Bird Harness

[Rickyt]

I have a Black Capped Conure who is extremely active and loves to be with me but I dont want to clip his wings. I was wondering what was better a flightsuit or harness also what size that I would need.

 

[MonicaMc]

A harness would be best, IMO. Less constricting on the birds and mostly easier for them to get used to as adults. There is the feather teather and aviator harness you could choose from. Size would be for cockatiels or smaller... i.e. 60-90 gram birds.

 

[ConureLady]

I use size small flight suits and I stuff them with organic bamboo velour.. lucky birdies lol
i also sew, and have thought about making them out of polyurethane laminate material with velcro and straps etc..

i prefer flight suits because it contains the poop and is easier to put on the bird..

 

[MaraWentz]

My bird destroys both, so we're going to move her on to falconry anklets, since the biothane is indestructible (tested on eagles and falcons, so I'm sure she wont get through it). The harness was easier- we preferred the aviator harnesss to the one with metal clips. The aviator has a plastic buckle which you just slide to loose and tighten. The downfall is that the leash is welded into the harness, unlike the clip harness and flight suits. The flights suit lasted about 20 hours longer but the elastic straps on Erin's shoulder's seemed to bother her a bit more, but on the other hand, Erin broke the tip of her beak on the plastic buckle or the harness and bled all over for about 15 mintes and gave us a heart attack!

My vet recommended looking into falconry because it's less annoying material, can permanent or removable, all different leathers and thicknesses, and styles of anklets for comfortability. Also they do get alot parrot owners asking for anklets for their macaws and greys and cockatoos,d etc, because it is so sturdy. Also most birds are banded, so their used to having something on their ankle, rather than something new rubbing all over the feather.

It's very cheap to get. We are going to cut or own leather from biothane leather material (strongest out there), and that doesn't come pre cut or in removable, but the leather itself is only $ bucks for 2ft, it's just the grommet setting told which is around 35 bucks which is the expense.

 

[Eloy]

I vote for a Aviator Harness. Both mine has metal clips. I feel safe with that harness.
Size for Petite is: 75 - 110 grams. Lg. Parakeets, Sm. Indian ringnecks, Cockatiels, Sm. Conures (Green cheek, Brown throat)

Falconry anklets isn't allowed in Sweden to use at any birds.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

I have been told the harness is 'better' too. I considered trying the flight suit on Gil while he is a baby (he will let anyone do almost anything with him and not fuss at this point). I just thought it 'may' help with the poop issue but I have thought of getting both and seeing what works best for us. I have been told by most people with experience using them that i'd be better off with the aviator harness.

 

[khaiqha]

My Alexandrine absolutely hates the harness. We've had...awful times trying to train him to wear one. I'm considering the jesses made by the King's Cages people, but I don't know if a) he'll like those any better and b) I'm concerned that despite what they say, parrot legs are too fragile for them.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

oh, semi-related but not exactly--i use a carrier that straps to me and i wear it on the front of me. It is mesh and has a perch. When i go for a long walk with the dogs, Gilbert comes with us if it's not too cold. For now, without a harness or flight suit, he still gets to come along, which he enjoys.

 

[JasmineGCC]

I have a little carry cage that comes out into the garden with me so Jasmine gets some sunshine and is company for me when gardening.

We are trying to harness train with a petite aviator harness but it's very slow progress! She will push her head through the head loop for a treat but panics if it goes over her head fully. I'm not sure how I'll ever get her to stand still long enough to put the whole harness on!?!

I think she would like the freedom a harness would bring - we could go walks and in summer she could be out with us in a house with windows open. But it's going to take a while to train so in the meantime the carry cage is the solution

Hope this helps

 

[MaraWentz]

My Alexandrine absolutely hates the harness. We've had...awful times trying to train him to wear one. I'm considering the jesses made by the King's Cages people, but I don't know if a) he'll like those any better and b) I'm concerned that despite what they say, parrot legs are too fragile for them.

Mike falconry a major anklet/jesse producer will be able to tell you what type and thickness for you to get. You can't just buy any jesse. If you order it from King's Cages people (I haven' heard of them) ask them if any one has every bought for Alexanderine and how thier experience was. Mike's falconry had many people order then from parrots, which why I'm buying from him. They will want to know the weight of your bird and the thickness of their leg, or something to compare the thickness too (pencil, dime,etc). THe leathers usually come in about 3-5 different thicknesses, to fit each bird, as falcolns, hawks, owls, and eagles are all different species of sizes. Not just big