FOLLOW DIRECTIONS OR DEATH CAN OCCUR

[SchroedersJen]

HARNESS TRAINING

 

I know that I am preaching to the choir here, but I am hoping that the story I heard today will give those of us in an occasional advisory position the courage to tell people not to be idiots...I also need to vent.

As I have mentioned in the past, Schroeder has a very active facebook page and this week one of his "friends" contacted me to ask about harness training. I told her that I used an aviator harness on Schroeder and that I liked it a good more than the feather teather for comdfort, ease of putting on the bird and safety. I also mentioned that the DVD that comes with the harness has excellent instructions on how to get your bird used to a harness and to follow them, even though it might take longer than she likes. I provided a few additional things that I had done with Schroeder and she replied that she had had her grey for 25 years and he wasnt some baby and she wasnt a novice bird owner and she was sure she could figure it out. (If shes had the bird that long, why is she asking me for tips?) That was Friday. I called her today to ask how her first training session went and she was hysterical.

Rather than following the instructions, she decided to just stick her bird in the harness, put him in his cage and let him get used to it. After he quieted down from screaming, she went to the cage to check on him. He was hanging from the harness with the cord wrapped around his neck, fighting to breathe and fading fast. As anyone would, she grabbed him, and began to try to untangle him. He was terrified of his owner and struggled, biting and fighting her while still unable to breathe. Before she could save him, he had a heart attack and died in her hands.

I know this is a terrible story, and certainly a rare, worst case scenario, but it is real. I have also noticed people that buy harnesses at the store I work at seem to return them a week after getting them because "bird hates them." This leads me to believe that most bird owners expect harnessing to be an easy, fun process. It isnt. It sucks. You have to be patient and take as long as your fid needs, not as long as you would like it to need.

For those of us lucky enough to have a fid that can go out in a harness, there is a joy and comfort in knowing we can take out bird out on field trips, have safe fun and serve as wonderful avian advocates. All of this takes a lot of work. The work varies from bird to bird. I have been working with Buddy on his harness for 8 months; we have just now gotten to the point that i can hold him and it at the same time. I cant even touch him with it yet. It only took Schroeder a couple of weeks and he was ok with it.

The best analogy that I can come up with is to imagine you are anxious and scared and your spouse is putting you in a straight jacket. You love your spouse(hopefully) and you trust them, but suddenly, with no warning they are sticking you in a straight jacket, despite the fact that you are screaming at them to stop. Scary isn't even the right word.

Please, please, please tell people to read directions, to pay attention to their pets wants and to be calm and patient. I am so sad. A sensitive grey, almost my age, died scared and betrayed by the person it thought it could trust last night because she couldnt stand to be patient. Please do what you can to keep this from happening to your friends fids, even if they dont want to listen. f they claim to knopw everything all ready, ask them if their ego and a few minutes of their time is more important than the health, well being and life of their baby. Harnesses are wonderful, but it is a serious piece of equipment, not a toy, and needs to be used properly.

Sorry about the downer guys, but I thought this should be shared.

 

Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/09/07 04:54<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/09/07 05:16

[judygram]

OMG Jen, I can't believe she would be so impatient and so stupid as to put it on him and leave him in his cage and she has had this bird for 25 years, what an idiot.

 

I think you did the right thing in sharing it, who knows how many others out there would end up doing the same thing.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/09/07 05:14

[SchroedersJen]

I couldnt even comfort her. I was so mad. I know I was supposed to say comforting things like "It's ok, you didn't know." But the thing is it isnt ok and she did know. I told her to pay attn. I would have smacked her if she wasnt in another state.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/09/07 05:14

[she]

I am speachless.

[JillyBeanz]

That is so, so sad. I don't understand the mentality of anyone who would leave an Aviator attached to an unaccompanied bird.

 

I'm a fan of the Aviator - it's what we use - but I followed the DVD to a tee.

 

This should be a stern warning for those who "think they know better".

[danmcq]

Very sad story and infuriating at the same time.

 

It is unfathomable to me to understand how anyone could do that to their Parrot of any type.

 

I guess people do not realize the dangers involved and some don't even know that birds sometimes do die from heart attacks just by being toweled at the vets to under go "Tests or procedures".

 

Even Animals will sometimes die of fright leading to a heart attack, Humans too for that matter.

 

Thanks for posting this warning Jen. Hope people will read this and then watch the video and heed those instructions to a tee.

 

People must also understand, they may NEVER get their Grey to accept a harness.

[Talon]

I am stunned that there are humans without a BRAIN....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:evil:

[Joolesgreyuk]

What a prize PILLOCK!!!!!!!!!! Stupid, stupid woman :angry:

[Joolesgreyuk]

BTW There aren't enough angry smileys on this site, I need one with steam coming out of the ears! grrr

[SchroedersJen]

No fooling. On her facebook she made a comment about her baby dying unexpectedly and is getting a ton of attention. She failed to mention that he is dead because she killed him. Needless to say, I blocked her this morning.

[Jaguar]

Sad post Jen on how some people cant wait. i feel for the loss. Thanks on the warning.

[harmonicaman68]

Hi Jen and all,

 

This is deeply disturbing. I've worked with a few birds using the Aviator. I've always accompany the birds and have them outside of their cage so they don't become entangled. In fact SPECIFICALLY for that reason.

 

When Hartman Aviary is helping a larger number of young birds become accustomed to the harness simultaneously, they actually have harnesses that they have cut the tether from, so the little ones can get used to the harness without entanglement. They STILL have someone in the cage with the birds. It's just common sense. If the bird is to be left alone ... don't leave the harness on.

 

Ziva is exceptionally calm with her harness, but I've noticed that she will "worry" at the harness if it is the only thing she can focus her attention on. It isn't a toy ... so keeping it out of her reach when she is not attended is smart.

 

People who snare animals in the wild use just cord that is made into a loop. Any "leash" can become a snare for any pet and choke them if not attended and they continue to fight against it.

 

This is sad beyond understanding ...

[Luvparrots]

This is a very sad and frightening story, Jen. I'm glad you shared it with us though it is one I don't even want to think about because it is so devastating.

[harmonicaman68]

I passed along the tragic story of this Grey's death to Steve Hartman, inventor of the Aviator. He asked me to post the following, in hopes that it is a learning experience. I post it below:

==================

 

Hello Everyone,

 

Harmonicaman passed on this unfortunate story to me and I have asked him to post this comment for me.

 

Jen has done a very nice job reporting this situation but I would like to add a little of my thoughts.

 

Please do not be quick to fault this owner for not following The Aviator instructions or not using common sense. She has obviously been successful at keeping this her grey alive for the last 25 years and for whatever reason she trusted the situation she left the bird in.

 

I know very little of the specifics of this situation but I certainly can understand that if it were me I would wish that I could find blame elsewhere so I would not have to forever live with the responsibility.

 

All of us have done things, that with hindsight, we realize were not smart moves or we learned something new that will help us do a better job in the future. That’s why we have the word accident in our vocabulary. Most of the situations where we have ‘learned the hard way’ did not have the severe consequences of this situation so it can be easy to forget that all of us have done many things that had almost the same dire consequence.

 

I have owned over 800 adults and 4000 babies in the last 25 years and have had quite a few instances where I have found babies and adults tangled in frayed ropes or trapped in situations that could have had the same outcome.

 

Hundreds of millions of parrots have lived and died a miserable life with clipped wings or trapped in a small cage. This owner was endeavoring to enhance the life experience of her pet and now unfortunately will live with the guilt of putting him in danger. Perhaps we should be praising her for having done such a good job looking out for the welfare of this bird for the past 25 years.

 

Hopefully this incidence will serve to save other lives in the future. I know that I will be remembering more often to council owners not to leave their bird unattended while wearing the harness. Before I invented The Aviator we were using other types of harnesses that were very dangerous and came with very little directions. Now we have the instructional video with the harness, dozens of harness related videos on the internet, and great forums like this to share our experiences.

 

Best Regards,

Steve Hartman

[lovethatgrey]

I think Steve Hartman has responded very appropriately. Thanks for sharing that letter.

[maggie1980]

I was reading about this tragedy yesterday and i couldnt get it out of my head all day.

I have read all comments and i agree with them all, The question i would like to ask is how did this silly woman manage to keep this bird for twenty five years and then make a really big mistake like this?

Im due to get my first baby cag in 5 weeks and have been asking queations about harnesses on this forum and everybody has been really helpfull i think this lady has just thought to herself ive had this bird 25 years so i should know best well all i can say to that is if your doing something you have never done before ask for help theres loads of people on this forum that would love to share there tips and advice you just need to be willing to listen and learn,

[danmcq]

Harmonicaman,

 

Thanks for posting Steve's reply. He is right, that woman is going to have a pain that will never go away. My wife and I discussed this incident and talked about how we could never forgive ourselves for making such a devastating mistake. I am sure that woman's conscience is harder on her than some of these replies.

 

I do have a question though, if you could pass it on to Steve. After thinking this through and our outings with Dayo on the harness for the last year and a half. Every so often he will freak out at something and take of flying fast and end up, of course, going in circle's as I try to keep him safe. My worst fear is, one day he will get that line around his neck in a loop as he is freaking out and snap his neck. Is there any reports of this happening?

 

If so, I will not risk the harness any longer. It would just hurt too much to lose our Grey in an accident we could avoid.

 

Thanks - Dan<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2009/09/08 16:14

[harmonicaman68]

Hi Dan,

 

I forwarded your question to Steve and his answer is below:

 

Response to Dan 9/8/09

 

There are a couple of issues that come to mind when reading Dan’s comment.

 

First the bird that died supposedly died of a heart attack. I believe this is an impromptu guess but is likely correct. Many birds get tangled in ropes, toys and cage bars everyday and rarely do they die. The harness in this situation was not the actual cause of death.

 

Most of us think of parrots having a long life expectancy but the reality is that so far a very small percentage have lived to 25 years old. If you consider the life expectancy at hatching the real average life expectancy for an African grey is much less than 25 years. This will change in the future now that we have certified avian vets, pelleted food and an awareness of the need for exercise. This bird most likely had it wings clipped for most of its life and for all of the formative years was most likely eating a very substandard diet containing lots of sun flower seeds. If this bird was introduced to a harness 25 years ago it very well might have lived to the 50 or 60 years most of us assume our birds will live to.

 

The incidences broken necks and strangled birds are vastly over reported. When you pick up a dead parrot the head will hang almost straight down. This is because of the number of vertebrae in the neck that allows it to turn its head most the way around. Birds’ necks are also very strong. Just walk up to a chain link fence, hold on with your mouth and lift your body off the ground. We can barely even hold our head up off the ground if we are lying down. So, on a relative scale a birds neck must be ??? 100’s ??? of times stronger than ours.

 

Life has inherent risk. If we go too far to limit risks then we reduce the quality of life. I have a bit of experience with parrots in captivity and in the wild and I could never justify keeping a bird that would normally be mentally and physically stimulated by flying 10 – 25 miles a day inside of a house all of its life.

 

My answer to the risk of strangulation with the harness leash is that it has never been reported and I would have a hard time believing it if someone actually reported it. We have well over 100,000 Aviators in use and everyone has access to chat forums and my email. In addition, there are owners all around the world that let me know anytime something happens so we can address it immediately.

 

When a bird is spooked by something in its environment we need to understand that it usually happens because the bird has had limited education, especially when young, and is not able to think fast enough to determine if the threat is real. Once the threat is perceived a bird with limited education will often overreact and fly uncontrollably until stopped or exhausted. Wild birds that become concerned fly only a short distance of a few feet while they determine if the threat is real. This process is what I call ‘thinking on the wing’.

 

One way to enhance a birds’ ability to cope with and understand the complicated outdoor environment is to use the Flight Line. With you close by you can allow your bird to roam a large area without being directly connected to you. As things happen in the environment the bird will learn to fly only a few feet while considering the stimulus.

 

If you carefully observe a parrot that is scared you will almost always see that the owner’s body language and verbal language is what elevates the situation to hysteria. Instead of remaining totally calm as you would if you were the only one that experienced the stimulus, most owners immediately react physically or verbally. Even a cue as simple as quickly raising your hand to catch your bird will be interpreted as an evasive maneuver by a flock mate elevating the level of concern. This is usually not a onetime situation but a method of operation used by most owners. If a bird in a flock repeatedly reacted inappropriately the other flock members will quickly blow him off. If any of the flock repeatedly responded in an aggressive and evasive manner then he will be trained to exhibit the behavior more often.

 

There is little reason for a properly raised hand fed parrot to be more concerned than the owner when something unexpected happens. The bird should actually be taking cues from the owner as to whether on not to be concerned. There is not a quick fix to this issue. It is the result of a great deal of the neuropathways in the birds’ brain not being properly programmed during the sensitive periods when it is young.

 

The question is how much does one really care. If the question REALLY is “What is the best way to keep my bird safe?” (mentally and physically), then I think there should be no question that whatever risk there might be with taking a bird outside on a harness is minimal.

 

Is a 25 year old African grey parrot that dies of a heart attack safe? My guess is that it is only safe from having a meaningful life.

 

Best Regards,

Steve Hartman

[JillyBeanz]

Jack, this is such an informed response from obviously the person best in the world to comment on such a situation.

 

It's such a sad situation, but I believe this lady had a moment of a lapse of concentration, and whilst what she did wasn't ideal (as demonstrated by the sad outcome) I can sort of see (concentrating hard) what she was trying to do.

 

I don't think it's the fact that she put the bird in his cage is really the issue, it's the fact that she left it unaccompanied.

 

I am one of these people who NEVER reads instructions - but I have to say I sat five or six times through the DVD - even laughing at the stuffed parrot, trying to learn how to do it properly.

 

This lady will be distraught I am sure - but it was a really stupid thing to do!

[harmonicaman68]

Dan,

 

My recent experience with the harness and with Ziva on the Flight Line follows what Steve said. Her first outings on the harness and Flight Line, Ziva's first reactions when "spooked" were to fly straight away from the perceived danger as fast as possible. (and away from everyone including me). After only a few outings I had her hooked up to a Flight Line at Steve's aviary this past Saturday. I was sitting in a lawn chair about 30 or 40 feet from Ziva. She was playing with foraging toys on the lawn. A 10 year old boy that she didn't know walked up to her to say hello, but Ziva spooked. She flew straight to me in the chair. I don't yet have her trained to come on command, but she had apparently been keeping track of me, even though I was sitting down low to the ground at a distance from her. Instead of panic, she flew, evaluated "thinking on the wing" and came to her flock.

 

Interesting to watch her mental development.

[harmonicaman68]

Hi Jilly,

 

I agree ... it seems that accompanying and observing the Grey's who have adopted us is the best precaution against accidents.

 

I was kidding Steve about the stuffed bird they have in the video last Saturday as he was telling someone how easy the harness is to put on the birds He laughed also.

 

It is actually easy if we train the little ones at an age when we're still hand feeding and fledging them. Our Sun Conure, Mali never did want the harness put on her, but finally became used to it. It was invented when she was about 12 years old. She was an extremely calm and trusting friend, so I'm sure that helped, but I also bled a few times when we were introducing her to it. (my own fault, because Steve had personally shown me how to do it without that reaction).

 

Ziva watches me bring the harness, wants to chew at it a bit as I put it over her head, but then actually seems to get excited because she knows it means new experiences ... like sitting in our crab apple tree yesterday afternoon and finding out about new treats hanging from the branches. When we come back inside, she seems to know it is time to take the harness off ... she stands patiently on the kitchen counter as I loosen the harness and gently take it off over her wings and then over her head.

 

I believe that she is this calm in using it because she knows the routine, having been introduced to it very early at Hartman Aviary and now continuing at our home. I've even had the same reaction (maybe with a little half hearted growling:) ) in the baby cage at the aviary before I take her out for a walk. If a dog can be excited at getting to go out ... and even bring their leash to you, maybe a Grey can learn to love the experience as well. Especially when we encourage that reaction in them by helping them find enjoyable experiences during the outings. They are SO curious and SO intelligent. The harness should mean fun ... and new things to see and learn. Better quality of life ...

[danmcq]

harmonicaman68 wrote:

My answer to the risk of strangulation with the harness leash is that it has never been reported and I would have a hard time believing it if someone actually reported it. We have well over 100,000 Aviators in use and everyone has access to chat forums and my email. In addition, there are owners all around the world that let me know anytime something happens so we can address it immediately.

 

Thank You Steve. That was exactly the information I was looking for. :-)

 

I had wondered, the times my Grey spooked, "what if". I know there are a million "what if's" in our minds as we grow and also raise our own children.

 

Just for the record. I am a large advocate of the Aviator, it is hands down the best compared to any other harness. Your DVD is top notch and is invaluable with the training provided in it. Hey, leave the stuffed Parrot alone, he's a great prop!! :-)

 

In regards raising and exposing birds to as much as possible when young. There is no doubt it is highly important to reduce or atleast minimise the possibility of the bird being more phobic of new things than they are by nature, as an African Grey is known for.

 

We have taken our Grey out on a harness since he was 18 weeks old. I must say the first weeks were always a new experience for him and there were many screams, panic flights etc. for the young lad. As a 2 year old, he has learned to cope much better over time with experience.

 

However, life is full of surprises each day and new encounters. Like a Harley blasting by with straight pipes. Talk about a panic attack for the Grey!! ;-) We do try to visit quieter places where such events do not take place, but we also want to expose him to busy and surprising areas as well to accustom him to change and the unexpected.

 

I agree wholeheartedly with your promulgating keeping a bird flighted, out as much as possible and getting the full use of the marvelous cardiovascular system birds had specifically designed for those long daily flights in the wild.

 

I am hoping, of course, that my Grey will live to a ripe old age that is average for a wild bird of 50 -60, which is much longer than what you have stated.

 

Thanks for your great replies. I am sure others here appreciate them too and may well have many questions also. :-)

[harmonicaman68]

Hi Dan and Jillybeanz,

 

I passed your comments back to Steve.

 

Blessings to you today

[JillyBeanz]

Thanks Jack - I'll be charging him commission soon - I'm always banging on about how great the Aviator is as opposed to the other (said in a very little, quiet voice - feather tether)!

 

I've had my ups and downs with the harness - Harvey "forgot" it after we'd been on holiday for two weeks - but soon got back in the saddle!

 

Evidence:

 

[judygram]

Harvey looks to be saying "What took you so long woman"

 

Thanks for sharing the picture of Harvey in his harness, he's ready to roll.