Aviator harness - With or without flight line?

[Psittaciformes]

I was about to buy a harness for Kiwiberry, then I saw they have one with the flight line and one without.
The one without obviously still has the leash, and I can't buy the flight line separately, so I'm really not sure which one to pick.
I'm trying to find out the length of the leash and how much the flight line adds to it ... Input, anyone?

The problem I see with the flight line is that if it's too long and Kiwiberry goes too far or high it might get tangled in trees. Has this ever happened, or almost happened to anyone here?

Is it worth paying almost twice as much for the extra length?
She doesn't really go too far away from me in the apartment as it is, if she wants to actually fly when we're outside I could run below. I bet I'd look like an idiot to bystanders haha

Anyone able to help me out with this?

 

[Bartleby]

You can buy the flight line separately so don't worry about that. However, the flight line isn't a longer leash....this is a common misconception that I had and was a little peeved when I purchased it and found out the truth. The flight line is actually a tethering system, sort of like a dog trolley. It has two stakes to put into the ground with a line that runs between the two. Then it has a bungee that attaches to that and the handle part of the harness so the bird can fly and the leash runs along the cord between the stakes.

My suggestion, if you what a longer leash make one yourself. After my flight line debacle I bought some heavy duty specialized kite line (had to do some research to find out exactly what would be best) and then I used a lightweight clasp and hook and made my own leash in whatever length I wanted. I actually made it in a few different lengths for different situations.

 

[Psittaciformes]

Well that's disappointing ... I was thinking of making it longer myself, which now seems like a way better idea.

What I meant when I said I can't buy it separately is that they won't let you do that on the website I order my bird stuff from, so I'd have to order it from the UK. But seems rather useless now.

Thank you for the fast reply

 

[Birdman666]

I've never really messed with harnesses... but why wouldn't an ordinary retractable dog leash work for keeping excess slack out?!

 

[Psittaciformes]

I'm not sure Kiwiberry would be able to pull a retractable dog leash
Would be interesting to see though. I suppose you could get an extra light one, if that'd even work, or you could manipulate it and hope for the best.

 

[Birdman666]

I'm not sure Kiwiberry would be able to pull a retractable dog leash
Would be interesting to see though. I suppose you could get an extra light one, if that'd even work, or you could manipulate it and hope for the best.

DUH! Conure sized bird.... Maybe not.

I'm thinking bigger than a bread basket bird. Generally, why wouldn't a retractable dog leash work?

Can you just see someone, say, walking their bird down the street, only the bird is dog leash length above and in front of them flapping in the breeze... out getting a little exercise!

 

[SilverSage]

Lol yes I have thought the same but for the wee little ones the weight is a big factor. I have both the aviator and the flight line, and was planning to use the flight line for the outdoor but still leashed segment of free flight training for Scout, until he died on Sunday. I will use it for a different bird in the future. I think it is great, and a safe way to do it because the birds cannot get caught up in a tree, and they also have to carry only a small portion of the teather as opposed to a whole long leash, but if a longer leash is what you want, the flight line is not what you are looking for.

 

[Mango121913]

I have both the harness and the line. Haven't used the line yet, but the harness is awesome. Just make sure the bird is okay with something going over their head, or it will take a long time to get them accustomed to it. There's a dvd that comes with it to explain in detail how to introduce it to them. It may even be on you tube.
Mango loves his.

 

[Mango121913]

Here's Mango enjoying the summer!

 

[veimar]

Is Kiwiberry fully flighted? I bought the Aviator for my gcc who was flighted, and it didn't work at all - the leash was way too short. I use it with my tiel who is clipped, but can fly some, and is overall much calmer than Parry. For a flighted conure you need some sort of extension I think, but I didn't mess with that because mine hated the harness anyway.

 

[SilverSage]

I have to disagree slightly with Veimar. My flighted and very active GCC FLick did very well with the harness because of all the safety features. If you are taking your bird out to fly around you in an area that is safe and far from trees and other things he could get caught in, you need an extension. If you are taking your bird out for a walk, a longer leash is too dangerous. The shock cord allows a bird to tech the end of the line, feel the pull, turn around and come back without being yanked, flipped, or slammed to the ground as would happen with a nonelastic leash. A longer leash a il dal ow th bird to strays opn are for safety in most situations. Landing more that a few feet from an owner could mean landing in a street, under a passerby, within reach of a strange dog, or in a tree or over a fence out of reach of the owner, and if tangling occurs, just being "attached" may not be a ouch for safety, that is why the leash is so short. Flick learned the limits of the leash within 5 minutes and was delighted by the experience. A longer leash can be added, but be sure you are doing it safely!

Also, be sure to watch the whole DVD before allowing your bird to see the harness. If your bird fears or resists the harness, you did not take the time to train him properly, so please be sure not to rush it for both your sakes.

 

[veimar]

Unfortunately it's impossible to take Parry "out for a walk" - I intended the harness for that purpose. But he would take off like a rocket every second, and then land on the ground very upset. I tried to teach him to sit on my arm like my tiel did, but he only wanted to fly around. I've seen other flighted conures, but he a "real" flier - even at home and a bit clipped he spends a lot of time in the air. Every bird is different I guess. The harness itself didn't bother him, BTW.

 

[Psittaciformes]

I'm not sure Kiwiberry would be able to pull a retractable dog leash
Would be interesting to see though. I suppose you could get an extra light one, if that'd even work, or you could manipulate it and hope for the best.

DUH! Conure sized bird.... Maybe not.

I'm thinking bigger than a bread basket bird. Generally, why wouldn't a retractable dog leash work?

Can you just see someone, say, walking their bird down the street, only the bird is dog leash length above and in front of them flapping in the breeze... out getting a little exercise!

I Think I've seen a video of a guy using a retractable dog leash with the aviator harness, although it was with a macaw, seemed to work pretty well. I'm not sure if he was using one though, he was moving around so much and it was wrapped around the arm, sort of.

Hahaha, yeah. Or the bird slowly walking ahead like a dog. I should teach Kiwiberry to do that.

 

[Psittaciformes]

Mango: Generally she is okay with it, not so much if a noise spooks her.
Your mango is beautiful!

Veimar: She will be eventually, she was clipped (very poorly) as a chick. She's muscled up a bit now and can fly much greater distances.
You think she'll start flying more once the feathers have grown back? My cockatiel I had before Kiwiberry was fully flighted, didn't fly all that much.

SilverSage: That is why I'm buying the harness in January, so we have time to train before summer, hopefully that's enough time for her. If it's not, then maybe next year, or early autumn.
I don't feel the need to rush it at all

 

[khaiqha]

I used a retractable dog leash with an aviator harness for my alexandrine. It worked fine. I made the mistake of thinking he wouldn't be able to fly and lift the entire weight of the dog leash handle. I was very mistaken on that front. Luckily nothing bad happened.

 

[Psittaciformes]

Yeah but alexandrines are bigger than little GCCs, still impressive.
Glad to hear nothing bad happened How far did he get?

 

[khaiqha]

He got the handle above my head. I jumped and grabbed it in time.

 

[Psittaciformes]

Woah, that's scary.

 

[veimar]

Psitacciformes, from my experience, the poorly clipped birds who still learn to fly, make the best flyers! Parry was like that, and every day I was teaching him to fly - if I only knew what I was getting myself into. Our vet was surprised how strong his muscles were! I'm thinking of trimming his wings before summer, because it would only take him a split second to get out of the door.

 

[Psittaciformes]

Ugh, maybe I gotta be more careful once he's fully flighted then.
When they stand still and flap their wings really hard, is that how they exercise their wings when they can't fly?
Because I remember when I first adopted her, she would do that on her cage, she could barely fly 3-5 feet, let alone lift up properly when flying. Going from the window sill to the cage, which is really close to the window sill, maybe a couple feet, was a bit of a challenge for her at first.
She would fly to the wall of it and climb up, then after or before preening she would flop her wings really hard, and now that she's able to fly somewhat decently she doesn't do it anymore. Was that her exercising her wing muscles?