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Harness training my budgie

peesh

Meeting neighbors
Joined
2/4/21
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37
Real Name
Ulyana
Hello! I'm planning on harness training my budgie, Peeko, since she's shown being comfortable enough with touching and getting used to new things. The only thing is, I will only be able to order an Aviator harness in mid July, and then I'll have to wait another month for it to arrive to my country. With that in mind, I made a replica similar enough to what I'm planning to get for her: IMG_20220621_231707.jpg
I dont really know yet if I would be able to use this harness outside and taking risks in this is very unnecessary (the stitches are all very secure and the elastic leash is securely attached too, but the buckle is a bit too wide and doesn't seem to hold the strap well enough), so I was thinking of using this as sort of a "training dummy" until I can get the actual thing. Will this help much, or will I have to get her accustomed to the new harness all over again? Have any of you had experience with putting different harnesses on your bird, how much does their reaction differ? I don't want to rush anything, but I'm also very curious how much time I should expect to spend on training, and if starting training now will help in any way.
 

Sparkles99

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My budgies aren't harness trained, but it could help her get used to the idea of a harness.
 

FeatheredM

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Monique
I think that is a great idea. It should really help in desensitizing before your harness comes.
 

peesh

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Ulyana
I believe small birds are difficult to keep safe and secure in a harness.
I agree, but I also think it depends on the bird. Unlike my other budgie, Peeko is pretty calm and isn't very flighty. But I do think that if I'm going to take her outside, I need to get a good quality harness and make sure she is completely comfortable in it.
 

Branch

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7/11/22
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32
I am harness training my bird, and if you're using the makeshift harness as a "training dummy" I would recommend that you make the dummy to look similar to the actual thing or your bird might still be scared.

The time it takes to harness train a bird varies from weeks to months depending on the bird and how you introduce it to the harness. (Basically just take it slow with the introduction)
 
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