Yes...I'm a complete hypocrite

clark_conure · Oct 31, 2019

So since its winter and I am not taking them anywhere I let their wings continue to grow.....

I usually clip for their safety but I'm trusting my birds more and more as they get older.

And now this.....

[ame="https://youtu.be/qA2u3YgxZPM"]zod flies - YouTube[/ame]

:gcc:

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Rozalka · Oct 31, 2019

you're doing well

Is that mean you usually clip to take them outside? Herness (sorry, I forgot how to write

) are much better solution than clipping

clark_conure · Oct 31, 2019

they hate even the idea of a harnesses I got clark in one before I bought two different types, but she wasn't social, all she wanted to do was eat/destroy the harness. They are both so bonded I don't worry. I am afraid they might get lost outside though and not be abale to find me. So I usually clip in the spring/summer.

Rozalka · Oct 31, 2019

If you are afraid, not going outside is better solution. Clipping doesn't make them safe. Sorry, I am a parson against clipping - birds have wings to fly. Imagine that you have legs only in winter and somebody says to be happy all life (I know this is impossible example)

clark_conure · Oct 31, 2019

there are dangers in the house too, that's the thing, I clip them to glide... they can jump scare about a foot then down only....and they love going out....we do all the landscape work together outside. And they love going in stores.

clark_conure · Oct 31, 2019

Since I trust them more this winter I'm letting them fly a bit more. I've lost a bonded cockatiel when I was young to a stupid neighbor coming over....

wrench13 · Oct 31, 2019

Dude, harness, harness, harness, even if it takes all winter, to train daily. You and i have both lost parrots that were 'clipped' and then spooked outside only to disappear forever. It took me almost a year, training daily (yes 365 times) to get Salty even remotely OK with a harness, now 3 years later, we still put it on and off almost nightly. He could care less about it now. Clark and Zod are too precious to loose!

AmyMyBlueFront · Oct 31, 2019

To shorten or not to shorten...that is the question..

I did the same thing with Amy..shorten his sleeves in spring/summer and long sleeves in the winter. I've been trying for a couple years now to get him to zoom around but has zero interest.
Beebs is fully flighted and will stay that way (unless he needs to get meds for some reason and I have to hold him,or he'll zoom all over the house to get away from mean dad

) He flies real good and enjoys it,he can get away from Amy if he wants,and he'll never go outside unless in some sort of carrier..thinking of a P.O.B. or equivalent for the boy.

Nice job with Zod btw..it's nice when you call for them and they come right to you :59: most of the time.

Jim

ParrotGenie · Oct 31, 2019

clark_conure said:
they hate even the idea of a harnesses I got clark in one before I bought two different types, but she wasn't social, all she wanted to do was eat/destroy the harness. They are both so bonded I don't worry. I am afraid they might get lost outside though and not be abale to find me. So I usually clip in the spring/summer.

Keep up with the recall training and replace with a whistle. A whistle can be heard very far. Harness training is not as bad as you think. At first they always try to destroy the harness, but detract them by going outside and they will soon forget about chewing the harness up and after a few days they won't even notice it. Just remove when not watching them inside, or harness will be destroyed. It took my female U2 2 days to get use to the harness. She also can free fly, but don't want her to get into trouble in a public place as she like to fly off to get into stuff, so had to harness train her. My male U2 is way more behaved, even through he as well is fully harness trained, I don't need the harness for him as he listen and stays on my shoulder, or arm, but he was a outside bird and was free flying since a baby bird before I adopted him.

It funny with Cooper as he like to chew on curtains and he fly over to the curtain to chew it up and I call him, he come down and hiss at me a few times for making him stop.

I can't stress enough to harness train your bird, it is critical and might as well take advantage while your indoors for winter time. Just use bigger wing loop around head to get your bird use to letting harness on them and then put head in head loop and then under wings. It way more easy when you start looping the big loop around bird heads and off till they allow harness fully on. If your bird won't let harness anywhere near, hang it by cage at night, so they get use to seeing it and let them near and step on it. Yes a clipped bird can fly if windy outside and people lost birds more times that way then a free flying bird. Even a experience free flying bird can get lost as well, as I lost Baby my female U2 twice at first, but had GPS on her and heard her flock calling me, as soon as she saw me she flew back to me, another reason I harness trained her. Now she good at directions better then I am at times and doesn't get lost anymore, or scared of anything as she use to being outside during the summer and loud scary things. Just public unknown places I won't risk for liability reason, traffic and other people.

Even if your bird is fully harness trained, always inspect the harness, birds are very smart and my female U2 figured out how to get the leash part off which for her means she can fly again. She broken 2 of them completely and red one caught her in the act, I always have spares.

SailBoat · Oct 31, 2019

Yes, with the harness training...

But, Recall Training (adding the whistle) is critical!!!
I also include strong Contact Call training!!!

Why! Cause stuff happens near doors and windows and they can be gone just that quickly. Being able to catch their attention with a Contact Call and following up with a Recall Response is truly needed when (not if) the accident occurs...

Remember that first 10 seconds is all rush and at 11 seconds they are looking and listening for you!

PickleMeDickles · Oct 31, 2019

Yes Yes Yes on harness/recall/contact call. I unwittingly trained SassyBird to have a VERY strong contact call response. Like 99.99999% of the time. Long story made short, she got out a TINY window we didn't know was open on our 3 acres of heavily treed property in the middle of the Santa Anas (massive 80 mph winds). One whole hour after she flew out, she responded to a contact call and was over 1/2 acre away from our house. If not for that, SassyByrd would not be here with us today, not a doubt in my mind. And believe me, I am the most carefully neurotic OCD mental case about doors and windows being left open, EVEN with screens. If it could happen to me it could happen to anyone, and it happens fast. It has definitely caused me to commit to harness training and recall training if my green klutzy blimp ever actually learns to fly!

Pampa · Oct 31, 2019

SailBoat said:
Yes, with the harness training...

But, Recall Training (adding the whistle) is critical!!!
I also include strong Contact Call training!!!

Recall won’t help because our house birds don’t know how to descend from a tree top. My Pampa tried and tried to come to me. She would circle over my head until she was tired and would land in another tree. It’s devastating to loose our birds. Pampa was hungry and tired and I presume sore when a flock of crows chased her into the forest.
I agree with harness training, and of course being as careful as can be. Unfortunately accidents happen sometimes. Sorry to be a downer.

SailBoat · Nov 1, 2019

I am sorry for your loss.

That said, I strongly disagree with not including Recall Training. As part of Recall Training, one must include landing on oneself as part of that training. That is all handled and daily reinforced within the safety of one's home.

Flying down from the top of a tree is little different from flying down from the top of the cage and landing on the floor. Yes, height is a major difference, but the flight concept in precisely the same.

The sad reality of Harness Training is that unless you plan on leaving your Parrot in it 24 hours a day. It is not going to save your Parrot from making it out an open door.

Our first fear fulled event ended with my getting a face full of tired Yellow-Nape Amazon. I found it to be one of her best landings...

Pampa said:
SailBoat said:

Yes, with the harness training...

But, Recall Training (adding the whistle) is critical!!!
I also include strong Contact Call training!!!

Recall won’t help because our house birds don’t know how to descend from a tree top. My Pampa tried and tried to come to me. She would circle over my head until she was tired and would land in another tree. It’s devastating to loose our birds. Pampa was hungry and tired and I presume sore when a flock of crows chased her into the forest.
I agree with harness training, and of course being as careful as can be. Unfortunately accidents happen sometimes. Sorry to be a downer.

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ParrotGenie · Nov 1, 2019

I remember when first training my U2 female Baby to free fly and land. even with training her in large area from high how to land indoors for several months. First day outside it took her about 2 hours to figure out how to land from a tree and she ended going to a roof and then she took the jump and learn to land on me. She landed on my head and miss my arm by a long shot. Next time around it took her a few seconds and she got better at landing, but would go to the ground instead and flock call me to pick her up and eventually she learn to land on my arm from high up. They have to learn how to descent and get use to doing it from height. That take a few mistakes and she broke a couple of feathers learning to fly, it part of the process. They don't just know this because they are a bird, they have to learn it. Now she a expert at it and can turn corners in tight spots and chase my male U2 Cooper around, but he still faster and better at flying as he been free flying since young. He fly in spirals as well and loves being toss up in the air that he put his head up waiting for me to toss him up. Sometimes he just loves to bounce up and down and flap wings while on my arm and even upside down. Something that that old owner must have done. Which is why I am shock he was a ex plucker as his first owner clearly loved him and trained him well, it was the second person that mistreated him throw him in a small cage in his garage not even suitable for a cockatiel and gave him a bad diet of sunflower seeds an thought he was a female. Thankfully he love being around people and no long term ill effects. It only took him a few hours for him when I adopted him to let me pick him up and bond and he didn't bite me. He very adaptable and not scared of anything.

clark_conure · Nov 2, 2019

I think your all kinda missing the point...I clip so they can't even make it to a tree....

I actually have it down to a science when I clip...I take it like a 16th of an inch at a time so they can jump scare but only go down from there....

I bought the aviator and the flight suit....but they simply will not have it...i started too late. And my birds are so bonded I can't get them off me.

I spend a lot of time outside and going shopping with them.... for years now...and I've never had a close call. Also I make sure of the situation before I let them out with me.

If they would take a harness, I'd be doing dress up just for the fun of it, but they loose there entire personality when I get them in one.

ParrotGenie · Nov 2, 2019

clark_conure said:
I think your all kinda missing the point...I clip so they can't even make it to a tree....

I actually have it down to a science when I clip...I take it like a 16th of an inch at a time so they can jump scare but only go down from there....

I bought the aviator and the flight suit....but they simply will not have it...i started too late. And my birds are so bonded I can't get them off me.

I spend a lot of time outside and going shopping with them.... for years now...and I've never had a close call. Also I make sure of the situation before I let them out with me.

If they would take a harness, I'd be doing dress up just for the fun of it, but they loose there entire personality when I get them in one.

My female U2 is 28 years old and never been harness trained before, it is not to late to get your bird to adapt to the harness. Avoid flight suits and just go with a harness, birds can be potty trained. When I first show her the harness she wasn't having it at all and became larger and tried to bite and hiss at it if it came near her, or fly off, she would even yell at me for trying it and argue about it, throwing a full blown temper tantrum that cockatoos are known for, but after 2 days she was fine with it and quickly learned it meant going outside, so now she put her wing up to help me put it on her. She also now potty trained, she wait till I get out of car, or tell her to go poo and come down off shoulder to go poo. Birds are like politicians in some ways and work on the bribe award system. Dealt with harness training Conures and cockatiels as well and did same training as I did with my cockatoos, yes Conures are more willing to bite then bluff and get upset, but they will get over it quickly. My male U2 Cooper would let me put it on him, but try to bite it, shake it off, it took him 3 days of putting it on and off a few times to get use to it. With him I don't need it as he stays and listens, unlike my female U2 which likes to get into trouble.

Pampa · Nov 2, 2019

SailBoat said:
That said, I strongly disagree with not including Recall Training. As part of Recall Training, one must include landing on oneself as part of that training. That is all handled and daily reinforced within the safety of one's home.

Flying down from the top of a tree is little different from flying down from the top of the cage and landing on the floor. Yes, height is a major difference, but the flight concept in precisely the same

Pampa said:

SailBoat said:

Yes, with the harness training...

Oh I agree with you. Definitely recall train. Every situation is different. Plus training in general is mental simulation for our intelligent parrots and bonding b

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Yes...I'm a complete hypocrite

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