Does the Aviator Harness cause stress to parrots?

[BoomBoom]

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.

Good to know, thanks!

Also, thanks for the videos , Karigan. Very helpful. I saw one of that guy's videos before.

ConureCrazy, you're fine with petite. Agapornis uses petite for Fiji and I think he's about the same size as Zora and Bella. X-Small are for sun conures who are considered 'large' conures.

 

[BoomBoom]

I just got the harness in the mail! I'm excited but I know I have to introduce it to him very gradually so it may take a month to finally outfit him. I hope I don't do anything wrong and turn him off the idea for life.

Wish me luck!!!

 

[ConureCrazy]

Good luck!!! Please update us!

 

[BoomBoom]

Day 6 in Harness Training

So an update on my aviator harness training with Boomer...

I've had it for about a week now, gradually introducing it to him from a distance so he doesn't view it as a threat. I followed the tips that came with the dvd instructions. By day 5, Boomer allowed me to rub the harness on his wings and back. I let him lightly chew on the material. So I think he tolerates it in general.

By day 6 (that's today), I decided to try to get the loop over his head. Bad idea. I could not even get it through his head and he gave me a good warning nip lol. This is with gradual steps with treats along the way. The training session lasted about 8 minutes, then I stopped after he seemed a bit distressed. So far he doesn't hate the harness yet which is good. He still 'play chews' it when I put it in front of him.

Well so far I guess Boomer is going to be one of those difficult birds when it comes to harness training. I'm a bit worried that he might not accept it!!! I'll just take it real slow and rewatch the Youtube video that Karigan has posted. I'm a bit discouraged but I'll try again tomorrow. Wish me luck, I think I will need lots of it lol!

 

[LoveMyParrots]

Don't give up! It will take time, every tame parrot can be harness trained as long as you do it slowly! It took me 6 weeks to harness train Ozzie, and I remembered in week 4, I nearly gave up....but I didn't! Lol Keep on trying!

Good luck!

 

[BoomBoom]

Thanks for the encouragement, LMP! I'll keep at it!

I decided to follow the video Karigan posted, as opposed to the instructional vid that came with the harness. The problem with the instructional vid is, the guy just managed to put the head loop on his parrot without any resistance. Of course, this wasn't the case with Boomer.

I'm letting him get treats by slipping his beak halfway into the loop. We'll start on that. He's got some nasty pin feathers around the neck too, so I might have to wait for those to shed off.

 

[LoveMyParrots]

I spend about 3 weeks training Ozzie to put his head through, as for most parrot, they gets a bit nervous at the start when something is around their neck. I think the neck part was probably the hardest, and also takes the longest time to train. Allowing me to touch Ozzie's wings was a bit hard too, as he doesn't really like his wings been touched. Other than that, the rest was very easy.

Just be careful that at the start, don't put the harness (waist part) on too tight! Because parrots does panic a bit when they first in the harness, and I had trouble taking the harness off Ozzie since he won't stop moving.

And personally, I've find it much easier to train Ozzie when he is away from his cage on a stand or something, when he is on or near his cage, he often gets distracted. Ozzie also tends to be such easier to handle when he is away from his cage, since he is a little territorial.

 

[MeganMango]

Ive been working on this with Mango my red belly as well. He isnt scared of the harness, he actually gets excited when he sees it now because he associates it with sunflower seeds (the ONLY time Ive ever given him one). Ive been about a week working with Mango, and he will put his head in but only very briefly and he is a little nervous. Instead of putting Mango's head in it, I hold the harness open, show him the sunflower seed (or he literally laughs and leaves) and I make him step through the big loop and put his head into the little loop to get the seed. He runs right back out right now, but he has to rub up against it to get the seed. I think this is better for now because Im not forcing him to put his head in there, I just offer him a reward he cant refuse. When he isnt nervous doing it anymore I will make him come closer and closer. Eventually I will hold on to the treat so he has to stay there a little longer. I think this is a very long-term process (at least with Mango) but the trick is not to force them. Ive trained horses since I was very young, but Im new to birds so I may be completely wrong. My theory is that if you take your time and build a relationship with any animal you can learn to make it fun for them. The trick is not to force him to do it, but to make him WANT to do it. Again this is just my opinion. So far Mango enjoys his harness training and looks forward to it. I really believe that if Im patient he will enjoy the harness too. Im sure you can accomplish the same situation with you conure. Expect small set-backs, things will work out if you keep at it.