Aviator Suits or Harness?

[my-africangrey-echo]

Originally Posted by sweetpeaches

hey beth,

i bought bailey an avitar from bp a couple months ago. it is very light weight and nice. i did get it on him quite easily, but he wasn't crazy about it too much. it was harder getting it off. but that was my fault as i have yet to watch the video. which i plan on doing this weekend as the weather is getting nicer and i want to take him outside.
i read up on it myself and found the avitar to be the most popular. i think once he gets used to it he'll be fine.

You must take your time to put it on them. They will let you at first but turn to hate it. You must watch the DVD and follow the instructions if you want success for more than a few days. It can take several weeks before you even put it on them. It took me about 1 month with Echo. Since it hasn't been on since last fall I have started over with showing it to him and prepping him to have it on. They also don't forget something they hate so If you rush them you may as well not buy one at all and save your money!

[sweetpeaches]

you're absolutely right!!!! that's why i WILL watch the video before attempting again. altho, putting it on wasn't as much as a challenge as taking it off. thanks for the encouragement....will do!!

[Monica]

Originally Posted by my-africangrey-echo

The first thing I did not like about the flight suit is how unsanitary it is for them to be able to poop in it and have that mess on them. I thought of it as more of a way to keep them from pooping on your furniture then a safe way to let them be free flighted outside. Velcro doesnt seem to be a very secure way to keep my FID safely attached to me..

Okay, I am by no means a fan of the flightsuits... flightsuits were in part designed to dress up your bird... and I don't dress up my pets, not the dog, not the cats. Dog has a collar, but beyond that, nothing more.

Second, flightsuits were designed to be SANITARY! That may sound contradictory, however, it is designed so that the poop falls below the birds butt, so that it doesn't stick to their feathers. So long as the flight suit is cleaned regularly, it's actually rather clean for both bird AND you.

As for keeping your furniture... AND yourself cleaned... well yes, that's another design for the flight suit! I see no big deal about cleaning up some poop that is small (less you have a large/x-large bird where it's not so small!), and doesn't really smell. If your worried about your furniture, put something like a towel or a sheet over it. If your worried about your clothes, wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty. If your worried about your floors, again, cover them to protect them.

And for the velcro. Yes, that's something to worry about in a flighted bird. I don't really know how the whole setup works, but I don't care for the idea of velcro myself....

Just remember though, after all that, I am defending a product I don't even care for!

[my-africangrey-echo]

I actually bought the flight suit when I brought Echo home and you are supposed to put a small piece of round cotton in it for the poop to go on. Like one of those flat cotton balls. Therefore the suit stays clean just the mess on the cotton. Well the mess was always not only on the cotton but on Echo too. I had to then clean him up. It was much better to teach Echo to know when he needs to poop and where it is ok to poop. While this is not 100% it is much better then wiping off his butt. Again this is just my humble opinion of the flight suit. Some of us bird lovers really like it. I don't think it was ever designed to be used as a harness for taking them outside. Maybe just a poor choice in naming it.

[Monica]

Having had personal experience, I can see your point of view! I can't say I've heard of anyone else having these problems! And indeed right, probably not the best of names, either!

[Tom Lawless]

I just bought the aviator harness yesterday for my Hahns. I have not used it yet. It comes with a video with pretty extensive instructions to insure that it will be a positive experience. I thought I'd bring it home and put it on him but they recommend a slower approach so give yourself a couple of days to prepare your Amazon for it before you actually use it the way you want.

[my-africangrey-echo]

No not days weeks. Must take it slow. If you rush him you will regret it.

[UtahTiels]

I have used a flight suit on tiels and oh what a pain that is. I got one for Mija and after a week put it on her. Not a happy bird. But not too unhappy either. I got it because we are going up to see my mom over Memorial Day and don't want her pooping on the furniture. As far as being a "flight" suit I think not. An Amazon and velcro are not a good combination. I think the velcro will lose. Any way. I am using large makeup pads in the suit and they work good. I think as a diaper they work well. But they want way too much for them. If I would not have been able to get it for $10 I would not have gotten it. I also see a harness being ordered today.