Which harness

[Bentley]

I want to take my little outside and maybe on a few day trips out with us
... which harness is best suited for a GCC

i have no experience at all with these things so any advice would be great

[marie83]

Aviator are the safest and most practical for a bird that size as there are no un-necessary clips and they are lightweight. I've had problems with sizing though with the petite being too small and the extra small being too large but most green cheek owners seem to be ok with the petite, my GCC seems to have a large head or I got the one off harness that was made badly.

I still thoroughly reccommend the aviator though despite that.

[Bentley]

ok thanks... i'll have a look online for them


my little guy is only 10/11 weeks old... is he old enough to wear one?? he's a very strong flyer!

[marie83]

Definitely, the earlier they begin training the more likely they are to accept it. at 10/11 weeks Rio should be adult sized or very close to it. Have a look at Michaels harness training guide if you haven't already, its much better than the dvd that comes with the harness.

I'm glad your little one is a strong flier, it means whoever raised him cared enough to allow him to fledge properly. Ollie my GCC is by far the strongest flier I've ever had, he had alot of time and love from his breeder & family. I hate the ones that just get them out to feed them and shove them straight back in the cage or even worse clip the wings Rio sounds like a lucky bird to me.

[Tro]

I have the aviator harness also.
The petite harness was too small for my GCC so I got the xsmall which is working much better for training. The petite would fit around my birds head but be a bit of a squeez and didnt come off easy so would panic every time. I watched Truman's harness training on YouTube and the petite harness fit my GCC the way Truman's harness fit him. So I would imagine the petite harness would work for some GCC's.
Anyway here is the link to the aviator harness I have

http://theparrotuniversity.com/aviator_harness.php

[Bentley]

thanks guys, really helpful

@ marie... the breeder i got him from was a really nice guy and very obviously cared alot about his birds

@tro... yeah the size thing does concern me a little cos i dont want Rio to be uncomfortable with it going on or off but also dont want it to big so it comes off when i take him out

not sure which to get now cos there not cheap and i dont really want to buy 2!!
i think the xtra small might be the better option... what do you guys think??

[marie83]

I started training with the petite size but quickly realised that if I put the neck collar part on all the way it wouldn't come back off without me really hurting Ollie, I got it on to almost the widest part of his head and even that was silly tight so I abandoned the idea and bought the next size up.

I started training with the x-small but then we were having health problems with my birds so I abandoned the training again. I don't want to advise you that the x-small is fine for a green cheek because I never fitted it in full and I had alot of concerns that it wouldn't be escape proof. I planned to practice with it indoors alot to be sure it looked and felt ok before I ever took him outside in it.

You could e-mail the parrot university first saying you are unsure of which size to order because you have heard other people have problems fitting the petite size on their green cheek conures and would they exchange it if it doesn't fit. I'm not going to say they will answer you because I think their customer service leaves alot to be desired after e-mailing them twice myself. I do think their harnesses are the best out there though which is why I still suggest them. What country are you in? it might be better to call them and ask them to e-mail a guarentee they will swap it. I thought about calling them myself but I'm in the UK and it would cost a fortune.

[Bentley]

im in the uk as well Marie... might fire off an email and see what they say

having had a good read today it seems your not the only person having these sizing issues
so i think the extra small might be the way to go

thanks again Marie

[marie83]

Do let us know how you get on wont you.
I see you are in Manchester, just wondering if you got your conure from Gary Clayton as there doesn't seem to be too many good breeders around the midlands?

[LPolliard]

With regards to a tight fit. When taking off the harness be sure to flip the back edge of the neck strap forward before taking it off so it will slide off easier and not dig down to the roots of the feathers.