I'm passing this question along from a CAG owner. This bird is 15 years old, and may be facing an 8 hour car trip, and has never traveled other than 5 minute trips to the vet. The owner is very concerned that this will be very stressful, and also mentioned that on those 5 minute vet trips, the bottom of the carrier will be covered with droppings. He's concerned about dehydration and stress. Does anyone have any experience with anything like this? He is also going to contact his vet to ask about it.

I have successfully sent sun conure on a plane(5hrs +), I do realise that greys suffer a little more from stress than a sun would. The carrier needs to be closed and only have one small side with see through bars. If necessary even this side can be covered with a cage type fabric cover. Because it may no be possible to give water wet fruits is a good alternative. A car trip may not be as bad as a plane trip in that you can stop to give water and calm the bird. Would air travel be an alternative?

Can't say I have any experience with birds and long trips, but I know with dogs you try to condition them to the car by starting well in advance of the trip and taking longer duration rides with them each day to get them used to it. I don't know if your friend has time to do this.
Another thought, didn't Kris (Radiogirl) drive down to Florida with Tuki? She may have more insite than anyone.

Nope, I don't, as Ollie loves to travel.

I would suggest them taking practice trips. A little longer each time. As for dehydration, will the bird not drink in the car? They need to have water provided, or at least offer it every hour or so.

Maybe covering half of the cage would be something to try?

I can't really think of any other ways to alleviate stress. There are soothing things to put in water, but I don't remember what they are. Chamomile maybe?

Edit: looks like we all replied at the same time!

Great minds work together???

Well yes, they do!

Thanks for the ideas, I'll certainly suggest chamomile in the drinking water, and trying to get the bird more used to riding. To tell you the truth, I don't really know whether it actually does get stressed, or if it's just that he's worried that it will. Think it's possible that with a longer trip, the bird might actually settle down more, you know?

My experience with a long trip and a bird is not with a Grey, but maybe it may be helpful.

We traveled with Kady from NY to FL. Two 12 hours days on the road. I would also suggest a VERY mild Chamomile Tea if the bird is easily stressed. You don't want him so relaxed he looses his grip on the perch. If there is any chance of an upset stomach I would also recommend a Ginger Tea or if the bird will eat some Ginger it will calm any queasiness.

We made frequent stops for him to rest, eat and drink. Of course we made sure we had his favorites on hand to entice him to eat. While we were driving, he had watery fruits available; melon, grapes, kiwi, etc., Nutriberries and some nuts, if he wanted to eat then also.

We put a thick blanket in the bottom of his carrier cage and covered that with paper in case he fell. We lined each side (even the door) of the carrier cage with soft toys in the event he was jolted. This gave him something to grab with his beak and also something to protect him from hitting the hard cage sides. I also wrapped a dowel perch with cotton rope and then covered that with a semi tight fitting sock. I know it sounds funny, but it gave him an excellent grip. (2 pictures of cage below)

We sang songs and made it lots of fun for him and he had a great time.

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Lining the cage with soft toys is a good idea that I never thought of. On that note, Ollie has never lost her balance in the car. She plays, eats, and drinks just fine. I make sure to turn slow is all. She sits on her sandy perch, so that perhaps helps with a good grip.

Have him try to make the trip fun. When I see railroad tracks, or a bridge coming up with bumps that have the potential to frighten her (which they don't anymore, just sometimes when she was younger), I always shout out "Weeee!" and tell her "Good Girl!" when its over. Now she makes the "weee" noise by herself after we go over a big bump (it's so cute!).

I have a bunch of Children's songs on my ipod that we listen and sing to in the car.

My pet shop has an herbal mix for travel. You might ask a well respected pet shop or an avian vet. The blanket on the bottom of the cage sounds like a great idea.

valo has a travel cage, instead of a carrier for long trips (6-7 1/2hrs)... i rather deal with the more bulky thing than having him uncomfortable... he has his favorite toys and his hut, as well as food (pellets) and water which i change at stops if necessary.... every bird is very different when it comes to travelling - valo and bella like to have their travel cage partially covered with the side open that faces me or hunter. bella likes stops to come out of the cage and drink some water and munch some pellets... with valo it's almost better to just keep going since he is so curious about the car (and all those toys with the funny lights) that getting him back in is a pain... also, he eats and drinks just fine during the drive... in addition, valo sleeps during drives - last time i drove a long distance i probably saw him 2hrs out of 7... as soon as i hit the highway, he disappears in his hut, and only shows when i slow down (aka go through a town or such)... therefore, highways are probably a better choice
also, depending on the bird you might want to consider asking the question "daylight or nighttime"... valo does great during the day, and so does bella... valo doesn't mind the nighttime at all, bella prefers the day so she can look outside...

might be worth giving various parameters a try on short trips.... also, stops are something to consider....

i listen to books on tape on the long drives, and valo likes it - it's just a steady stream of talking which is usually calm (and it entertains me too)

edit: also, i take the grate out of the travel cage and fix all movables with cotton ropes to minimize the constant noise - not only will it annoy the bird, but the human brain also reaches limits