~~BIKING WITH YOUR BIRD~~

By Karola Stotz

I enjoy biking with my male Eclectus named "RACAL" (his original name was Rascal but he proved to be much too sweet for that name).  I believe that the bicycle basket is a good alternative to the harness, flight suit and portable carrier because it is preferred by Racal. He never really relaxes while wearing his flight suit and it's the same with the harness. The Hobo carrier is too large and impractical for a small person like me to carry. In the bike basket he can see everything clearly, but he has the security of the basket, which is just another cage for him -- a well-known and non-frightening enclosure. He also can see me and he frequently communicates with me as we ride.

If you enjoy biking, your parrot probably would enjoy the outing with you. It is as easy as rigging a bicycle basket in front of the handlebars and making a "lid" for it. Carolyn uses two bicycle baskets -- one for the bottom and another upside down on top of it for the "lid" with makeshift "hinges" to attach the two baskets on the side nearest the handlebars so that they can be opened and closed.  A towel or other non-slip surface is placed in the bottom of the basket and a small perch can be added if the bird prefers perching during the ride.  A substantial clip is used to close the two baskets in the front.

I bought a bike basket that measures 9'' (H) 9''(D) 15 (W), which was the best I could find and is just big enough. Racal is a SI, so if you have one of the other subspecies, you might need one a bit bigger. I used a cookie cooling rack as a lid instead of using a second basket which would make the enclosure taller and perhaps more suitable for a larger bird. In the bottom I put a blanket covered with a newspaper, and above that a comfortable perch that I screwed to the bars of the basket as I would have done in his cage. I mounted the cooling rack "lid" to the basket with one-way plastic fasteners on the back, and a link in front. Since the basket resembles a cage, he accepted it right away and seems to feel really secure in there, squawking and screaming to the cars (most of the time he is quite and busy enjoying the wind in his feathers and the view).

There are two different kind of rides that Racal and I take. One is a ride "just for fun", when I take him for a ride along the river. This is the ride he enjoys most because there is less traffic and he can enjoy nature. He doesn't feel intimidated by the movement of birds and leaves or even dogs. In the cage he is "KING RACAL", and is even brave enough to bark at the dogs. Caution: if one wants to stop and sit for a while on a blanket or such and take the bird out of the basket, you might want to bring along the flightsuit for more security.

The other ride is the one to get from one place to another, mainly if I want to take him to work. This ride takes us through some traffic which Racal does not particularly enjoy, but he tolerates it without hesitation because he seems to know that he is going to the office, and he loves the people there. Racal goes in and out of his bicycle basket without any problems. Here are a few pictures of Racal and me. Let me hear from you if you have any questions about biking with your bird.