Birdie backpacks

[janetafloat]

Sorry but that's a disastrous idea. His cockatiel is fine until the day it isn't.....a strong gust of wind....something startles it.....there's any number of out-of-the- norm things that can happen. I'm assuming the bird is clipped too?

[Strawfrawg]

Update on the birdie backpack: Marvin loves it. I let him investigate it as a playhouse for a couple of days, then tried zipping him inside for a few minutes to see how he felt about being confined. He didn't mind a bit, so I tried zipping him in and carrying him first around the house, then around the yard, then around the block. He has a blast in there. He'll even grate his beak and nap in the pack. A few people have asked what I'm carrying, and I tell them in advance they can look but don't touch. He's very sociable, so he goes right up to the mesh and interacts with people. We had our first real walk (2 miles) this morning and he chirped at the birds, played, ate, and preened in the pack with no trouble. He can see me from within the pack so he doesn't get spooked by anything he sees. I respect the opinions of people who prefer a flight harness for taking a bird for a walk, but as I said originally, there are just too many birds of prey to risk it in my area. Marvin seems to feel secure in the pack, and I certainly feel better not having to be hypervigilant.

This has been resolved, but I did decide against clipping Marvin and I am *so* glad I did. Teaching my little guy to fly in the house safely and watching him build confidence in his takeoffs and landings has been a real joy. On the other hand, my cockatiel Weebo was so mischievous and stubborn (in a cute way) that in hindsight I remain glad that he was clipped. He had good tone from flapping and stretching on his perch and he was an expert climber...he never flew in his life and I don't think he knew what he was missing. After having Weebo, I can't judge people who do decide for whatever reason to clip, but I wouldn't do it again with another bird, myself.

One last thing...I wouldn't buy from a breeder that *insisted* on clipping for the simple reason that I'm the one buying the bird. Something like that is up to me, the paying owner. If the breeder insists on clipping against my wishes then who knows what else they may be doing based on their stern preference...force-weaning, etc. It just doesn't speak well of the breeder. Mine was fantastic. Weaned to my pellets and whole foods of choice, taught step-up and whole-body touching, taught laying down on the back and manual wing-extension...she was beyond good and I have an almost impossibly well-adjusted and easygoing baby to show for it. Amazing, since she had more than 50 babies of over a dozen varieties in the nursery when my Sennie was there. This lady must do nothing all day but work with her hatchlings!

[marie83]

Excellent, glad he is enjoying it.

I'm tempted by them now as I don't think I will ever be able to get Ollie harness trained due to his ongoing health issues. I think self consiousness would stop me though, there was a woman with a cat in a pushchair type thing and she attracted way more attention than the people I have seen walking cats, ferrets, and rabbits on harnesses.

[pionus]

Nah, don't worry about looking weird. you would be enriching Ollie's life, and I bet all those staring people who come up and want to see what the heck that lady has on her shoulder would be good socialization for him.

[marie83]

Well atm he does get to go out in his travel cage but we rarely get any warm enough days, or they fall on the days I really really dont have time so thats few and far between
Ollie is pretty well socialised but more is always better ofc, I'm just not sure how much benefit that would be to have people gawping at him through mesh compared with being able to be fed treats/scratched on a harness.
Also not sure I can justify the cost for something that might not get used that much. I may consider it next year when i have more time available.

[janetafloat]

That's fantastic, Strawfrawg, sounds like you & Marvin are having a great time! I really like the idea of your bird pack - which brand/model did you end up getting? I'd really like to get Alfie out & about more (ie some) but, as Marie83 says, the weather has been rubbish and it hasn't been warm enough to take my little chicken out. We're working on the harness but have got a ways to go. Good for you!

[janetafloat]

ps So glad you didn't clip Marvin - once you've had a flighted bird you'll never go back. That's how they're supposed to be

[Strawfrawg]

Janetafloat...it's funny that you call Alfie your little chicken. I call Marvin "my chicken", too...not to mention Mr. Chickenpants. When I was a toddler all birds were chickens to me, since my aunt's farm chickens were the first birds my mother ever mentioned by name.

I got the shoulder model I posted an image of at the start of this thread (pricey!!!), but it was just too weird and too small inside. I returned it and went with this basic Pak-o-bird model:

http://www.celltei.com/paolsm.html

The mesh is easier to see through than it looks. I wear it on my front so Marvin can see me easily through the top and is facing the same direction I'm walking in. I would think being on my back would be scarier for him, and I'm concerned about big dogs (or mean people) coming up behind me.

Marie...I say to heck with what anyone thinks. People tend to look, but few approach me. When they do, the natural desire to maintain a good radius of personal space keeps people from getting too close uninvited. People think a bird on a "leash" is just as strange, if not stranger. I just decided it's not about me, it's about Marvin. People can think what they want.

[Maria]

My problem with these “back packs” for “birds” is that I’ve seen them made too small, as well as with the installed perch inside them installed too high, so that there’s not enough head room, etc., comfortably for the bird. They can also be worn on the front instead of the back, but if I were to get one, I would need to look for one and see one made big enough with comfortable room accordingly.

Yes that’s not good, for the bird to fall down, getting thrown off the perch, causing it to harshly lose it’s balance, when one just forgettingly bends over, while this thing is on their back, GEEEZ!

Michael: Can you recommend any great book, with all the details you need to know, about having a full flighted bird? About harness training, flight recall, parrot proofing your home, etc. I want to get my hands on something like that. My bird is fully flighted, and I want to start taking him through all this, and preparing my home as well. He is doing very good. I’m so happy for him, and he’s ever so loving and bonded to me.

Well my lunch is over so have to go 

[Khaiqha]

I have a backpack for my alexandrine and it works out great. I was very specific in the height of the perch for my backpack as alexandrines have ridiculously long tails. I actually got a call from the lady making it the day after I placed the order and we talked over the phone getting my dimensions perfect.

I'm always self aware of the fact that I have the backpack on and don't bend over or turn too quickly with it. Haven't had people try and open it or poke fingers or anything, everyone loves it and just looks without touching.

My only complaint is the price but the bird-o-pak people are the only ones making it, so they have a monopoly on the market and can charge whatever they want. Considering I think it'll last a lifetime barring an accident, it was totally worth it for me. I travel a lot, walking/visiting friends, so having the backpack is pretty convenient, especially because getting a travel cage for a 18-24" long bird is pretty difficult.