[rivknees]

I've had my parakeet for over a year now and since then he's grown very attached to me, as he's a single parakeet.

In a couple of days I'm planning on leaving him with my grandmother ( who herself has had 3 budgies before which she loved and cared for dearly ) for a 10 day vacation. He's unfamiliar with my grandmother and her house though- and is usually shy and anxious around strangers to begin with.

I'm worried sick for his health if I go through with this as I've already gotten a taste of leaving him for a couple of days. Last summer I left him with a trusted family member as my house for 3 days. When I came back he had a head full of pin feathers, and was missing feathers under his wings and by his legs. I'm not sure if he was molting or not but he looked very distressed- and when I returned he quickly recovered.

Will it be safe to leave him with my grandmother for so long?
Any advice asap is greatly appreciated!!

 

[JRS]

He should be okay.
I think you should stop worrying about the stress of the change for your bird, and concentrate on ensuring that you give your grandmother a clear plan of how to care for him. She may have had a very different routine with her birds.
Write everything down clearly and add a list of ‘please don’ts’.
In terms of stress, as a single bird, he’ll likely feel less stressed with your grandmother around for company that he was, alone at home, the last time.

Enjoy your holiday.

 

[Therm]

JRS has given you great advice .

I'm sure your bird was just moulting last time and it just coincided with your holiday. It's also a good thing to get him used to someone else looking after him so you can have vacations.