aviator harness!

[ranaz]

how early can we start using this on a bird?

[katana600]

When we reserved our little one, I started reading your posts. I have been reading every day for a month now and still have lots to learn from all of you. Thanks for taking the time to share your advice. We are so lucky to have made friends with a breeder for a few years before getting attached to a baby. Our breeder teaches them to wear this harness and is teaching me to put it on him before he comes home. Reading your posts helps me to ask questions when I visit my little one and to prepare our home for his arrival. Thanks so much.

[mstrssgrim]

I have one for my eclectus. My grey wont wear it. I practiced on a stuffed animal first before struggling with my parrot. Also, start out by making the harness really big, so you can just slide it on and around his wings. then tighten it up.

[Brittany]

we have a feather tether and there is no way i can get it on Pepper

 

Sadly, I don't think he'll ever be able to wear one. He is terrified! I don't want to force him. is the aviator better?

[JillyBeanz]

The Aviator is much better Brittany - the feather tether has a million clips, which I think weigh them down and also dig in. They are a right pain to try and put on - too many pieces. The Aviator is all in one, over the wings, over the head. I'm not going to pretend it's an easy mission - it takes time, effort and patience - but there is an extremely helpful DVD which you get with it which teaches you the right approach. Go for it!

[Janfromboone]

I love the freedom the aviator harness gives to take the bird outside. It wasn't that easy for me to teach Tobie to put it on though and he became more resistant with time to wearing it. I have had to back up and slow down and start again with the training. He wore it again without any problem last weekend.

[AbbysDaddy]

WOW well lets just say I bought one for Abby at a local bird shop here around St. Louis and well its still hanging on the wall next to Abby's cage ... I hung it on her cage and she just chewed on it its not that shes afraid of it ... just me handling her the way we need to to put it on ..... plus its confusing as all hell......!

[JillyBeanz]

I find it easiest to have Harvey facing away from me and then I slip the harness over her wings first, the head strap next. Hopefully once you get to that point Abby will accept it - because the "best bite point" is when you are tightening it at her front! That's when they are able to definitely get stuck in if they want! Good luck - I can't impress upon you enough how great they are!

[AbbysDaddy]

well .... lets just say that mine might not be the aviator lol .... ill have to look at the box but its confusing as hell thats for sure

[reggieroo]

I picked my baby CAG up 4 weeks ago, the breeder had already harness trained him with the aviator so I was hoping it would be easy. I got an aviator about two weeks ago but he doesn't like it, while trying to get it on him he does his best to avoid wearing it. I can get it on him but he always tries to step up & into the harness as I try & tighten it.

 

Once on him I take him out into the garden to go on his stand, after he has had a look round he just keeps chewing it trying to undo it! It's now chewed to bits, I have tried giving him something else to chew but after about a minute he's back at the harness.

[JillyBeanz]

Hi reggieroo - you have to get the harness "just right" in order that it isn't chewed to death. It's obviously a foreign object and restricting, and you will find that they will preen around them and under them in order to "arrange" themselves. Just make sure that he's not being aggravated by the clip bit at the front and it's not too tight - it's just right if you can get your finger between the harness and his chest. Persevere though - it's great taking them out in the garden in the summer, in comparison to them being cage bound whilst you are enjoying the sunshine. Make sure though that the harness you have isn't damaged so that it may snap - escape is relatively easy once once bit goes.

[reggieroo]

Hi reggieroo - you have to get the harness "just right" in order that it isn't chewed to death. It's obviously a foreign object and restricting, and you will find that they will preen around them and under them in order to "arrange" themselves. Just make sure that he's not being aggravated by the clip bit at the front and it's not too tight - it's just right if you can get your finger between the harness and his chest. Persevere though - it's great taking them out in the garden in the summer, in comparison to them being cage bound whilst you are enjoying the sunshine. Make sure though that the harness you have isn't damaged so that it may snap - escape is relatively easy once once bit goes.

 

Thanks for the info, I will keep trying as I love bringing him outside. We have had quite a few nice days for relaxing in the garden & feel guilty leaving him inside while I'm enjoying the sunshine so I always go get him.

[Xtreme575]

I'm with Jill on the "rah-rah" for the Aviator. It is a pain (literally) to get it on, but once on and out, it's totally worth the effort! I'm the opposite in that I find it easiest with my bird facing me, but on a short perch where he can't get away from me while I slip the collar over his heads. The wings are easy in comparison, and the real trouble comes with getting it done up, or undone... That is where I might lose a finger, or an arm.

[Janfromboone]

yes! That's when Tobie gets his revenge - when I tighten the thing.

[SunnyBird]

OK friends,

 

Please have a look at the photos I posted in the photography room in "Sunshine in a Cherry Tree" and tell me if you think that I'm doing something wrong in putting on Sunny's aviator harness or if you think it might be a size too big. It doesn't lay flat against his chest. That doesn't seem to bother him however, he's just always picking at the buckle and manages to loosen it all the time.

 

This harness is the size for CAGs. I had purchased it for Alex my beloved over the rainbow bridge CAG last year. He never got to wear it.

 

Anyhow, see what you think and any advice or suggestions will be highly appreciated.

 

Here's the link:

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?189354-Sunshine-in-a-Cherry-Tree

 

Cheers,

Renate and Sunshine

[Luvparrots]

Those are certainly great pictures of Sunshine in the Cherry tree! I can't wait for a sunny day here so I can take Ana Grey out!

[JillyBeanz]

It looks like you have the harness just right around the front - I think that the only thing I can think of is that greys are broader around the "shoulders" and the length from the beak to central chest longer in a grey - that's all it looks like - just a little "slack" on the harness. It's never going to come off - so don't worry about it. Harvey picks at his too - but I learned that this is to make it fit in with his feathers - they adjust them to lie comfortably against their bodies. Great pictures - thanks for sharing x

[domyoburk]

Anyone else have an aviator harness that, like ours, is sitting unused in a drawer? Ursula is two; I tried putting in on her (gradually getting her used to it over weeks, following all the DVD instructions, when she was about one, the first time she drew my blood). We stepped outside and it was fun, but taking it off was a disaster - once it was a little loose, she got her claw in it and freaked out before I could get it off...

 

I have to work hard just on keeping her friendly to stepping up on my hand. My husband is her favorite but even he would have a hell of a time with the harness. Don't get me wrong, Ursula is very loving and social, wants to be near all the time, chats up a storm, just doesn't care to be touched much other than the occasional neck scratch when SHE feels like it. And you'd better watch out for the moment she DOESN'T feel like it anymore. I had a parrot behavioral consultant over who gave me advice about keeping Ursula willing to step up, and when I asked how to work on the harness she laughed and suggested I work on learning to walk before I try the Indie 500 with the Indie 500 of birds!

 

Anyway, not to discourage anyone - go for it, what a wonderful thing. Wish we could do it, at least Ursula flies indoors. Start as young as possible!

[JillyBeanz]

What I have found is that you have to be 100% confident that you can carry out the functions in order to get the harness on/off in one fell swoop. Any pausing or nervousness in the installation or unharnessing does bring unmitigated disaster. Early on I had to endure proper, proper bites from a scared Harvey when he caught his foot in his. You just have to stay calm, just like you would with your child.

 

Putting a harness on is a lot harder in older birds, but at two I don't think it is too old. Keep trying for a bit longer ~ like you say - it's fabulous!

[domyoburk]

But Ow! I have to admit that Ursula has trained me - when she doesn't like what I'm doing she grabs my finger and then pinches harder and harder. She is very, very smart and knows exactly how to get what she wants. I can kiss her beak and we otherwise have a great relationship, but my hands aren't part of it.

 

I would love to put the fear aside and move without hestitation, but I am picturing hands covered with painful bruises and bloody V-shaped puncture wounds! I know this is exactly the wrong thing to have in mind, but does anyone have any advice for me? Maybe I should start another thread with this!

[jeanna]

My 18wk old Jasper haaates his harness. It's not too hard to slip it on his head, but getting the wings through without his feet getting tangles up on it is hard! Everytime i have a finger near his feet/chest, he tries to step up on it which causes him to sometimes step through the harness and then I have to lift up his foot to untangle him while the whole contraption is all over his body. It helps to make him take a treat so he doesn't bite. Though he got smart on me and started dropping the treat immediately, haha. Once he has it on, as long as he's distracted by something, he doesn't seem to mind it too much. He definitely picks at the buckle though. He wore it for like an hour yesterday in a car and at the store and everything. I bought him the medium size, but it seems a bit big for him because he's kinda small at 400g. Should I exchange it for a smaller size? I figured that he'll probably gain some more weight and fill out a bit.

 

Getting it off of him is the worst part. When I try to loosen the buckle he just starts trying to bite my hand, so it's like a centimeter by centimeter since I have to keep avoiding his beak. Followed by all the troubles of feet entanglement. But he's all happy and lovey again once it's off.

[abula]

i just ordered one from ebay red colour meduim size for abula which he weighs around 400-450 grams hes about 3 years old and hes more then happy to give me a bite if he doesnt feel likes stepping up im just imagining all the trouble im gonna have

[Janfromboone]

I had trouble with Tobie grabbing the strap in the front before I could tighten it too. Now a year later he is pretty good with it. I had to slow down back up and start with the basic training this spring after a long lay off over winter, but his training came back pretty fast. I just spent an hour out doors with him today and he really doesn't mind the harness.

 

The main thing I can say is don't force anything. If he objects to it by biting, then back up and go back to the basic instruction on the tape. That's what I did this spring even though he wore it all summer last summer. I still modify the instructions a bit but use the 1-2-3-4. Tobie knows whatever I'm doing stops when I get to 4.

Edited May 18, 2010 by Janfromboone
adding a comment

[abula]

my harness arrived this morning abula would refuse to put it on so i tricked him into wearing it see below on how, i got him to wear it then he wouldnt stop chewing on the harness i think there cheap qaulitly he nerly tore one of the collars apart.

 

putting it on:

 

step1: put the harness collar on one hand and hide it

step2: pet the parrot with the other hand around the eyes so it closes them

step3: while petting it slide the harness on without them knowing loool.

 

talon thats worth a try for u coz i got my harness today and got it on him the same second hahahaha

[justalady721]

;)I have one but have not put it on Houdini yet. I have had it out and laid it across my chest where he likes to walk..lol and have also put it in his cage so he would not be afraid of it, and put it on top of his cage so he had to either walk on it or walk over it. any way just to get him use to it. I have practiced like the cd shows putting your hands over his head. he is ok with this sometimes and others he just doesnt want my hands around his head sooo. that is as far as we have made it. cant wait until I can get it on him though. He is my bud. He ate potato soup with me tonight right out of my bowl it was soooo cute. I love him so much