This page still under construction

!BIRDIE BOARDING DETAILS!

For those going on vacation or taking trips long or short, I do offer a bird boarding service here at Little Joe's! I do have a dedicated room set up just for boarding, with 30x20 and 32x22 cages, individual cage lighting, AC, backup heat and backup power generation.

RATES....

Boarding is $10 a night for one bird in a cage. There is an additional charge of $3 a night for each additional bird that shares the same cage. For example, a budgie pair sharing a cage would be $13 a night. This includes the cage, breed specific seed and chop. Of course you can opt out of chop if concerned about diet change. I use Mother Nature's seed mixes from Chin Ridge in Alberta, and my chop recipe can be found on the Education page.

CONDITIONS....

Unfortunately, bird size is somewhat restricted due to cage sizing and the size of the room. I can board all hookbill parrots up to the size of a ringneck easily. Amazons and similar sized birds would have to be used to living in a cage size of 32x24, and have a $5 per night increase in rates. Larger birds such as macaws would require special considerations and rates, and might not be able to be accommodated at all times.

I also cannot offer a lot of out of cage time, mostly for safety considerations. It does take time for a flighted bird to get used to a new room and its dimensions. There is also the risk of bitten toes if a bird lands on a cage housing another bird that might not be as friendly, and the risk of cross contamination through contact must be limited as much as possible. I do try to provide as much in cage entertainment and enrichment as possible.

There is also the ever present risk of stress induced illness whenever a parrot changes environments. The increased stress of a move can lower a birds immunity and make them more vulnerable to pre existing conditions that might not presently be noticed. For this reason I do require a signature on a release form. I also cannot house any birds that are ill in any way.

AVAILABILITY AND BOOKING.....

With the size of the room and the number of cages available, availability is not really a problem, although booking in advance during the busiest times are recommended (Christmas Holidays, the first long weekend of the summer, etc). Just send me a message and make sure to touch base again a day or two before drop off to remind me just in case!

Features of the boarding area include.....

-Enamel paint makes the walls scubabble, and vinyl sheeting on walls is easy to clean and cheap and easy to replace when soiled. Commercial LVP on the floors makes mopping easy

-Negative air pressure room. Large diameter ducting and in-line fans exhaust air from inside through the walls out of the house. This creates a negative air pressure room, continuously drawing in fresh, scrubbed air and preventing bad smells, cross contamination and humidity build up.

-Air conditioner for those hot days with a commercial heat pump system. Several back up portable AC units in storage, just in case of break down or another heat dome.

-Extra oil heaters and backup forced air for those cold days in case of break down

-Industrial humidifiers for those dry days

-Remote temperature and humidity sensor that alerts on my phone if variables exceed set parameters

-Industrial air scrubber with 25lbs of activated charcoal, same one used in large grow operations. Purchased new not used!

-smoke alarms, camera monitoring, water leak alarms, security systems, all the bells and whistles of a modern smart home

-Regular air quality testing with professional unit

-! Backup gas generators available in case of power failure, to keep birdies warm or cool during any possible blackouts. I have three good gas generators here, one still in the crate just in case of breakdowns. After the heat dome I am not taking any chances at all!

-All cages are 30-32 inches across the front and 20-24inches deep. Sanitized between uses, all with stainless steel feed and water bowls. Wood shavings used on cage bottoms.

-Wifi smart speakers, to give a little ambiance to the room. All my birdies just love the Dan Gibsons Solitues albums.

-Strict quarantine procedures to ensure safety, sorry, no in-person viewings of the room when birds are present. Room has dedicated vaccumn, mop, brooms, dustbins, food storage and anything else needed to make it a self sufficient room to avoid cross contamination.

I have done everything I can think of to make this boarding room as safe and pleasant as possible, and it is now ready to begin taking in guests. Message me to inquire about rates. I do encourage people to board their pets with family and friends if possible, but always make sure they are bird-savvy. Every year I get numerous lost bird notices, as sometimes a non-bird person is not as careful about closed doors and screened windows when the summer heat sets in.

Previous boarding room, showing size and setup of cages

Current facilities while still under construction. Air system being put in at back corner of room.