- Joined
- 8/3/14
- Messages
- 236
The two Avian Fashions Fireworks FlightSuits I ordered awhile ago arrived this Monday. I've introduced Kimi and Teri to the Suits as soon as I opened the bag. It was like they weren't even there, they were walking all over them. As long as the Suit was still and on a flat surface, they wouldn't mind, but as soon as I picked up the Suit or moved it in any way, they'd lunge at it. So I've been working with that(using the instructions that came with the Suits) since Monday and decided to test them out yesterday. They seemed quite used to them by then.
I decided to put the Suit on Teri first, as he is usually less of a scaredy-cat than Kimi. He didn't protest much while I was putting in on him, although I was pretty clumsy. But as soon as I let go of him and reached for a treat, he rolled over and started biting at it. He was constantly chewing on the Suit, even turning his head over 180 degrees to reach the Velcro part. Distracting him was really hard, but not impossible. He'd stop and take a treat every once in a while, he'd fly in the Suit and poop in it. Tho he'd completely ignore everything else. Kimi had nearly the same reaction, tho she was easier to distract. I even took her outside on a leash for a few minutes.
I've put it on them again today. I wanted to see how long it would take for them to stop chewing on the Suit, but the time seemed to drag out and the birds seemed stressed so I took it off and let them roam around. They are pretty frightened of the Suits now, but luckily don't hate me.
I'm gonna try reintroducing it, but more slowly this time.
I've been trying to think about why that is, and maybe you can help me figure it out and abolish it.
Maybe it's just because they're not used to having something on their bodies. Hopefully this can be abolished since they're still young, tho I've heard Quakers are usually bad with this.
They're molting right now, maybe the Suits are irritating them? Should I stop with training and try again when the molt is over?
The instructions said something about spraying Bitter Apple spray on the Suits to deter chewing. I am pretty sure that a special Bitter Apple Spray for birds isn't on the market here, would a similar spray for dogs be safe? Any other bird-safe chew deterrents?
Any other training tips? There must have been somebody with a similar experience.
PLEASE NOTE I am aware that a lot of people have a negative opinion on the FlightSuit. I politely ask of you not to rant about them or suggest I try a different product or method. Heck, if the birds just never like wearing them I will not try to force them to, but I want to know I tried everything I could before giving up.
Also thank you for reading all of this if you did, quite a long post. I tried to make it short, I swear!
I decided to put the Suit on Teri first, as he is usually less of a scaredy-cat than Kimi. He didn't protest much while I was putting in on him, although I was pretty clumsy. But as soon as I let go of him and reached for a treat, he rolled over and started biting at it. He was constantly chewing on the Suit, even turning his head over 180 degrees to reach the Velcro part. Distracting him was really hard, but not impossible. He'd stop and take a treat every once in a while, he'd fly in the Suit and poop in it. Tho he'd completely ignore everything else. Kimi had nearly the same reaction, tho she was easier to distract. I even took her outside on a leash for a few minutes.
I've put it on them again today. I wanted to see how long it would take for them to stop chewing on the Suit, but the time seemed to drag out and the birds seemed stressed so I took it off and let them roam around. They are pretty frightened of the Suits now, but luckily don't hate me.
I'm gonna try reintroducing it, but more slowly this time.
I've been trying to think about why that is, and maybe you can help me figure it out and abolish it.
Maybe it's just because they're not used to having something on their bodies. Hopefully this can be abolished since they're still young, tho I've heard Quakers are usually bad with this.
They're molting right now, maybe the Suits are irritating them? Should I stop with training and try again when the molt is over?
The instructions said something about spraying Bitter Apple spray on the Suits to deter chewing. I am pretty sure that a special Bitter Apple Spray for birds isn't on the market here, would a similar spray for dogs be safe? Any other bird-safe chew deterrents?
Any other training tips? There must have been somebody with a similar experience.
PLEASE NOTE I am aware that a lot of people have a negative opinion on the FlightSuit. I politely ask of you not to rant about them or suggest I try a different product or method. Heck, if the birds just never like wearing them I will not try to force them to, but I want to know I tried everything I could before giving up.
Also thank you for reading all of this if you did, quite a long post. I tried to make it short, I swear!