How to harness train an older Amazon

[CDavis]

Ok so bonkers is an amazingly sweet Amazon with no behavioral problems(except a little plucking) and I think he would absolutlry love to go out and about with me. How should I go about trying to train him to let me put a harness on him I'm really in no rush we have the rest of our lives to work on it.
So far I have walked toward him with a blue aviator harness and he jumped straight into defcon 2 so I just sat it within eyesight of him and let him get used to it. I would really like to be able to do the same stuff that Amy and Mr Amy(really got to learn your name) does because it sound like a fun and enriching experience.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Ok so bonkers is an amazingly sweet Amazon with no behavioral problems(except a little plucking) and I think he would absolutlry love to go out and about with me. How should I go about trying to train him to let me put a harness on him I'm really in no rush we have the rest of our lives to work on it.
So far I have walked toward him with a blue aviator harness and he jumped straight into defcon 2 so I just sat it within eyesight of him and let him get used to it. I would really like to be able to do the same stuff that Amy and Mr Amy(really got to learn your name) does because it sound like a fun and enriching experience.

LOL,,,the name is JIM

I'm sure some one here will be able to help you, Wrench13 (AL) and his Salty,are doing harness training now, but the Saltmiester is still a young pup. ( just over a year old now).

I can bet that trainging and old 'zon would be same as a young'un.

Set it near him for awhile so he/she can see,and taste,and feel it,and is comfortable with it near.

Jim

 

[Puck]

Haha now I am definitely going to think of Jim as Mr. Amy! I agree to just go about the process the same way--it can be tough but I am sure it will work out! I would start off leaving it on the cage and also offering favorite treats if they choose, on their own, to stick their heads through it for the yummy. Eventually they will decide it's worth it.

 

[wrench13]

Right. Put the harness near his cage for a few days. Let him see it. You might want to even let him chew on it a little. And then it's time to get him used 2 putting his head into the headstall. For that you must determine what his favorite treat is and only use that for training. Essentially you hold the head still open and have him put his head through it. Once he will be comfortable with that, drape the rest of the harness over his body and get him comfortable doing that. The last step is to get the other parts of the harness under his wings and slowly, day by day, tighten up the harness. this whole process May take months and months. Go very slowly and at the parrots pace. There are several good videos on this on YouTube and I suggest you watch them all several times. For some parrots especially older ones this will be a slow gradual desensitizing process but well worth it. For some birds younger ones especially it can go quicker, but not always. I've been working with my 1 year old amazon, and we are at the draping the harness over him, we have only gotten it fully on once. Months and months and months. So don't be surprised if you don't progress at a fast pace. Work more with a gradual improvement EVERY day or week. BE CONSISTENT in any training , so important. Otherwise you will confuse bonkers and he will only regress or refuse. Good luck.

 

[Kiwibird]

I have been working on harness training Kiwi as I do not feel safe taking him out on our new upper floor balcony. "Mr. Amy" is right, just take it slow and go at Bonkers pace. I chose the feather tether, which goes on differently than the aviator. We've had Kiwi a long time and have that trust built and Kiwi is pretty fearless about new things, so he was not really apprehensive of the harness until I started trying to buckle it on. If Bonkers is frightened of the sight of it though, you will need to desensitize him. Just keep on putting it as close as you can to him and rewarding him the closer he lets it get until you can touch him with it. You may even want to try holding highly desirable treats close to the harness so he is tempted to approach the harness to get the treat, once he's a bit less frightened of it. Parrots explore with their beaks, so once Bonkers isn't deathly afraid of it, allowing him to nibble it a little will help him understand it isn't harmful.Once he is comfortable being around the harness, start touching him with it while you reward and praise him. Once he's comfortable being touched with it, then move on to whatever the first step is to put the aviator on (I think with that one, you have to entice them to put their head through the hole, which is why I personally didn't go with it).

Progress has been slow for us (as it often is teaching Kiwi new concepts he's not overly interested in), but I can now get the neck buckle on without him freaking out. I only leave it on long enough to give him a couple treats then take it back off, so he associates the harness going on with positive things and understands it comes off and won't be on him permanently. My husband (who is Kiwi's "favored" person) has managed to put the harness fully on him a couple times by taking him in a dimly lit room where he's calmer (of which he has been rewarded with extra special treats, like little bits of cheese while it was on), but I would definitely not recommend my hubby's "techniques" with such a new bird. Hubby and I often work at different rates of success with Kiwi due to him being more tolerant of what hubby does to him, so I'm still working on getting him to be ok with me putting it under his wings. Parrots are funny creatures like that.

I think, given enough time, you should be able to work with Bonkers and get him to wear the harness. The time thing is really your biggest hurdle, having the patience to see the training through even if Bonkers decides to go at a snails pace. The companies that make these products show trained birds in their videos. It makes owners of untrained and apprehensive birds feel like it will never work for them because their bird is still not wearing it after a month or 2 months or even 3 months of barely any progress, so the owner never sees it through and the harness gets stuck in a junk drawer somewhere. One thing Kiwi has taught me is PATIENCE. Every bird can be trained, it's a matter of how much time YOU are willing to invest in that particular type of training

 

[Flboy]

And, having the EMT on speed dial won't hurt!:59:

 

[SailBoat]

And, having the EMT on speed dial won't hurt!:59:

That's Parrot Owner 101, part of the 'required' provisions of having a Parrot!

 

[Kiwibird]

And, having the EMT on speed dial won't hurt!:59:

When we lived in Arizona, our local bird store gave out little bandaid holders like how some businesses give out pens :30:.

 

[Flboy]

And, having the EMT on speed dial won't hurt!:59:

When we lived in Arizona, our local bird store gave out little bandaid holders like how some businesses give out pens :30:.

Bandaid holders? Tourniquet is more like it!

 

[SirEdwin89]

And, having the EMT on speed dial won't hurt!:59:

When we lived in Arizona, our local bird store gave out little bandaid holders like how some businesses give out pens :30:.

Bandaid holders? Tourniquet is more like it!

"thanks for shopping, and here is your complimentary 50 foot roll of high absorbency gauze bandage"

 

[Piasa]

Another thing you can do while Bonkers is still acclimating to the harness is to get him used to your hand movements for putting on the harness.

Practice allowing him to place your fingers/palm over his head and eyes and slide down his neck. This is what helped me the most training Jimmy at 7 years old, because this was the scariest part. Also, practice lifting and maneuvering his wings.