Ask Lafeber

Amazon parrot alone for 10 days

I have a blue faced Amazon parrot that normally stays in the living room. We normally cover her every night. We are leaving to go on vacation and she will be home alone for 10 days with someone coming in once a day to feed her. She will not be covered and we have cats. Do you think it will be less stressful to put her in our bedroom which is really big and has a view to outside, rather than have the chance of the cats may be bothering her even though she’s in the cage.

Hi,

I would definitely move her to a room that the cats can’t access. Pets behave differently when the owner is away. They could scare her or even manage to scratch her, and if that happens she would most likely die due to the bacteria that cats have in their mouths and claws. Ideally someone should come in twice a day. If her water gets dirty in the morning, it could have bacterial growth by the next day that could make her sick. If she takes a bath or spills her water, she could be in distress if she goes hours without water. She might throw all of her food out of the cage. Again, when the owner is away, they behave differently. It’s important that you keep the climate the same as when you are home, and she needs a light during the day, but it should not be on all night, too.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda