I work at a small local pet food store where I am allowed to bring my pets to work with me. It is a very small store, and we do not carry any animals. Occasionally we will have guests who bring their dog in while they shop, but that is about it. I want to know what the possibility is of me bringing a budgie safely to work with me. I have had my birds outside in the yard before, but that is about as far from home as they have ventured.
Has anyone here ever brought their bird to work? (Or on any other outings?) What are some precautions, tips or advice? Any information you could share would be greatly appreciated
I would not bring your little ones to work--The move to and from work every day may be stressful for a budgie, and the environment that may have dogs could contribute to stress.
By having your budgies "in the yard", you mean in a cage, right? Budgies should never be taken outdoors without being in a fully secured cage due to the high risk of predation, escape, or being hurt or poisoned by the many materials found outside. Wild birds are naturally suited to this environment, but budgies are not, as they are bred to be domestic.
I hope that helps
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~StarlingWings~
and Princess Mallorn!
Thank you to Deb for her wonderful Faery magic
Starling: Thanks for your input. I have a dog myself (she comes to work with me everyday) and the birds never seem too worried about her, but she doesn't get too close to them. A strange dog would be a totally different story though, and that was one of my main worries.
As for being outside, I haven't tried it with my budgies yet, but my green cheek conure I had as a kid used to go outside with me all the time. He was hand fed and very bonded to me, so he rarely left my shoulder. I had a bird bath for him and he loved it. But I was always right there and never let him out of my sight.
I suppose the stress would be too much for a budgie though.
This forum promotes only the best practice for the health and well-being of budgies.
Budgies should never be taken outdoors unless safely secured in a cage and under direct supervision at all times.
We've had members whose budgies have been attacked by predators while in cages (or aviaries) outdoors when unattended. One member even had the budgie's cage in the house near a screened patio door and a hawk tried to come through the screen to get to the bird.
As far as bringing your budgies into your workplace, I agree with Star.
It would be best for your birds to stay at home in a safe environment rather than be subjected to
the stress of strange people and dogs.
I also agree with the previous posts, taking a budgie to work is not a good idea, it would be too stressful for the bird. Stress can have a negative effect on the immune system also, thereby opening the way for heath problems.
I wouldn't bring my budgie and Cody said the same thing I was going to. Not only would the move be stressful, but there's germs and other risk factors at your work place that your bird would be susceptible to. Customers and other pets brought into the store could transfer something to your bird and he could get ill.