What size Aviator harness for a GCC?

[Andromeda]

I was wondering if anyone had an Aviator harness for their GCC and what size they used?

Going by weight and breed information from the manufacturer I should buy the smallest size (Petite) but two people left reviews on Drs. Foster and Smith saying the Petite was too small for their GCC (one of whom said the harness even got stuck around its head).

[marie83]

Petite is too small for my GCC too, its not mearly a tight fit, I really believe if it goes on fully I'm either going to break ollies neck getting it off if he struggles or end up trying to cut it off.
So I got the extra small, now believe it or not the extra small is significantly bigger than the petite so then I started worrying it might not be escape proof. Whilst it should be okay if the adjustable band on the main strap is tight enough, I'll be doing alot of practice inside as well as brushing up on recall training. Thats if i ever managed to get the harness training done in the first place, every time I try he goes sick again.
Btw I did e-mail the manufacturer to ask if the xs would be ok to use but I never heard back, I believe someone else on here asked them the same question and did get a reply which they posted on the boards. You might find it with a quick search.

[Dasphatness]

Ordered mine yesterday. Got the x-small for my girly. I was going to get the petite as it was recommended by size and weight. My Mulga is roughly the size of a cockatiel but is still young. Hope i made the right size choice!

[friend2parrots]

i've had similar problems with the aviator harness sizing for Ringo.
the petites too small and the xsmall is too big

seems like GCC's heads are bigger than what the Parrot University measured out

[GreenWing]

Aren't Senegals about the same size? It's probably pretty close.

Our Aviator harness is a size x-small

[Eurycerus]

I am using the x-small for Nika, so yeah.

A little off topic, but I've been on and off getting Nika accustomed to the harness touching her or being near her but haven't put the loop on her head. I've been doing this thing where she has to semi reach through the loop to get to a treat. Yesterday she somehow actually slipped it over her head, which I was not intending to do. I'm fairly certain I was more terrified than her. So there I am saying in a calm quiet voice "It's okay, it's okay, everything's going to be okay", my adrenaline pumping, because I am terrified I'm not going to be able to get it off in a timely manner without making this a bad experience or that she's going to get hurt. She flapped around a bit with it dangling from her and I'm trying to be calm and giving her treats to make it a fun experience and trying to take it off yet not freak her out. I am such a spazz... Needless to say she didn't seem scarred from the experience, but I'm going to have to figure out how to take it off of her head more easily.

[Andromeda]

Thanks for all the responses!

Petite is too small for my GCC too, its not mearly a tight fit, I really believe if it goes on fully I'm either going to break ollies neck getting it off if he struggles or end up trying to cut it off.
So I got the extra small, now believe it or not the extra small is significantly bigger than the petite so then I started worrying it might not be escape proof.

i've had similar problems with the aviator harness sizing for Ringo.
the petites too small and the xsmall is too big

seems like GCC's heads are bigger than what the Parrot University measured out

Well this pretty much seals it for me; I'm not going to order the Petite.

Btw I did e-mail the manufacturer to ask if the xs would be ok to use but I never heard back, I believe someone else on here asked them the same question and did get a reply which they posted on the boards. You might find it with a quick search.

Thanks, Marie, I did do a search before I posted this thread but I must have overlooked that thread or not searched with the right keywords because after another search I found a user named Tro said the manufacturer could make a custom size! I will contact them about getting a custom size as I've totally ruled out the Petite at this point and think the XS would be too large.

Aren't Senegals about the same size? It's probably pretty close.

Our Aviator harness is a size x-small

On average a Senegal weighs twice as much as a green cheek conure. The actual length of their body from head to the base of the tail is about the same but a Senegal's beak, head, and body are significantly larger. I have a pretty direct comparison for this because I have a brown-headed parrot as well as a GCC.

[friend2parrots]

after another search I found a user named Tro said the manufacturer could make a custom size! I will contact them about getting a custom size as I've totally ruled out the Petite at this point and think the XS would be too large.

yeah, I also had hopes to contact Parrot University to order a custom size for Ringo. But I've since gotten discouraged for several reasons, which I shall enumerate below:

1. the GCCs are really small, as far as parrots go (notwithstanding their oversized personalities, of course). so when an Aviator harness is placed on a GCC, fitting and adjusting the straps and buckles are harder.

2. not only are the GCCs little, they are really delicate around their neck area. I've given scritches to larger birds - even sun conures have a sturdier feeling neck region than the GCC. when my GCC comes out of the shower or bath, I can totally see the outline of his tiny, super thin neck. its about as thick as a strand of spaghetti! i have been able to confirm the thinness of his neck during scritches-time as well. it is thin and tiny, with basically NO palpable musculature, like the larger birds have. so I'm always afraid of the prospect of placing a loop around that tiny, delicate neck.

3. the straps and the buckles of the Aviator harness are so tight and hard to manipulate at the smaller sizes. I've tried the larger sizes in the shop (a shopkeeper once showed me, using the store's cockatoo as a model, how to put it on) and the buckle slides so smoothly, simply because its big. but the petite and xsmall sizes, ARGH! they are sticky and tight, and take forever to loosen and tighten! i'm assuming that the custom designed one for Ringo, if I ordered it, would be between petite and xsmall, so it too would probably have tiny, tight, and sticky buckles.

4. add to the several factors already mentioned above, the fact that GCCs by their very nature are among the most HYPER birds around! the problem with hyperness for harness training GCCS is that one needs the bird to stand still when manipulating the extremely tight buckles on the harness.

so all in all, these are the challenges that I find the Aviator harness presents for GCCs. i am hoping to try again, but I just wish there were more options, more brands, more styles, etc, to choose from. I have also considered getting the Flight Suits (the bird diaper things) and cutting off the diaper part (i've always thought it kinda gross and weird to put a diaper on a bird) to make it like a little vest. The Flight Suits dont involve buckles, they just involve velcro, and there are no neck loops that have to be fitted over the head, as in the Aviator. and they seem to come in pretty reasonable sizes, that would fit a GCC.

so yeah, I'm not 100% sure if I'm going to pursue the custom sizing option for the aviator.... i'm still looking around for other options at this point.

sorry to sound so discouraging - maybe things arent as bad as i've enumerated, and these challenges can be overcome with training and practice and careful handling... i am all for listening to encouraging stories about the Aviator harnesses for GCCs...

if anyone has positive stories about Aviator harnesses for GCCs, please share them...thanks!

[marie83]

I never completed the harness training with Ollie but there are quite a few examples on the internet with green cheeks wearing them, I googled a fair bit with me being unsure whether to order the xs size as I didn't want to waste my money. I didn't find anything particuarly constructive on whether the xs was suitable though but like I say, theres loads of stories on other forums etc.

When I first started harness training, I kinda gave up. Ollie was about 3-4 months old at the time and I was using the dvd guide not Michaels guide. Yes he wouldn't stay still enough- at all so I didn't really get to any kind of point of realising it was too small.

When he was older I decided to try again and found Michaels sites by accident whilst searching for specific GCC advice, this second attempt was going really really well. We were practicing with big loops on the main strap and gradually reducing them, cuddling him loads kept him still enough for the first few times but as soon as he clicked on he got treats for it there was no problem, he willingly put his head through on his own. The problem that made me quit was when I tried to put the proper collar over his head, it was an insanely tight fit and I knew whilst I could probably slide on it, it would be near impossible to get it back off so I didn't get beyond halfway.

So my third attempt was with an xs harness, this went way better than expected until it came to tighten the straps, I had tightened but not fully tightened it when he got a bit panicky and tried to fly. I then had to start from scratch which was going ok but slower progress than before but Ollie got sick so I had to stop again.

Theres been a couple of other brief attempts, just practing with the headloop but as most of you know this sickness is a re-occuring issue which has lead to me ceasing the training again.

By the way, the straps do loosen if you keep fiddling with them but obviously I cant really comment on how fiddly it is to tighten them fully on such a small bird but it isn't bad up to the midway point. I'm fairly confident I will be able to get Ollie to tolerate wearing his harness one day but until he is better and we have established full trust again I wont attempt it.

[friend2parrots]

marie, what you've written does give one confidence in re-attempting training with the Aviator. after reading your last post, I did a bunch of research on google and youtube and did encounter as you said a number of GCCs who are enjoying outdoor life wearing their Aviator harnesses.

i also read through some older posts on the forum about the Aviator and GCCs and it does seem that a number of people on the forum from previous years have had success with it.

so i guess i'm feeling more encouraged now....I've also done more research since my last post on the Flight Suits, and have revised my thoughts... a lot of people are saying the flight suits are just not safe or suitable for outdoor use.

and my idea of cutting off the diaper part isnt going to work, i think, because the garment then becomes too loose, to the point where the bird can wiggle out of it. yesterday I actually tried cutting off the bottom to a flight suit that I bought for Ringo several years ago, but had never used. and I then held the final product in my hand. it was WAY too stretchy to contain a bird after you cut off the diaper part. oh well. and i also read on the internet that its a very awkward fitting for flighted birds because the Flight Suit arm (or wing) holes are a bit small for sending the whole wing through when youre putting it on the bird.

in any case, it does sound like the Aviator is the best bet out there for GCCs right now. I think when Ringo is better moodwise (hopefully by the summer) i'm going to custom order a harness for him. its definitely worth a try!!