# Taking your birds outside?



## SilverSage (Oct 19, 2014)

I am just wondering what other people are doing as far as taking their birds outside. Would you be willing to let me know?


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

If I am taking my birds outside for sunshine, they hop into a cage about half the size of the typical flight cage. They get their favourite foods put in there (to bribe them inside, lol) and a lengthly shower from the spray bottle as well as plenty of time to dry off. I only do this on days where there's plenty of sun and no wind, though.

Coco is the only one who is semi-harness trained. I'm still working on getting him completely comfortable with it. His wings aren't clipped (none of my birds' wings are), and even if they were, there's no way I would take him outside without his harness on (unless in the sun cage).

I chose the 'in a cage' option on the poll because that is what I do most often.


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## RexiesMuM (Sep 7, 2011)

I take my birds out in a harness or in a cage and only if I can watch them like a hawk !


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## Mayra (Aug 4, 2014)

I only took my tiel outside a few times for her weekly weigh in at the bird store before she was fully weaned and I took her in a carrier. She HATED being in it though so I would let her out for the car ride and she would perch on me all the way. Other drivers who noticed got a kick out of it lol. I plan on taking her outside next summer in a harness.


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## RowdyTiel (Jan 24, 2013)

My birds spend the nice days outside in their smaller cages. Or Missy will be in her flightsuit (wings not clipped. All of my birds are flighted).


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## tielbob (Mar 25, 2013)

I don't take mine outside due to too many sad stories from others who did. That includes the friend who happened to have a car accident when riding with his tiel, and seeing the pics of a tiel who was lost forever when he flew away wearing his beautiful flightsuit and leash. Not worth it to me. My bird is a happy stay-at-home pet


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

My area has a lot of hawks. I see at least two a day in my backyard since we have a bird feeder. Kiwi can't go outside. 

She can only go outside on the screen porch. It's a big area and I just let her fly around to her hearts content. It's sort of like an aviary I guess. 

I do take her for drives in the car sometimes in her travel cage, she loves car rides. :lol:


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## Colorguarder08 (Sep 13, 2014)

It's currently too cold to take Riley outside. However when I got her I would put her in her travel cage and take her outside that way. This coming spring (sadly still 6 months away) she will be going out in her aviator harness as she was trained to wear one when I got her


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## CloudySkies (Jul 11, 2014)

I would love, love, love to train Coyote to wear an Aviator harness (I think I prefer it to the flight suit, I've been looking at them both for some time now). I love the idea of taking him outside or in the car, etc. I will have to be careful too, though, as we have a hawk that uses one of the trees in my front yard as his buffet table for the doves he catches.


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## wagon80 (Oct 22, 2014)

I take my guy outside first in his outside cage. Then let him out(with me supervising) to explore. Whether it is on the lawn, deck or on my shoulder. Ive been doing this since i brought him home. He doesn't like when im out of site so im not worried at all. His wings are clipped, but he is glues to my perimeter lol. Take him in the truck or car, and not in a cage. He prefers the head rest. No harness for mine


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## amberwydell (Oct 13, 2013)

Cosmo never goes outside, except for vet appointments or if he's visiting the budgies at my dad's house. Whenever we're travelling somewhere with him, he goes in a travel cage (which he strongly dislikes, but he's too much of a nuisance to be handled in the car alone  )
He did escape through the patio door once... he flew over the main road at the bottom of my garden (yikes!), over the field, then made a U-turn and came all the way back! Lucky for him, his wing's weren't clipped, or else he would have crash landed! I'm not sure if he flew back because he was scared, or if he was a clever boy and knew where his home was, or even if it was just dumb luck. But I'm not willing to take the risk of him going out again... especially after all of the stories you hear


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

On a nice sunny day, I'll take Sunny out in his travel cage for some sunshine. But I never leave his side. If I go back in the house, so does he. I'd love to harness train him but at his age I try not to stress him out too much and I just don't think he'll take well to the harness. When he goes to the vet, we have a smaller carrier that we use.


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## Tequilagirl (Mar 4, 2013)

Harness, wings unclipped. Only during spring and summer though, we have an avian UV light for the winter.


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## estypest (Jul 31, 2014)

In a cage. On nice sunny/warm days Maxi goes out on the garden table in her regular cage (heavy aha). I've got her a small travel cage which I'd love to take her out on adventures in (bit worried it's too small though gah!). Would love a flight suit, but don't think Maxi would be impressed.. I get a stern warning if I scritch too far down her neck, let alone touch her wings haha.


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## karendh (Mar 25, 2013)

Birdie goes out on the balcony every morning, weather permitting. I live in Malta and it doesn't get very cold even in the winter, my balcony faces south so it's nice and warm out there in the sunshine.

I have to limit her time out there in the summer to 7am until 9am because it's too hot for her after that time. When I first got her I put her out early and left it far too long before bring her in, that was in the summer, and when I went to get her she was sitting with her beak open and her wings away from her body, far to hot. I felt awful and would never do that again!!


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## Jaguar (Jul 11, 2014)

Phoenix got to go outside a few times before it got too cold... he was in a harness and clipped at the time, though I didn't clip him, and will be leaving him flighted next molt. He wasn't nearly as scared as I thought he'd be - he quite enjoyed hanging out in the sun


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## SilverSage (Oct 19, 2014)

Thanks for sharing everyone! Mine who are harness trained go out in harnesses, others go out in cages, and some actually live outside (I'm in Hawaii, is it basically. Never gets too hot or too cold). I just wondered what other people are doing. I find that more cockatiel owners seem to leave the wings long than other parrot owners, it is refreshing!


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## F0RSAK3N (Sep 22, 2014)

My dad had the nicest till in the world fly away from him because it always would stick to him and come when he heard my dad's voice. Well except the one time the door was left open for a moment too long and he went his own way. I truly believe he found a new home, hopefully one that treats him right. My birds will have an aviary to play in about the size of a room when I am done but I won't let them outside until it's done except for stay overs at the parents' or my sister's place when I am out of town.


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## Tisena (Sep 28, 2013)

Mine sit right next to me in their travel cage on the back door step. We have buzzards, sparrow hawks and cats around so I take out 2 water sprayers, one to mist them and the other to spray or hit any threats! Yes kitties and raptors... I will hit you with a spray bottle...


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## Janalee (Jul 25, 2012)

*taking birds outside*

Bennie travels in a pet carrier when I take him to the vet. He rides in his cage when I go to visit my parents for a couple of days or to my sister in NC. I have only taken him outside in his cage a couple of times. But I did get an Avi-Sun lamp to try to duplicate the benefits he would get from sunshine. It's probably not exactly the same, but most of the year it is too chilly and/or damp here for him to be outside.


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

Used to take them out in the cage when it was warm and I can say, they responded differently. Trillie loves it and always gets excited to talk to wild birds. Chipper was OK and he didn't mind. This is how we lost him - he managed to open the cage door when we were inside while the cage was on the front porch. I wasn't supervising them every minute, as taking them out was a routine thing and accidents never happened before. 
When we got Cuddles later, I can't say that she loved being outside. First of all, it takes to catch her first to put her in the cage, and she hates when she is forced to do what she doesn't plan to  SO she was rather cautious about outdoors. Of course, we take more precautions after loosing Chipper. 
But now Trillie and Cuddles have chick, so no more outdoors for them for now. But its also pretty cold.


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

F0RSAK3N said:


> My dad had the nicest till in the world fly away ... I truly believe he found a new home, hopefully one that treats him right.


I have the same hope for Chipper. This night we had a first freeze after having lost him in late May. Not good to be out


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## Bird Crazy (Sep 13, 2014)

Mine go in a travel cage in the car. We go to friends houses or the bird club meetings. I have even taking them camping! At home, my front and back decks are covered or have awnings. I put up nylon netting all around the sides so we can sit outside and relax. They have a play gym for outside that they love. Unfortunately we cannot go outside again until next spring because it's too cold. We'll miss it!


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## tielwoman (Oct 4, 2014)

I take Zephyr (who is fully flighted) out onto the deck for sun in his sleep/travel cage which is a standard cockatiel cage, but smaller than his regular cage. He has all his essentials eg food, water and I pretty much stay out there with him. He did go outside when he was a baby and had wings clipped when he came to me, but we stopped this quickly as his confidence to explore and feathers re grew. He also travels in the car quite a bit in this same cage which is secured with locks on all doors and between base and cage. I have been thinking of introducing a harness or a flight suit very gently. Probably its unlikely that he will take to either, but no harm in trying if its all a very positive experience. So I'm wondering about the sad stories you mentioned tielbob.

Quote _I don't take mine outside due to too many sad stories from others who did. That includes the friend who happened to have a car accident when riding with his tiel, and seeing the pics of a tiel who was lost forever when he flew away wearing his beautiful flightsuit and leash._

How did he fly away wearing the flight suit and leash?


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## imouto (Feb 24, 2014)

I've taken my tiel out to the store without any harness or flight suit, he does just fine. I have him in my hands at all times. His wings are clipped. We get a lot of attention (it's like birds are a rare sight in the world!  ) but I would like to get a harness for him eventually.


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