Flight suit/harness

[Desiree]

Hello everyone. I am new and need a suggestion. I am about to pick up my fully weaned 5 month old CAG. His owner no longer has the time he deserves and is willing to allow me to be his new loving forever home. She really is making the best decision for him and I admire her for making the right decision and knowing how important his socialization is. Anyway I purchased a bird carrier which I am not really sure appears to be large enough for a grey? It says it is for small to medium birds so here is my back up. I do not believe my CAG has clipped wings and I am a nervous nelly when it comes to doing that so we will be stopping to get them done on the way home but I do not feel secure enough in the mean time to just have him loose in the car if he doesn't fit in the bird carrier so I want to pick up a flight suit/harness but I just don't know what size to get medium or large? The large is marked for Africans, Congos, etc but I am wondering if those of you who use harnesses could better guide me since my CAG is only 5 months...do you think the Large will be to big and should I go with the medium? Any help would be appreciated. I am really glad I found this forum I expect to be a frequent poster LOL Thanks in advance

[BMustee]

I use a cat carrier for my CAG, and in my job at the pet store those are some of the best carriers to use...easy to get the birds in and out of. Without seeing the carrier I don't know if it will work or not for your new CAG. I would say that I would not bring a harness as a backup to the cage though. A parrot needs to trust you and used to you before you can try to put one on, and I'm sure you don't want bit right off the bat. Plus, not every grey is the same size. Elmo, my CAG, is 385 grams but some can be over 500 grams. I use the Feather Tether harness and she wears a size small even though the Congos are supposed to be a size Med. I would wait to buy one till you have him home and you can see what size fits before you need to use it.

 

Here are a few pics of some good carriers.

 

 

[Desiree]

Here is a link to the one I purchased. Figures it's on sale online...that could have been a new toy...grrr. The dimensions of the carrier are 10"L X 17"W X 12"H. It seems the reviews for it are good. Do you think it will be ok? I am unaware of his weight I just know that she mentioned that he is bigger than she expected? How big could he really be for 5 months though? I am not sure do we specifically consider Grey's SMALL parrots? I mean yes they are smaller than many but not all thaaaat small...

I'll take your advice on the harness...I have been doing some more reading on them and have to agree that I need to do some bonding with my new baby and teach him about the harness first. Especially after watching a You Tube video some guy forcing the harness on his CAG. I was like STOP! OMG! Thanks for the advice. I was actually nervous because the woman I am getting my bird from told me that they just got him back recently because he flew out of the house and then actually did return home after a few days! I told her she was lucky because I actually found a CAG about 3 years ago and know that they fly from tree to tree and generally don't fly back home or get found by someone who will look for the owner. She was really lucky. So the thought was more for the birds safety but I think we'll stop to get the feathers trimmed on the way home instead. I'm just to nervous to do it myself, always have been! I would just cry if I ever cut blood feathers! So if for some reason he doesn't fit in the carrier I suppose I'll have to make a run for the store. Cross your fingers for me. I'll post pictures soon as he is home I can't wait! One more day!!!

[Suzzique]

Yeah as BMustee said a good carrier is a better option. Have a vet check see how much your grey weighs. Alex is bigger than Elmo he is around 420g but there are greys that are even larger. So Alex uses a medium. I have the aviator harnes for him.

 

Also don't feel safe just because you clip your birds wings. There are more clipped birds lost every year than flighted ones. I'm not saying don't clip that is totally your choice. Just know you have just as much of a chance loosing your clipped bird as you do a flighted bird.

 

Oh and congrats on taking on one of these wonderful birds!

[Desiree]

Ohh thank you Suzzique. I defiantly don't feel completely safe even with the wings clipped but I do feel safer than without them being done. I am going to see how he tolerates having them clipped, I understand that it bothers some...itchy? Either way I hope to harness train him so that he is able to go out and about with me and enjoy life outdoors and doesn't have to remain confined to the house and cage. I would have no problem with leaving him flighted at that time or if he does not tolerate clipping well. I want the best for him not what is best for me LOL. I'm such a sucker when it comes to my pets...you want that...ok (things that are unsafe of course not included). I see to many listings in the papers here in FL of lost birds it makes me super mom when it comes to safety. I'll look into the other carriers tomorrow. Also I intend to take him to the vet. Particularly since he had that outing the owner mentioned...he's awful young and that makes me nervous that he was in the wild for days before returning home! Who knows what he could have picked up! I actually have invested in a scale for him so I can keep track of his growth and any potential problems Thank you all for all your help and extra advice it is always welcome. I am very glad to have found such a nice forum where everyone seems friendly and helpful!

[Carolyn]

Mika has a cat carrier if we have to go anywhere, also it is easier to seat belt into the car for safety. He is just learning to accept his harness and does enjoy his walks in the evening with it on, but it took almost 3 weeks to get this far and each day gets a little easier. He has the Aviator harness that comes with the DVD and I trained him with the instructions on the DVD and took my time, now I have a happy boy and a little piece of mind. Mika is 6 months old.

 

Good luck to both of you

 

Carolyn & Mika

[Mistyparrot]

Hello Desiree. Welcome to the wonderful world of living with Greys.

I know that everyone says that clipping is a personal choice but please think very carefully before you do it. It won't make your bird safer. A severely clipped bird is at risk from injury from bad landings and lack of control. He may well suffer psychological damage because he will not be able to react to perceived threat situations safely. A clipped bird is more likely to self mutilate. It is in a parrots nature to fly, it is what they are designed to do. Frustrating this natural urge can have undesired consequences. A lightly clipped bird could still fly away but it would be much less able to fly out of trouble. Getting the bird used to a harness is a great idea as that way you can take him out safely but always make sure the lead is securely tied to you. Just holding is not enough.

I personally believe clipping is a very cruel and unnecessary practice.

I am sorry if I come across as a bit of a grump but I feel very strongly about this.

 

Steve n Misty<br><br>Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2008/09/12 14:10

[danmcq]

Welcome Desiree!!

 

As Misty so well put it, think twice before having your Grey clipped. It would be a year before those flight feathers molt out and grow back in.

 

Why don't you try leaving him flighted a while and see how it works out, rather than just clipping right off the bat?

 

It's GreYt to have you here and looking forward to hearing more. :-)

[Desiree]

Thanks for the advice Misty and Danmcq...I didn't realize that it takes so long for the feathers to grow out. I will take your advice and leave him flighted, at least for now. I don't want to damage him or his confidence. I know he is still a baby and has much growth as far as confidence and socialization go. I'll just be extra careful, hopefully visiting friends and family will be as well. Hopefully when I make my move in a few months to my new house he won't go flying around to much, the house is 2 floors and has cathedral ceilings and lots of windows...kinda makes me nervous.

Thank you all for the warm welcome. As always all the advice is always welcome...and Misty LOL you don't seem grumpy at all I will always have things to learn. I've been keeping saltwater fish in a reef setting for quite a long time and still there are things I learn on occasion or things I am reminded of that I have forgotten. I'm pretty easy going just don't yell at me, help me make an informed decision, if you think I am making a bad decision help me understand why you think so. I am a huge animal lover and really against cruelty so there is a chance that if I don't know something you know that I could be doing something I would prefer not to. All comments are always welcome. I'm sure I'll be talking with you all very soon. Pick up is tomorrow

[Suzzique]

Desiree do some flight training with your new bird. Though Alex wont always come when I ask, but he does know what I want. I've started working with him and another person so that we can then take him outside (on his harnes) for some outdoors flying. Though I think he is now to old to teach for truly do free flight outside. I would love to be able to take him out for free flight but don't know how to go about it and he maybe to old to teach.

 

One of my fav ytube videos.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=q11SThc5y9g<br><br>Post edited by: Suzzique, at: 2008/09/12 16:53

[Desiree]

Oh My GOSH! Thanks for sharing! I don't know that I'd be brave enough to take him outdoors like that! I tend to not have very good luck, and with luck like mine, my CAG would be good for years and then all of a sudden get this burning down deep that says this is freedom and I'm not coming home....:woohoo: I'll try to work on some flight training but the free flight scares me. Did you see the cars in the background of that park...one distraction and I don't even want to think about it. Perhaps a school gym would allow a little time to indoor free flight? I would feel better about that maybe...

[Tycos_mom]

I also beleive a bird is meant to fly and my birds are flighted but I also clip my birds once when I get them so that I can train them easily. I have a lot of large windows in my home.and when I get a new bird I take them around to each window and tell them see it solid and I tap the window and get them to beak it also I do this every couple days until their wings grow out. I have never had a bird fly into a window yet because of this training. You could do this with your bird also. I call it a little adventure and the birds all know when its time to go on a little adventure after awhile I also do this with any large mirrors that I have. Welcome to the world of African Greys My Grey weighs 575 gr she's a very big girl

[BMustee]

I clip Elmo, but right now she is flighted because she is on lockdown in my room right now (new dog in the house) and she in on a harness when she comes out into the rest of the house or outside. When I clip greys I do them different than many other birds. Greys are heavy bodied and many crash land with the standard clip. I like to only clip 5-6 flight feathers and clip them long...I like to leave about an inch or so below the covert feathers so they glide to the floor. The longer clip also keeps the egde of clipped feathers from rubbing their sides so their is much less irritation. I believe you should do what is best for your situation...if clipped is safer than for all means clip them, but if you are able to have a safe enviroment for a flighted bird then leave them flighted.

 

I didn't see the link to the carrier you got but that would fit a grey in it. Most grey's fit in the "in-cabin" airline carriers that are 9in tall.

[shanlung]

Desiree,

 

Take a look into this website.

 

This is one of the most detailed site as to how you can live with a flying CAG at home and the training and bonding that you must do to take a harnessed CAG outdoor safely.

 

http://www.geocities.com/shanlung9/

 

 

 

 

 

Warm regards

 

Shanlung