Our Story

Back when we moved, there was no single comprehensive bird relocation guide.

When we relocated internationally with our bird, finding reliable information online was incredibly challenging. The best guidance we came across was from a blog written by another bird owner who had gone through the pet relocation process herself. At that time, it was one of the most comprehensive resources available, but it was already a few years old, and was specific to a particular species and country of origin. Still, it served as our starting point, giving us the right keywords to search for more details.

The Bureaucratic Maze of Bird Shipping

The bird shipping process involves navigating a maze of government departments, both for export and import. And the departments had varying levels of helpfulness— some had well-organized instructions online, while others were more vague.
As you can imagine, there’s no single central department overseeing the whole process. Instead, different agencies each handle specific parts, which meant we had to figure out and fulfill the requirements of multiple departments— like the USDA, CBP, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, plus the departments from the exporting country (which we are not going to disclose here for privacy reasons). It was a lot to keep track of, and every step came with its own set of challenges.

The Reality of Pet Relocation Logistics

Given the complexity of our case, we had no choice but to hire pet relocation services to handle the bird shipping. However, finding a reliable service was a whole new battle. We spent days reaching out to multiple companies, sending emails, and asking for quotes.
For nearly half of them, we never received any response at all. For the ones that did get back to us, whatever numbers they returned were eye-popping— and only covering one part of the trip, not both the export and import. This meant we had to hire two separate agencies— one for the export and one for the import.
As we navigated the process, we learned that this was actually very standard in the pet relocation industry, as many companies specialize only in logistics within their own country. For example, an American agency would typically handle only U.S. export or import. Let’s say if you were to relocate FROM Germany TO the U.S., you would need to hire a German pet relocation service for the export paperwork and logistics, and an American service for the import paperwork.

The Quest to Find Reliable Pet Relocation Services For Birds

At one point, I tried calling the pet relocation companies directly, hoping to get some clearer answers. Whatever time buffer I had was already spent waiting around for the lack of response. I couldn’t afford to spend another week of email ping-pong just to get another big fat quote with no informative details.
Some did answer the phone but were reluctant to provide any meaningful details of the bird shipping process unless we agreed to pay thousands of dollars upfront. It felt like we were being asked to commit to a service without really knowing what we were getting into. Based on the taste of their service on the phone, I couldn’t shake the gut feeling that they did not genuinely care about our pets.
The number of choices was already limited, and there was no way to gauge which company would actually take proper care of our bird. It felt as if there was a wall of secrecy around the whole process. We had no choice but to gamble with our money and the well-being of our bird.

Hidden Costs and Lack of Transparency

We kept banging our heads against the wall from start to finish throughout the bird shipping process. There was no centralized place to find clear, comprehensive answers to all of our questions. For some bird owners, paying thousands of dollars isn’t a viable option. Even if you have the money, you still need to know that the service you’re paying for is going to do things properly.
Despite paying thousands of dollars, I was worried until the very last day that my bird’s entry would be denied. What then? Would it be shipped back? Even if we shipped it back, it would still need to re-enter the exporting country. What if the exporting country denied entry? What if my bird got stuck in a facility in either the importing or exporting country? Would it be put down?

Our Mission: Making Pet Relocation More Transparent

That’s why we decided to change things. Our goal is to make pet relocation more transparent. We want to share everything we’ve learned along the way, from regulations to the logistics of bird shipping, so you don’t have to experience the level of stress we did. We believe every pet owner deserves access to clear and transparent information. Whether you're seeking an affordable option or have funds saved for your bird’s relocation, we’re here to help ensure that every decision you make is well-informed.

Are You Just Starting or Need Help Mid-Process?

We offer free consultations to bird owners to guide them at every step of the relocation process. Chat with us today and see how we can help. We did it the hard way, so you don't have to.
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