Aviator Harness?

[jayebird]

We purchased an Aviator for our green-cheek conure, Mango, about a month ago. We watched the DVD and spent a few weeks doing all of the taming/training procedures they recommended. Mango was already very hand-tame and loves being held on his back, having his nails groomed, we can touch him anywhere, and we've been teaching him tricks (like waving, etc.) for months now.

However, today was the first day we actually tried to slip the harness over his head and put it on him for an adventure outside. His wings are currently clipped. The actual putting-on of the harness turned out to be more than a little traumatic for him (I think he was terrified of the sensation of it being around his neck) but we went through with it and once he was outside he was much more excited by the world than he was worried about the harness - and it was a ton of fun for both of us.

I have two questions:

1) Since this first time outside with the harness was a bit traumatic to actually put it on, have we now ruined all of the training we did? What should we do? Keep putting it on and going outside every few days, or slow way down and start from square one?

2) While we were outside he was very happy and singing but did occasionally nibble at the nylon and buckle and I'm worried that he'll eventually chew through it. He isn't a strong or determined chewer, but if he keeps at it for a really long time it might damage the harness. How do I discourage that behavior when outside?


I think the biggest problem is just how tiny he is in comparison to the harness, but today's trip and experience has not harmed our relationship at all so I'm not too worried about that. The macaw they demonstrated on in the video was huge compared to the harness and I wish the x-small harness had smaller nylon threading so it was more in proportion to his body and didn't get in the way of his feet and stuff.

I just want to make sure that we'll keep getting to have fun outings with the aviator! Advice?

[Michael]

1) Since this first time outside with the harness was a bit traumatic to actually put it on, have we now ruined all of the training we did? What should we do? Keep putting it on and going outside every few days, or slow way down and start from square one?

Yes. I made the mistake of following the video and just stuck the harness on Kili. She is super tame and I was able to hold her and put it on. But I wasn't holding the leash and she flew around inside a bit and it got caught on things and it was just a real mess. Next time she came in sight of the harness she had a major panic attack and wouldn't go anywhere near it. This is why I started over again (now with a phobic bird) and had to create my own method for harness taming.

Except for maybe learning the method the harness is put on and tightened, the included video is absolutely useless. Check out my guide for harness training, I think my method embodies a much more effective and positive experience. If your bird isn't scared of it, all the easier it will be to use my method.

2) While we were outside he was very happy and singing but did occasionally nibble at the nylon and buckle and I'm worried that he'll eventually chew through it. He isn't a strong or determined chewer, but if he keeps at it for a really long time it might damage the harness. How do I discourage that behavior when outside?

I've tried tugging the leash or shaking the bird whenever she'd chew on the collar and it hasn't helped any. I've given up trying to punish the behavior cause it doesn't work. However, I am happy to report that the harness is quite durable and has lasted me an entire season so far. At the rate of destruction, I'd estimate I can safely get 3 years use out of it before replacing it just in case.

I think the biggest problem is just how tiny he is in comparison to the harness, but today's trip and experience has not harmed our relationship at all so I'm not too worried about that. The macaw they demonstrated on in the video was huge compared to the harness and I wish the x-small harness had smaller nylon threading so it was more in proportion to his body and didn't get in the way of his feet and stuff.

I just want to make sure that we'll keep getting to have fun outings with the aviator! Advice?

It's actually much easier to put the harness on a larger parrot and there is less fear of hurting it. Also, the mechanism doesn't work as good in the smaller version. Truman's harness pivots quite well around the body but Kili's not quite. Of course this probably matters less on a smaller bird too. I think you will find it quite effective but I do suggest being careful and keeping the experience positive. But just you wait, the parrot will get more pissed at the harness later on and you'll have to keep repeating the exercises I teach to maintain tameness to wear the harness. I don't think the fun experiences of outside outweigh the displeasure of putting the harness on so don't rely on that. A treat every time the harness goes on works much better as it is immediate.

[iknowwhatiknow]

Rory's a GCC, and yesterday we had our first go at putting the whole harness on. He wasn't a fan of the process (wiggled and wobbled the whole time) but once it was on, and we were still inside, he was quite happy to sit there and eat his sultanas (his absolute favourite - so far - they're used for harness training only).

Like you, I have an issue with the size of the thing. I wish that the width of the threading was about half of what it is now. The biggest problem though seems to be the buckle, which upsets him a lot. He's quite happy to have the loop around his neck, and the straps under his wings, but the buckle drives him absolutely batty.

Tomorrow we're going to attempt 'the outside' after a few more tries with the full harness today. I'll let you know how I go. The only advice I have at the moment though is sultanas, sultanas, sultanas.

[jayebird]

lol - I had to google what "sultanas" were...I know them as raisins Yes yes - Mango loooooves raisins, and grapes, and apple, and banana - his favorite fruits. I will use those to make him happy as well.

I am totally on the same page with you about the width of the threading and the buckle. Next time, when we finally get him re-trained about the whole thing, I'm going to try moving the buckle to his back so that it's not so near his face and messing with his feet. Mango absolutely looooooved going outside, so at least all this fuss is for a very big reward

[Michael]

I don't think it's good to put the buckle on the back for several reasons:

-It will make a lump under the wings which would seem uncomfortable
-The parrot can still turn around and pick it from behind
-Bird cannot fly in this arrangement
-The leash line wouldn't hang off by gravity



See how the leash hangs away below the bird when used properly. With a little bit of practice, the parrot can learn to walk in such a way to avoid tripping over it, particularly on a perch.

I think a better way to teach them from chewing the buckle is to keep their beak busy with other toys to chew on when they are wearing the harness.

[iknowwhatiknow]

So I got brave this afternoon when I harnessed up Rory without a nip, and decided that, what with it being such a lovely sunny day, it was time to explore 'the outside'.

We only sat there for about ten minutes. I took his training perch out, because he's comfortable with it, and I also took out an apple minus a slice for me, and a slice of apple for him. Apparently, if I'd told him that apple was involved, we wouldn't have had any problems.

I also loosened the buckle a bit (does it look too loose to anyone? I'm pretty sure he can't get out of it, but I might keep it a bit tighter in future), and that seemed to make him much, much happier. He's had a bit of practice wearing it inside for short periods, so he's working out how to step around it (though he's not happy to lift his foot up to hold the apple while wearing it, so I guess that'll just take time).

He was very nervous outside. We don't have predator birds in this part of Australia, and my yard is quite self-contained, but I do have A LOT of wild birds popping in and out of the yard all the time, and every time one flew over, while not being threatening in any way, he jumped. I guess he's still a baby, and birds are ultimately prey, I'd be nervous too.


*I realise that it doesn't look like the loop is around his neck, but it is, it's just under his feathers.

He was pretty relaxed about the whole thing once the apple slice came out. Good luck jayebird!

[Michael]

You know why you shouldn't keep the buckle that loose? It's not because I think the bird will get out but because they tend to try to "step up" into the loose area between the strap and body. They get their legs up and then caught in that gap. Of course this also gives you less safe threshold if your bird manages to loosen the buckle a little as well.

Looks good though. Good thing you didn't overwhelm the parrot by staying outside too long on the first time. If he's terribly uncomfortable outside, you might want to consider keep him outside in a cage or better yet carrier (of course with supervision) a few sessions. This way he can feel like he can hide while observing all around him. This way when he's on harness, he'll be more familiar with the surroundings.

[iknowwhatiknow]

He gets at least 15 minutes outside in a travel cage each day (usually when I get home from work). I've not noticed him being nervous in the cage though. I think it was a combination of the strangeness of the harness and the missing protection that he was used to. He didn't do a lot of walking around, so I didn't think about the stepping up issue. I will tighten the harness up next time.

Thanks, Michael.