Cape Parrot Harness

[redcanary01]

I have a female Cape named Petunia (9 months), and would have to agree with Michael's latest blog post that she is both cuddly and extremely stubborn.

Which harness are you using? I have the Aviator and Petunia will readily stick her head through for a treat, but some days when she's feeling cheeky, getting it back off her huge head is more than she can tolerate. She will then flap and pull back sharply causing me to be "the evil one" trapping her head instead of "the nice one" gently pulling it off.

Usually at this point, I have to go back to just getting her comfortable with it again by having her put her head through the wing hole (ie easy and large space) and allowing the weight to drape her body instead of actually "harnessing" her.

So we have this seesaw of somedays being able to put the harness on completely to not at all. Then I got to thinking, maybe this is just the wrong harness for a Cape? Or maybe just her? Have you tried any others? Thanks!

[Michael]

I have the aviator small. I've seen the medium. Definitely too big. The small is actually perfect size and sits well once it is on. But getting it on/off is hard because the Capes' head is really big and disproportionate for the standard size that the harness wad designed for (like a Galah). Over time, the harness got more worn and Truman more used to it. I had the exact same problem in the beginning. Try dunking it in water and letting it dry a few times. That tends to loosen up the material. I'd worry about putting it in the wash though in case it breaks the stitches. Just play with the material a lot to loosen it and use positive reinforcement in conjunction to using it. Practice makes perfect.