dogs etc that already have a contract with the airline they may freight your birds for less.I use a company here,they are around $15 a box cheaper because of their contract rates.

[Lukec]

Hi Guys, new thickness of boxes shouldnt be a problem as they will be ased on what is called dimensional weight, pretty sure domestic air transport is based on a dim factor of 6000cc.

cm Length x cm Width x cm Height / 6000 = chargeable kgs or there maybe a min.

eg, 40cm x 40cm x 20cm / 6000 = 5.3kg

I hope this assists in understanding.

Cheers
Luke

[AMCA26]

Give AAE a call it has to be 12mm thick. And yes i believe they have had problems with boxes falling apart etc.