First Outing

[Shayne]

Well I've just got back from Ruperts first little adventure. Me and my mate took him for a walk up to the local nature reserve and layed in the sun with him for a while. Then we went to the park and Rupert had a little go on the swing. Then we went to the beer garden at the pub for a drink.
He was totally relaxed the whole time and didn't try to fly of once. I actually can't believe I've been able to take him out after just 6 days. Thought it would take longer to harness train him. But more unbelievable is the weather. Winter only officially ended 1 week ago but it's shorts and tshirt weather today!!! I live in UK.
One concern I do have though that crossed my mind. We had to walk about half a mile down the main road to get to the reserve. The traffic didn't stress him but I'm concerned about car fumes. I can smell the fumes from some of the cars that passed. Does anyone think this could pose a risk to his health. He seems fine.
Anyway my apologies but I forgot to take my camera. I will do next time.

 

[weco]

Vehicle emissions are something we all have to deal with & I don't know that there is really anything we can do about it, though if I lived in Beijing, I might think twice about having companion birds.....

Glad the weather treated you guys right for your outing.....

 

[Kiwibird]

Sounds like you guys had fun! Keep taking him out with you whenever you can. The more a bird gets to see and experience, the better (and the happier/more confident the bird will be!).

Unfortunately, car fumes exist. I don't worry as much about stuff like that in the open air. Kiwi comes with me on the train sometimes and loves the "downtown" area. We don't into area with lots of exhaust often, but sometimes we do and he's fine. If possible, try to making walking along busier roads a less frequent occurrence and take the "scenic" walking routes that might be a little longer but are off the main roads as much as you can.

 

[Shayne]

Well I took him out again on Sunday for a little drive to my mates house then for a walk to the river. Then in the evening on had him on his back cuddling with me.
He's started to show his true colours now though and is becoming a handfull. When I went home to see him on my lunch break today I got him out his cage then he flew to the window sill and peered out the window. So I got his harness on and took him outside. We layed in the sun for a bit but then I had to take him back in. And then the struggle began. I managed to get his harness off and get him back in his cage without upsetting him too much but I think I need a bit more practice controlling him when he doesn't want to do something. To be fair I don't want to be stuck indoors at the moment either so I don't blame him for being upset.
He's becoming very disobedient on stepping up and when I do get him up he runs up my shoulder and won't get off. In fact he's like a magnet to me in the evenings. I've had to force him to step up alot of times now. Weirdly though he shows no hesitation on flying to me if I ask him. Don't get me wrong. I could easily control him if I wanted to but I don't want to be too forceful and give him negative feelings towards me. When he tries to climb up to my shoulder I think the the only way to stop him would be to actually hold him down. Is that a bad idea to completely restrict his movement.
To control him I usually have to uncurl his talons from whatever he's holding onto and unlatch his beak if he grabs something. Raising my voice doesn't seem to be very effective so I'll think I'll try to stay calmer. To be fair I'm quite tired and grumpy today and he could probably tell I was loosing my patience with him.
When I get home I'm going to get him in the garden for as long as the sun stays out. Also, I can take him to work with me tomorrow if I want as I'm working outside. But I've only had him a week. Do you think it might be a bit too much too take him out for a whole 8 hours. Most of which will be spent driving. And probably annoying my poor colleague.
Any tips or advice would be much appreciated.

 

[weco]

Sounds like you two are turning into a pretty goo team in a really short time.....

Be careful not to let him start getting too disobedient...you might want to up your training factor a bit as he may getting a bit spoiled, trying to assert himself now that he's comfortable with you & his surroundings.....

Good job & continued good luck.....

 

[Taw5106]

Velcro bird, I have one of those. I worked in London for 6 months, lived close to Hyde park and I understand about the car fumes but the. Deeper into the park we'd go the less fumes. Being on the main streets, you can't escape them and since it's not 24/7 exposure I think you are fine.

As for velcroe, he definitely likes you. I feed my birds in their cage so dinner, they eat in their cages while Husband and I are close to them eating our dinner. I also have bird time which is in the morning, Buddy comes out, helps me make coffee and we spend about 30 mins, him on my shoulder preening, me sipping my coffee. I then make birdy breakfast and that's when Buddy goes back in his cage to eat. I've used food to get them back in their cages and there is no hassle. My Ekkie has her own bedtime so she's sleeping by 7p, Buddy is a night owl with Husband and I. You could try something like that, build a routine. And kudos to you for harness training, I'm still working with my two.