Is it worth HARNESS TRAINING????

[WinnieBIrd]

Is it worth harness training???
I want to be able to take my tiel outside but there are eagles, kookaburras, cockatoos, and king parrots. I'm worried he could get attack or taken, is it work bringing him outside or not?

 

[HeatherG]

What about bringing him out in a carrier or backpack?

I hear it’s hard to harness train a bird. I haven’t tried it. But I used to bus all over with my Quaker, take her to music events and street fairs. She couldn’t fly but also I had a carrier for her.

Would that be ok?

 

[SailBoat]

We have long been Red Tail Hawk Central and as a result, have not considered it safe to take our DYH Amazon outside. With the number of Hunters you have in your area, you are wise to not take your Parrot out with a harness as both of you become targets, with you being an accidental hit as your Parrot will likely be on you.

IMHO, one has to have a strong relationship /trust bond with your Parrot as a harness is contrary to their nature i.e. wearing anything around them.

There is a current Thread that is active that is covering this very subject, see if for more insight: Looking for harness training advice

As stated above, you are both likely much safer using a travel cage.

 

[onamom]

I posted the thread SailBoat linked above - harness training is definitely difficult and it takes an endless amount of patience. I take Ona out in a backpack carrier when it’s not winter. She loves walking through parks with us and seeing all the trees. You definitely have to evaluate if it’s safe in your area - I’d say a carrier or backpack carrier is generally safer than a harness. I wouldn’t use either without supervision.

 

[LaManuka]

Is it worth harness training???
I want to be able to take my tiel outside but there are eagles, kookaburras, cockatoos, and king parrots. I'm worried he could get attack or taken, is it work bringing him outside or not?

It seems you live in Australia, I do too. Personally I would not take a little pet bird like a cockatiel outside, there are just too many predatory birds out there, many more in addition to the ones you mentioned. I once took my purple crowned lorikeet outside many many (MANY!) years ago, because we had a very small bottlebrush plant in a pot and i thought he'd enjoy the flowers. Well, a magpie that I had not seen certainly saw him, and swooped in and almost got him, even though I was standing *right there*!! I would never have forgiven myself if anything awful had happened to my sweet little lory.

Predatory birds have SUCH sharp eyes, can be quite fearless if they're hungry enough, and you won't see them but they will most definitely see your bird. You certainly could harness train your bird, it may be a useful thing in some situations for you, but I think your wider question is whether it's safe to take your bird outside in one. A harness will not provide any protection from a determined magpie, butcherbird, kookaburra or currawong, etc etc etc, and in my opinion it's just not worth the risk with a little bird like a cockatiel in our environment in Australia.

 

[WinnieBIrd]

It seems you live in Australia, I do too. Personally I would not take a little pet bird like a cockatiel outside, there are just too many predatory birds out there, many more in addition to the ones you mentioned. I once took my purple crowned lorikeet outside many many (MANY!) years ago, because we had a very small bottlebrush plant in a pot and i thought he'd enjoy the flowers. Well, a magpie that I had not seen certainly saw him, and swooped in and almost got him, even though I was standing *right there*!! I would never have forgiven myself if anything awful had happened to my sweet little lory.

Predatory birds have SUCH sharp eyes, can be quite fearless if they're hungry enough, and you won't see them but they will most definitely see your bird. You certainly could harness train your bird, it may be a useful thing in some situations for you, but I think your wider question is whether it's safe to take your bird outside in one. A harness will not provide any protection from a determined magpie, butcherbird, kookaburra or currawong, etc etc etc, and in my opinion it's just not worth the risk with a little bird like a cockatiel in our environment in Australia.

Ok, could i bring him is a see through backpack or something?

 

[WinnieBIrd]

I posted the thread SailBoat linked above - harness training is definitely difficult and it takes an endless amount of patience. I take Ona out in a backpack carrier when it’s not winter. She loves walking through parks with us and seeing all the trees. You definitely have to evaluate if it’s safe in your area - I’d say a carrier or backpack carrier is generally safer than a harness. I wouldn’t use either without supervision.

Could you give me a link to the backpack or carrier you use???

 

[onamom]

Could you give me a link to the backpack or carrier you use???

Backpack: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07W7H7VYR/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And I also got the fan for it: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07V5TX443/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You have to slowly get your bird used to it so they’re comfortable with it.

 

[Birdmom2a2]

Harness training is absolutely the best! I had a cockatoo (who, unfortunately, passed away in 2016 from a stroke) whose favorite thing was to go for a walk in his harness. He would sit on my shoulder and "talk" to the birds outside. He would yell and scream and have a blast. I have a LCA who hates her body or wings being touched and has resisted all attempts at the harness so I got an avian backpack to take her outside for walks. It's a good way to get her outside, but definitely not as fun for her as the harness would be.'

By the way, i would always have a long sleeved shirt tied around my waist so I could wrap him in it if needed to protect him from any danger as I was worried about the same things you are.