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Harness Recommendations?

SunnySandi

Walking the driveway
Joined
6/30/22
Messages
172
I've been working on getting little Valkyrie harness trained so she can safely come and enjoy the outdoors with me.

I've already tried the Aviator brand harness and it did not work at all, or more so I wasn't comfortable with it. The collar opening was just far too small and felt as though the design was geared primarily to larger parrots and macaws. I still persisted and worked with getting her used to the idea of collar on, collar off. Doing practice approaches, head half in and then remove, lots of millet involved. But once we got to the collar being fully on and off, it's just entirely too difficult to slide back over her head and I'm not happy with it.

I've been looking at the AvianWeb brand harness as the collar opening looks larger and while the buckle system seems a little more difficult, i see where I could replace the slide buckle with a petite plastic bucke (like those on tiny dog collars) for easy on, easy off.

Have any of you used the AvianWeb harness? Or have any suggestions for other brands, preferably with a collar opening that's not going to squeeze an 80 gram cockatiels noggin?
 

Miss Annamarie

Rollerblading along the road
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9/5/18
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1,405
Location
Jamestown, North Dakota, USA
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Annamarie
I like leather4feathers
 

Momof3litt

Sprinting down the street
Joined
7/22/21
Messages
514
I have both the Aviator and Avianweb harnesses. I would be comfortable using either one, but we are still working on training for both. My problem is that my conure does not accept having his wings manipulated, so doesn't stand patiently to tighten or buckle any harness. I suspect he might just not be a harness bird, regardless of training. I can see how it would be much easier to put any harness on a larger bird.
 

Mizzely

Lil Monsters Bird Toys
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Location
Northern Mitten Michigan
Real Name
Shawna [she/her]

SunnySandi

Walking the driveway
Joined
6/30/22
Messages
172
Thank you all for your help! I am going with Leathers4Feathers as I like the buckle design and the snaps for the collar. I’ll post updates once received!
 

Wally&Eva

Jogging around the block
Joined
6/29/22
Messages
943
Location
New York
Real Name
Carol
I’m trying the Aviator for my lovebirds, hope it feels right and that my birds tolerate it
 

SunnySandi

Walking the driveway
Joined
6/30/22
Messages
172
UPDATE: My harness arrived and it’s absolutely beautiful! And it even has Valkyries name stamped in the leather <3

However the baby had her first (and hopefully only) accident due to my own error. I thought we were making good progress in terms of getting used to the harness, and then last night she panicked on me in the process of putting it on and jumped from the table to the tile floor. I think she nicked a blood feather as she was bleeding.

From what I could see it looks like her outermost flight feather that was already clipped too close from when I got her. The bleeding stopped just about instantly and she seemed relatively unbothered and preened the blood away.

Obviously I’m absolutely gutted and feel like the worst bird parent on the planet right now. Needless to say harness training is completely on hold and I’m undecided if I’ll start it up again because the whole thing terrified me.

Not the most chipper update, but with the ups there are bound to be downs right? And I can only learn from my mistakes.
 
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