A holiday should feel like a holiday — not a week of wondering whether the bird back home is eating. When the suitcases come out, your bird's care is the one part of the trip we want you to stop thinking about. We board companion birds for Markham travellers so you can fly out settled, knowing your bird is fed, watched, and kept to its own routine until you walk back through the door.
It is tempting to think a parrot or a budgie can coast through a long weekend on a topped-up dish and a covered cage. They cannot. Water fouls within a day, food spoils, and a tipped bowl or a stuck cage door turns into a quiet emergency with nobody there to notice. Birds also hide illness by instinct, so the early signs — a fluffed posture, an off note in the droppings, a skipped breakfast — slip past unless someone is checking in person, every day.
Just as real is the loneliness. Companion birds are flock animals, and a sudden stretch of empty, silent hours wears on them. The bird that greets you at the door is not just hungry after a few days alone; it has been waiting. Boarding gives your bird company, conversation, and the steady human contact it is wired to expect, which is exactly what keeps a stay calm instead of stressful.
The dates everyone wants are the dates that fill first. A little lead time is the difference between the spot you wanted and a scramble the week before you leave.
July and August are our busiest weeks, with families heading to cottages, lakes, and overseas to visit relatives. If you already know your summer dates, reserve early — even a tentative hold keeps your bird's place while you finalise flights.
The December and New Year stretch books up fast as people travel for the holidays. Tropical species especially need a warm, draft-free spot through a cold Markham winter, so it is worth locking in care well before the season.
One short, packed week when half of Markham seems to leave at once. March break stays go quickly, so reach out as soon as your plans firm up rather than waiting for the calendar to turn.
Work travel rarely keeps to a neat schedule. Whether it is a two-night conference or a last-minute flight out, tell us your pattern and we will do our best to fit your bird in, even on short notice.
Getting your bird to us should be the simple part of leaving town. We keep drop-off and pickup flexible, so a great many owners swing by on the way to Pearson or before an early start north for the weekend. Bring your bird's own cage if you can — the familiar bars and perches settle a nervous traveller faster than anything we could provide — and pack along its usual food, any medication, and a quick note on its quirks.
For a bird that has never boarded before, a short meet-and-greet ahead of the trip takes the edge off the first day. By the time you actually leave, your bird has already met us and seen where it will be staying, so drop-off is a hand-off rather than a shock. When you land, pickup is just as relaxed, and you go home with the full story of how the stay went.
Simple steps that make a first boarding stay smooth — exactly what to do before you travel.
What shapes the price of a stay and how to get a clear, custom quote for your trip.
Daily visits, overnight stays, and extended boarding for every kind of trip away.
