MuiMui "Mooster" Kazemi-Razon is my and my boyfriend's white-faced cockatiel. He is our baby. I'd always wanted to bring the Moos on outdoor excursions, but, being that he is fully flighted and untrained, that does make things rather difficult. Mui is very bonded to me and tends to flock to my shoulder, but, once he gets spooked, he panics and flies aimlessly. He'd be lost for sure! I had tried a bird harness, but he absolutely loathes the thing. I imagine if I had tried it when he was much younger (he's just about 2 years old now), he may have adapted to it easily. However, he is much too spoiled and headstrong now and will have nothing with that harness!
I looked into alternate ways of bringing Mui along and found this nifty bird carrier backpack thing called Pak-o-Bird by Celltei.
It comes with a dragonwood perch and stainless steel food and water dishes, to ensure that your bird-o is comfy and well-nourished on trips. Though the water dish does tend to spill in transit, you can purchase a no-spill water bottle (like those things hamsters drink out of). I may invest in one of these bottles--for now I've resolved to just slip Mui some water when we sit down for a rest at a park or a restaurant and then to pour the dish out before I begin walking again.
Pak-o-Bird comes in many sizes--I got one size bigger than was recommended for cockatiels just because I wanted to REALLY make sure Mui didn't feel cramped. I also opted for the stainless steel mesh over the nylon mesh since Mui loves to chew on things. When it arrived, I placed Mooster on it to make sure he could get acquainted to it. Then I placed him inside, and he seemed to actually enjoy it, unlike the "pet-carrier" we'd gotten from a pet store to bring him to the vet (i.e. a cardboard box with holes that folds up). He actually acted as if it were his "Hate Cave," which is what I liked to call the top part of his cage when it is draped with a blanket. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_0bjyAaQgM] He gets very excited and territorial of his Hate Cave--he will defend or sometimes attack my boyfriend if he approaches, and if I approach, he will display and nibble.
On our first outing, we visited a park just down the street from our apartment. He didn't panic and seemed to really enjoy the scenery and the sounds of wild birds. I decided to go a bit further and do some grocery shopping. Mooster's Pak-o-Bird fit quite nicely in the cart and he stayed quite calm as I went about my shopping. This is certainly a nice alternative to leaving him home alone while I run around and do errands so close to home.
On our second outing, I wanted to see how Mooster would fair on the trolley (light rail). Beforehand, my boyfriend Ryan and I grabbed a quick bite at our favorite local coffeeshop.
Mui attracted quite a bit of attention and one lady even commented, "Your bird made my day!"
We then proceeded to the trolley. While we waited at the transit station, a sheriff stopped to talk baby-talk to Mooster. Animals bring out so much kindness in people, I tell you. After we boarded, Mui continued to be very well behaved and continued to attract more positive attention. I had a nice conversation with a guy who also had a cockatiel around Mui's age. He sounded really interested in getting a Pak-o-Bird for his cockatiel, too. After we saw Ryan off to work, we took the trolley back home and relaxed a while.
A few hours later, our friends Holly and Kris wanted to go grab some dinner at a great place down the street with outdoor seating. I grabbed the Pak-o-Bird and Mooster had yet another outing.
Once Holly learned I was taking the Moo, she decided to bring Turtle, her small corn snake. Both Moo and Turtle really enjoyed the afternoon sunshine.
I'm really thankful that I now have a means to bring Moos along on some of my outings now. He really enjoys the outdoors time and it really does seem to brighten up people's days!
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