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Taking a parrot on a bike ride?

Discuss the methods and techniques of clicker training, target training and bonding. These are usually the first steps in training a young parrot.

Re: Taking a parrot on a bike ride?

Postby herbg » Thu Jun 06, 2013 11:23 pm

Our Yellow Naped Barney loves to go on rides, I have ridden with him aboard for 500 miles in the last 6 weeks. Bring along a little tupper ware with a couple grapes or some apple if he get thirsty.

I could not find a suitable cage so I made one, can give instructions if someone wants them. I do not think that it is safe to have them riding on a shoulder or handle bars.

Here is a promo video that was made for a local charity ride.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9A4gGH9yRE
herbg
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Re: Taking a parrot on a bike ride?

Postby herbg » Tue Mar 11, 2014 11:57 pm

Hi All;

After much procrastination I have finally finished a howto on making a bike ride pleasurable and safe for your parrot. Go to the howto section on Barney's web site and you can see what I did to modify a bike and make a cage for him. http://www.barneythebikingbird.com

We have ridden over 3000 miles in the last year and have loved it.

Herb and Barney
herbg
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Re: Taking a parrot on a bike ride?

Postby Aphios » Wed Mar 12, 2014 1:23 pm

Hey Kirsten!

Do you know where you could get a good harness for a flighted sun and green cheek conure? And can it be used with a flighted bird? Also, how do you train your bird to accept the harness if they are not very comfortable with being petted. My conures are really only at the point of stepping up and I am touch-training them. I really want to take them outside though as it might take a while before they are accustomed to me petting them. Thanks so much!

:sun: :gcc:
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Re: Taking a parrot on a bike ride?

Postby MeanDonnaJean » Sun Apr 13, 2014 10:15 am

I realize these may defeat the whole purpose but simply for safety sake, would you consider using this?

Celltei Pak-o-Bird Travel Carrier

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5059+6322+28230&pcatid=28230

or this?

Celltei Birdie Pouch®

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5059+6322+24440&pcatid=24440
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Re: Taking a parrot on a bike ride?

Postby Jon » Sat Jun 25, 2016 5:07 pm

What about having the bird on a harness and having it fly beside you when you are going fast enough?
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Re: Taking a parrot on a bike ride?

Postby Wolf » Sat Jun 25, 2016 11:56 pm

I have seen parrots flying along with people riding scooters and small motorcycles, these birds also had perches built onto theses bikes so they could land and the lines were ones that retracted automatically so as to not get tangled up in the bike. I would also think that those people had spent considerable time training the parrot to do this. That is all that I know about this and I do not know if I would recommend it or not, because that is all that I know about it.
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Re: Taking a parrot on a bike ride?

Postby Pajarita » Sun Jun 26, 2016 10:12 am

I do NOT recommend it - too many things can go wrong and in all scenarios, the one that will suffer the most is always the bird.
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Re: Taking a parrot on a bike ride?

Postby Raw » Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:02 am

I have a maroon bellied conure about 20 months old. He loves to come mountain biking with me, and chatters or beak grinds the whole time while sitting on my shoulder. I started with him riding with me in an aviator harness, but he hated the harness spending all his time trying to chew it off. Now just rely on having his wings reasonably clipped, (could still fly a short distance in the event of a fall) and making sure I'm wearing a top he can grip well on. There have been a couple of times he has startled and flown off a short distance in the beginning. Don't take him if its too cold. Sometimes I will take him riding on the road, but feel more comfortable about his safety, riding trails away from traffic. I feel there is much less chance of him getting Inadvertently hurt, when not tied to a harness, in the event of a fall. He gets very excited when he sees me getting ready to go out for a bike ride. Turns a lot of heads when we are seen out together. Must try and post a YouTube video of our escapades which involve some hardcore riding on a full suspension bike.
Unfortunately he is not very friendly towards other people we meet on the trail who naturally want to pet him. Would love to have him be a little more sociable with strangers, - so if anyone can offer some tips to address this issue...
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Re: Taking a parrot on a bike ride?

Postby Pajarita » Fri Aug 10, 2018 10:00 am

Well, I have to tell you that I would never do what you are doing... For one thing, I don't believe in clipping. I think it's cruel [because it means that you are taking away their only mode of transportation -kind of like hobbling a horse for life], unhealthy [because the only way you can keep their respiratory system healthy is by flight as the posterior pair of airsacs only inflate and deflate properly when the bird is in flight] and potentially dangerous to the bird [a clipped bird can get a long way on a gust of wind but it's still a sitting duck to predators]. And I don't believe in taking a bird out, clipped or fully flighted, without a harness on [WAAAAAAYYYY too risky!]. I also cannot help you with any advice on getting him used to being pet or handled by strangers... People, especially trainers, say that it can be taught [and I don't doubt it for one second because Michael has done it and I am sure that there is video right on this site that teaches you how to do it] but I question the necessity of the unavoidable stress you are causing the bird in the process because any behavior that is completely the opposite of a natural behavior [and trusting a stranger and allowing familiarities is completely unnatural for a parrot] means that every time we ask it of the bird we are stressing it out and, taking into consideration that all captive birds live under chronic stress [unavoidable], I think that one should avoid any extra stress like the plague.
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