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aviator harness!


Guest briansmum

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dejavu022597

 

Many times, people will respond in a way that may be taken the wrong way. Usually, it's not an attack. People feel very strongly about their own birds and other people's birds and they only wanna help. Sometimes, people run into situations that they've never dealt with and it causes a strong response. So, if you can understand what I'm saying, you and others won't have any problems.

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It's always best to think about the future and an event that could make your bird suddenly go into a panic attack. That is normally what will cause an injury with a harness device not proper for a bird.

 

Once they are in flee or die mode, they will injure themselves unintentionally. Just some food for thought. :)

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Thank you, luvparrots. I do have a wonderful harness and she wears it well. She'd do anything to go outside. I clip her wings for her safety. When we take our walk with my dogs, she listens to me and follows my instructions. The other day a large branch and furniture garbage truck was coming down the street picking up stuff. LOTS OF NOISE. I just stroked her and told her that I would protect her and the truck was just loud noise and not to worry. She relaxed completely. But, to be safe, I will go back to putting the harness on her. I would never do anything harmful to her, therefore thank you to everyone who posted above this post. I have corrected my mistake. Just please put some sugar on your words. I'm tough, but I'm still human and get my feelings hurt just like everyone else.

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  • 3 months later...

I am encouraged by all your successful aviator harness stories. Averi wore an aviator as a baby, but after a slight accident in which she got tripped up in the harness, she has been scared to wear it. My other Grey, Tilda just turned a year and has never worn a harness. I'm going to start re/training them both to wear them this week and I'll let you all know how it turns out.

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I am encouraged by all your successful aviator harness stories. Averi wore an aviator as a baby, but after a slight accident in which she got tripped up in the harness, she has been scared to wear it. My other Grey, Tilda just turned a year and has never worn a harness. I'm going to start re/training them both to wear them this week and I'll let you all know how it turns out.

 

Best of luck to you :) Let us know how it goes.

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Rosa wears the harness very well. I started when she was just a baby at 1 y.o. My problem is that it only takes her 2 weeks to chew through it. I have gone through many expensive harnesses and that is why I have to leash her. She sticks her foot out for me to snap it on and does the "crazy" dance. The leash is very long and I cut her wings, I never want to lose her. She has jumped off of me 2 times. The first was when she climbed down my shorts and bit me on the leg. I guess I was a substitute for one of the dogs. I jumped, she lost her grip and fluttered to my feet with at least 18 inches of leash on the ground. The other time I tripped and fell, she jumped off and then walked as far as she could away from me into someone's yard.

While I agree that this isn't the best way to walk her, and because she loves to go (she's walked with me since she turned one), I have tried to do everything I can to protect her. I live on a fixed income and buying a decent harness (on ebay) at $20 or so, is just not affordable. I constantly worry that she's already chewed through one of the most important containment straps. I do admire all of you whose birds are not quite so hard headed about the harnesses. I've spent many, many, many times trying to correct the behavior, but she seems to have too much fun to obey the command, "No bite harness."

Edited by dejavu022597
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  • 2 months later...

All things considered I think I've been pretty lucky so far with Jasper. I decided to get an aviator harness and it came about a week or two before he came home. Another gentleman who bought one of the babies had been visiting with one that the lady at the shop kept putting on for him to get him used to it. When mine came I mentioned it and was told there that I should have been bringing one in to get him used to it.

He came home a week ago and from about day 3 I started working with him. It didn't take long for him to let me get it on but it was a bit of a struggle. I didn't have anything to practice on so I was fumbling a bit and whenever I brought a finger near his chest he thought he was to step up even though I never asked. He did manage to step on the harness and pushed with his feet making it go tight across his back. It was madness and confusion and I could a couple good bites from the deal.

Like riding a bike, right? Next day we go again..and the next..now he's standing still and being very good with the putting it on and taking off. Oh he tries to help and grabs and pulls the strap and fusses and growls the whole time. I think too it's my convidence that when he tries to lift a foot I tell him "no" in a sure voice so he knows that's not what I expect.

It's been nice here for over a week and I've been trying to take him out at least once a day if not twice. He still needs distraction or else he will try to pull on or chew the harness but it's just a matter of time I think. He just needs to get used to the feel of it on his body. I agree it's not that easy for them as someone posted it feels odd and pulls the feathers out of place.

Tonight I went out and sat on my steps with him on one hand and my 4 year old cat's leash in the other hand. I brought one of his playing cards to chew on to distract him and that lasted as long as it did.

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It's never too early to start getting them comfortable with something new. You just want to be sure not to rush them accepting it. Work at their pace and it should be fine. :)

your new pic is great :D looks like they really enjoy being outside ... so awesome .. Im going to build a nice outdoor aviary for Marco (listen to me saying IM GOING TO ... bwahahahah ....) :rolleyes: hubby and our neighbor are going to ;) but I will not take her out of the house w/out the harness on to walk her to the little aviary thats for sure !

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Thanks aerial :) the pic is from her first time outside with her aviator...had to get the pink :). I took her to petsmart the other day and she did pretty well. The only thing that really freaked her out was a school bus that drove by. She tried to fly off and the aviator did it's job by keeping her next to me. :)

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  • 2 months later...

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