Does the Aviator Harness cause stress to parrots?

[BoomBoom]

Hello! I'd love to hear everyone's opionions on this. I've been reading and watching videos on the proper introduction and fitting of the harness on a parrot. I have a 1 year old sun conure who misses his walks with me outside and I'd love to train him in being in a harness.

In all the videos I've watched, the parrots seemed uncomfortable and distraught having the harness on them. Do you think using it might lead to undue stress to our feathered friends and maybe even cause behavioral issues?

Do the risks of using harnesses outweigh the benefits?

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I don't think it does, but ultimately it depends on each individual bird.

When I first got Rosie I used the feather tether harness, it is heavy and bulky. Rosie chewed on it all the time and was uncomfortable wearing it. When I started using the super light and less constriction aviator there was a huge difference. She still messed with it at first but she would quickly forget she was even wearing it. Now Rosie completely ignores the harness(although she thinks the elastic leash is a fun toy if she gets her beak on it) as she wears it and it doesn't cause her any distress at all. The only time Rosie will chew on the harness is when she has had it on for a very long time.

 

[LoveMyParrots]

Ozzie is very relax and comfortable in his aviator harness. At the start, he was a little unsure about it, but now every time I take the harness out, he knows that he will be going out for walks that he would run over to me and will sit right next to me until I put the harnes on him! I have been working very hard for Ozzie to get used to the harness before putting it on him. It had took me nearly 2 months until I put the aviator harness on Ozzie, and 1 week after that until I took him outside.

A parrot that panics wearing the harness should not be taken outside. I have seen some videos on YouTube were parrots gets very nerves and bite the harness when out on walks, that means the parrot is not ready to go outside.

A well harness trained parrot would most of the time not be panicking when wearing the harness. However, there are some parrot that just does not like the harness, the species that does not like to be touched is most likely will be harder to train. But as long as you keep on trying, every parrot can be harness trained. Some parrot owners just does not have the patience and will give up.

At the start, wearing a harness is probably not gonna be a enjoying thing for your conure. But at s/he gets used to it, it will be know that harness = fun

In my opinion, harness are great! It keeps our feathered friend safe while out on walks. There are so much good things about harness training, and I would recommend getting your conure a harness for its physical and mental health! You will find him/her to be a much happier bird!

The best harness to get is the aviator harness. It is probably the safest harness out there.

 

[Karigan]

I've just ordered one of these from ebay. It looks like the same thing but much cheaper! I'll post about it when I get it and report on its quality.

Adjustable Parrot/Bird Harness Multicolored | eBay

 

[LoveMyParrots]

I've just ordered one of these from ebay. It looks like the same thing but much cheaper! I'll post about it when I get it and report on its quality.

Adjustable Parrot/Bird Harness Multicolored | eBay

The link this not working...

 

[Karigan]

Hmm... well it's called the adjustable parrot/bird harness multicolored by lovelyhousesupport and can be found on ebay.

 

[noblemacaw]

your link didn't work so I went to ebay and looked up "adjustable parrot/bird harness" and was taken to harnesses from Lovely House. They are not bad harnesses but they are not as good as the Aviator.

I have been harnessing my parrots for over 20 years and I have had a lot of harnesses in my day. My first one had plastic clasp and of course my Noble macaw ruined the clasp. Then then moved on to metal clips and those kept my mini macaws safe outside for many years. I had to replace them every once in a while due wear and tear but they were not that expensive. I had to replace one because the parrot grew and harness was kind of tight on him.

I ordered the Aviator harness and received it last week. The design is way better than ANY harness I ever used before. I like that it does not sit over the crop and the parrot can fly in it safely. The design of the Aviator is superior than any harness I ever used before. Yes, I paid more for it than my other ones but then Valentino is my largest parrot. I must keep him safe outside. He is fully flighted, streamlined to fly fast, has the ability to hover, fly backwards, sideways, straight up, and can fly down to me fast enough to smack into my hand with that keel bone which stung my hand. If I am to take him outside I won't use anything but the Aviator harness.

Valentino has the red one. He looks handsome in it

Just saw that you put up your chosen link for the harness you wanted. I can see a lot of problems with that particular harness and I personally would not use it on the medium or large parrot. I do not think it would be secure enough and the buckle looks like the parrot can easily undo it. If the parrot is not use to wearing a harness your particular model would be to problematic. For a calm parrot who would not worry on the harness it might work. I could not use it on Valentino. He is too strong a flier.

 

[LoveMyParrots]

Hmm... well it's called the adjustable parrot/bird harness multicolored by lovelyhousesupport and can be found on ebay.

Oh yeah, I saw it before I brought the aviator harness. It is pretty good, but not as good at the aviator! Lol

Thanks for the photos!

 

[BoomBoom]

Thank you for all the replies! You guys convinced me, I really just needed to hear good things from long time harness users. I wish I had made this thread sooner so I could have gotten over my hang ups about the whole thing.

I'm planning on purchasing the aviator harness in XS (Extra Small), just like this: Aviator Harness X-Small - AVIATOR HARNESS by MY SAFE BIRD STORE

Or should I go petite? Someone in another thread said to go petite but the description said X-Small is for large conures such as suns. Speaking of which, that sun conure in the aviator photo looks so uncomfortable lol.

 

[ConureCrazy]

I'm ordering the harness too for my 2 GCCs. Keep us updated about Boomer!

 

[noblemacaw]

Go by what your bird weighs for getting the right size...but then if your parrot is a baby they will fill out and gain some weight before they get to breeding age. For example when Valentino came to me at 4 months of age he weighted 405 grams. Now he is weighing in at 448 to 450 grams. He is still not done filling out either. I can still feel very sharply the keel bone on the top. I have noticed he has built up muscles from all the flying I do with him. Valentino has a medium and since it is adjustable to 600 gram parrot it fits him just fine.

Is Boomer done filling out? How much does he weight? What is his top weight? If your Sun weighs over 190 grams that is when you would go to the next size up.

I have used so many harnesses over the years I have gotten good at adjusting them to fit my boys. I had one parrot get bigger over the winter and his harness was tight on him.

Such a plumpy parrot. LOL. I never was thrilled with how the metal clip smashed into his chest but I NEVER flew him in his harness. I used it to take him with me when I walked my dog. Diego was trained to free fly in the house only.

I wanted to get new pics of Valentino to blog about but this weekend was a bust because I was in the hospital this weekend. (was admitted Friday from the ER and finally was released Saturday at 5pm. Geeze I thought I would never get out of there) so the weekend was pretty much a bust for us. Hopefully I will get some new pics this weekend and I will get some of Valentino in his harness. I will post it under the macaw section.

 

[lpolliard]

Any new object will cause some stress in the beginning. The stress level was never too great and was negligible after a couple of months. Chico is over being stressed by the harness. He even helps put it on. At least he thinks he is helping. We use the aviator.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Go by what your bird weighs for getting the right size...but then if your parrot is a baby they will fill out and gain some weight before they get to breeding age. For example when Valentino came to me at 4 months of age he weighted 405 grams. Now he is weighing in at 448 to 450 grams. He is still not done filling out either. I can still feel very sharply the keel bone on the top. I have noticed he has built up muscles from all the flying I do with him. Valentino has a medium and since it is adjustable to 600 gram parrot it fits him just fine.

Is Boomer done filling out? How much does he weight? What is his top weight? If your Sun weighs over 190 grams that is when you would go to the next size up.

I have used so many harnesses over the years I have gotten good at adjusting them to fit my boys. I had one parrot get bigger over the winter and his harness was tight on him.

Such a plumpy parrot. LOL. I never was thrilled with how the metal clip smashed into his chest but I NEVER flew him in his harness. I used it to take him with me when I walked my dog. Diego was trained to free fly in the house only.

I love that photo! And that is a lot of metal on the front.

The feather tether had a pretty bulky front too, but less metal

And here's the aviator(on a little too loose in this photo)

 

[BoomBoom]

Awesome photos, those are beautiful birds. Glad to hear its something they get used to. I'll make sure to introduce it very slowly. The last thing I want is for him to develop a phobia towards it.

Question to CopperArabian, I noticed it on some other birds too... When the harness pushes on the feathers like that (2nd pic), does it make the feathers come off or does Rosie try to pull the misplaced feathers out?

I made the purchase yesterday. Boomer is 1 year old so he probably isn't done growing. I haven't weighed him in a while but he is probably around 106 grams. I hope everything goes well

 

[Karigan]

Here are some vids that may help as well.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdJ8mLoep4k]Kili Senegal Parrot - Flight Harness Training Day 1 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpiY_48a1Mc]Kili Senegal Parrot - How to Put Harness On Parrot Training Day 2 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b04I11yERdc]Kili Senegal Parrot - Putting on Flight Harness Day 3 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[WharfRat]

first off, any "brand" harness can stress a bird out, period. I messed up when I quit putting them on mine for a while and now they fight it. It was introduced to them very young though and when used on a regular basis I had no issues putting it on them although now is a different story (my fault, not the birds). I personally use FredBird harnesses for mine since that's what my breeder recommended.

 

[Agapornis]

Boomer's dad, don't get the petite size for Boomer. The extra small will probably be fine. My little GCC fits in the petite, but if he grows even a little, it will be too small. As it is, the loop his head goes thru is super small. Sun conures are bigger than green cheeks!

I look forward to seeing pics of Boomer having new outdoor adventures!

 

[mtdoramike]

The only thing I don't particularly care for with the Aviator harness is that it has to slip over the birds head. Most birds don't like anything around their head. The one pictured on Ebay looks a bit easier to put on the bird with it just going over the wings.

 

[lpolliard]

Question to CopperArabian, I noticed it on some other birds too... When the harness pushes on the feathers like that (2nd pic), does it make the feathers come off or does Rosie try to pull the misplaced feathers out?

Feathers are surprisingly resilient. I have never had a feather break off from the harness and yes, they sometimes look a little wonky after putting on the harness as in the pic.

 

[ConureCrazy]

Boomer's dad, don't get the petite size for Boomer. The extra small will probably be fine. My little GCC fits in the petite, but if he grows even a little, it will be too small. As it is, the loop his head goes thru is super small. Sun conures are bigger than green cheeks!

I look forward to seeing pics of Boomer having new outdoor adventures!

Really? Should I order extra small for my GCCs then???