# Which one?



## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Well, contray to all family traditions, my gran gave me money for my birthday so I've now got enough for virtually any type of harness for Echo, which is something I really want as I spend a lot of time outside and feel so bad locking Echo up every time I go outside to work (I live on a farm). Mum really wants me to get a flight suit so he's not pooping everywhere as apparently it stains (it doesn't, but she won't believe me LOL), but I'm pretty good at sewing, so I think I could make a decent one that could be tailored to fit Echo and if it's only used inside when he doesn't need to be controlled, just where Mum doesn't want him pooping (ie hanging out watching TV with me and playing on the carpet etc), the problems of it not being secure aren't there.

So I'm also looking at harnesses and on my list of possibilities are

The Aviator Harness, $49.95+$5.20 postage
http://www.myparrotshop.com/bird-ac...ss-leash-with-instructional-dvd/prod_312.html

The Jazzy bird harness $14+$1.50 postage
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Jazzy-Bird-H...20734QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

Bird Harness $14+$9.25 postage
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Bird-Harness...ryZ20734QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Flightsuit $24.60+$5.90 postage
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/BIRD-DIAPER-...ryZ20734QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I'm leaning towards the aviator harness, as it looks really safe and easy to put on, but not too sure on my skills at making a flight suit LOL, and don't ave the money for both.


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

I bought the harnesses for budgies and tiels - they were both a fiqure 8 design, I couldn't fiqure out how to use them and once i thought i did my birds almost choked thier self but got out of them - glad i was inside!

this is the flight suit i bought, but it was on sale when i bought it 
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produ...allpartial&Ntk=All&N=2003&Ntt=flightsuit&Np=1


by the way bird poop does stain the carpet @ my other house I had tan carpet all through the main rooms(living room , bedrooms) and I had multi colored dots every where a bird ever went to the bathroom

in my house i'm in now I have marroon carpet and I still have stains where the birds Miss the rugs or trays 

the flight suit i trust more so then a harness, We used it on our quaker and 2 of our tiels


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Which harness do you have? I put up three different ones... is it the feather tether? The aviator is meant to be guaranteed escape proof and I really like the way the lead can swing between the back and the chest so they don't get tangled if they take off... As I would like to flight train Echo so he can enjoy himself outside, but want something thats completely safe.


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

i'll have to see if the store i bought it at has it on thier website, because we took them back the same day we bought them 

I put the one for budgies on my budgie, and it about choked him to death so i took it off and did it again (followed the directions to the T) and he got out of it within seconds of it bieng on, if i find it i'll repost here


I found it , it was the Feather Tether
http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind.../PET/2769096&fbc=1&parentPage=family&keepsr=1

we had the size for quakers and Parakeets (which was xtra small - Petite) 

and on both of them thier feet kept getting caught in the material its made out of 

on my quaker he unsnapped the clipping mechanism on his own and got out of it


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

Without a doubt i would go with the aviator harness!!  It has such a fantastic reputation, comes with a training dvd so you can learn how to use it most effectively, and it's supposed to be the most comfortable and escape proof harness on the market.


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Yah I'm leaning towards it, and it would be fun trying to make a flight suit, Echo is a pretty good bird as long as I let him play with one of our old broken keyboards he's an absolute angel when I do things to him LOL, ie stretch out his wings so I could look at the wingclip LOL. 

So far all the reviews I've read have been really good and it looks so simple to put on.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

I think if he's easy to work with now he'll take really well to the aviator. It's more expensive, but i think you will get what you pay for. The two harnesses other than the flight suit and aviator i wouldn't consider at all, they look cheap and just generally suss.


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Yah they do, but as both aren't shown on real birds, it's not very useful in getting an idea of how well they'd fit LOL and after reading a story about a bird being killed by a feather tether, I'm not even considering it LOL. 

Since Echo's so young I want to get a harness ASAP so he can grow up with it and be totally used to it and it will mean he can go more places which I'm sure he wouldn't mind LOL.


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Oh and will need to get better pics of the harness, you have one don't you Bea? I need pics of it not on a bird to show how it all goes together, I have a basic idea but the pics on the net don't show the seams.


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

After researching it for my babies, I also decided on the aviator harness too. I haven't gotten it yet, but it's by far the most comfortable and safe for them.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

I thought this one looked neat https://healthybird.net/store/produ...d=742&osCsid=351672df3fe48e0c9459a67e2360b216 I don't know if the avaitor harness would protect the rugs though.


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Well I'd make a flight suit for when he's inside if I get the aviator harness.


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

I don't think he's feel very comfortable wearing the suit inside...if it's only a poop issue do what I do and cut little pieces of papertowel and keep them with you. As soon as he poops, clean it up.


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

That's what I'm doing now LOL, Mum's not happy, he's fine in his designated play areas to do what he wants, but he likes watching TV with me etc as well.


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Hmm, I made a flightsuit, god knows why they cost so much, easy peasy to do, the hardest bit was getting Echo to try it on, he bit me a few times, but not overly hard, he does the same thing when I take a toy he likes away, but once the suit was on settled down, I've got it at his size now, now, so just need to do all the final touches, and I have a flight suit LOL, will spend time properly introducing it to him though, ie hide it for a few weeks till he forgets about it and start slowly getting him used to it. 

Will def be buying an aviator harness then since I can make a flight suit.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

You should post some pics of your homemade flight suit. They aren't a highly complex design, that's for sure!


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Well I'll definitely be getting the aviator harness, kind of annoyed though just noticed you can only get the tiel size in black or red, darn I wanted the silver one to match Echo, oh well.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

I think black would look nice too!


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Well I put the order in, I ended up choosing red as thinking about it, Echos the exact same colour as the gum trees round here so if (god forbid) he gets loose while wearing the harness he'll at least be easy to spot. He's learning to come on command though and is getting pretty good at it as well, but better to be safe then sorry, also ordered a few other bits and pieces as well LOL.


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## DeBree420 (Nov 14, 2007)

i have a few of those cheap harnesses... i think the third link down, the one on the fake budgie...
i find them to be a perfectly fine design, the aviator by far would be the best harness (easiest to put on, least likely to distract) but my guys do still like to go out in the cheap harnesses, they are perfectly comfortable and the only drawback is that the shiny clip seems to be so interesting, even before they have ever worn it, they get to play with it, to familiarize the harness as a non-scary object, they all go crazy over the clip...
the feather tether i would only recommend for a large parrot or cockatoo, i have never found the design to work on a smaller bird

definitely post piks of your flight suit...
i would love to see, even though i have no use for one myself


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Thats a good idea about ordering the red one


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Well the harness should arrive on Monday, and I'm hoping that if all goes well, Echo might be used to it by the sunday, as theres a guinea pig show on (yes I show guinea pigs) which I'll be going to but since my pigs are all under quarantine at the moment, no one to take, but it would be a good first "outing" for Echo as the hall is completely safe and I know everyone there so if asked not to touch him they won't. That is of course if Echo is used to it.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

I think it usually takes longer than a week to introduce it properly, but he is a baby so you might be lucky.


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

He's fine with the flight suit I made him, only mildly irritated by the fact it won't let him preen, and he's used to having things round his neck and me lifting his wings, so I'm hoping all that will be needed is for him to get used to the colour and shape of the harness.


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Well the harness has arrived, my parents first comments being you payed $50 for THAT? LOl it's teeny tiny, it ways like nothing, just watching the DVD now before introducing it to Echo, so far all I've found is Echo hates the guys voice on the DVD and started shrieking from another room when he heard it, strange bird he does the same for youtube clips with american accents.


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Hmmm still watching the DVD and one complaint is that everything is demonstrated on a scarlet macaw, I can't do any of that with Echo, he's a 75g tiel, if I tried to lift his wing like they do I'd crush the poor birdie.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

I know people who have done it on 70g conures so i don't think you'll have a problem.


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Yah it's not a problem, just I think they should show other methods beside what methods happen to work for a huge macaw.

Hmm Echo likes the harness LOL, he still hasn't let go of the elastic ;leash, I haven't put it on him, he's just checking it out.


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Hmmm, well he thinks the harness is the best toy I've ever gotten him and adores playing with it, but he hates the idea of it around his head, while playing with it he got his head into the right hole and just instantly starting freaking out.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

I'm sure he will get used to the idea, when you're giving him head scratches try moving your fingers down either side of his head and eventually forming a finger loop around his neck. This would be a good way to get him used to the feeling.


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Yah I've been doing that. I worked out what was freaking him out, it wasn't the collar it was the fact the rest of the harness was loose, he's done the same thing over toys with long flapping parts. I have been doing the other parts the DVD advised since virtually the day I got him, so today I just put the harness on, as soon as it was tightened and he had rearranged his feathers he was an angel, I took him out onto one of the gum trees and he had the best fun singing at the top of his voice the whole time. He was an angel when I took it off as well, he only had it on for a few minutes. So I might keep trying with just putting the harness on and slowly increasing the time, as long as I get it tightened quickly he seems like he'll be fine.


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Well we got it on again, the actual putting it on part is the hardest, he hates the way he gets his feet stuck when I'm rearranging it, but as soon as it's on apart from rearranging his feathers and chewing the elastic part he doesn't notice it. I think it's the just the idea of being tangled which starts the panicking. Hopefully when I get better at putting it on I'll get it on fast enough that he doesn't notice.


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Just another update, so far all is going well. Echos taught me two things, one that the harness must be done up as tight as I can make it, or he's going to stick his feet in and start screaming and two if we play flappies immediately after he completely forgets he has a harness on, the only part he registers is the lead part which he likes beaking. He's really good about it though, and have to say the harness is fantastic, would def recommend it, even with the price tag.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

I'm so glad that it worked well for you.  I would love to see some photos of him wearing it.


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Heres some pics, he's really picky about the lead as well, he likes it with the buckle on top but the lead under his wing, has right tantrums when it's not right LOL.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

Awww, he looks so handsome in his little harness!  That first pic is just so cute!


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

LOL, will look even cuter when he actually has flight feathers, I've tried counting and theres at least 8 feathers missing on each wing, seems a tad much, especially since they did it before the poor boy learnt to fly, he makes a right mess of it every time he tries. 

He does that pose constantly though, I still can't work out if he does it for the heck of it, or if he does it for balance


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Really cute  I think red is his colour


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## Rosie (Aug 27, 2007)

Echo looks adorable in his new harness!!


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Well we've got the show tomorrow and I will take Echo along, we won't stay for the whole duration and when he starts to get fidgety and annoyed will take him home as it's only a short drive from my house, but he's fairly good with the harness, he spent two and a half hours in it yesterday playing in the gum trees and on the grass and was completely fine.


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

He should enjoy the ride. Mine love to go on trips although they have to stay in their travel cage. Make sure to carry some water for him and some food just in case.


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## Plukie (Aug 26, 2007)

Awww, he looks a real cutie in his little harness.


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Yup I've packed him his fave toys, hes seed, his veggies for the day and a bottle of water and a feeder, spoilt brat LOL. Well I finally got the harness on, Echo decided he'd much prefer to play with it today rather then wear it and kept picking it up (not biting it) and moving it or rearranging it every time I got it ready to be put on, silly bird. but it's on now and Echo has had his 'bath' in the dew on the grass so he's all happy LOL.


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## Avalon_Princess (Feb 13, 2008)

Well we're back, it went wonderfully. Echo absolutely adored the attention and the fun of being out and about, he lasted four hours hopping around and trilling at the top of his voice before conking out on my shoulder, so the tired babies been brought home and he's fast asleep in his cage LOL. The harness worked well though, and apart from playing with the lead he didn't seem to mind it.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Cute  Sounds like he had fun


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Sound like it was alot of fun. It's great for their minds to take them out and have them explore. Ofcourse, they're super tired by the time they get home. Mine always go right to napping as soon as we get in.


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