Ollie's Aviator Harness!

[cfulhage]

We had a few hours today with nothing to do, so we figured it would be a good time to finally try to get Ollie into her new harness. It's the Aviator Harness from theparrotuniversity.com. Spectre started a thread earlier today about his, with a list of pros and cons. Here is our experience:
We had to wrap her up in a towel to get the straps over her head (that is a definite con), but because it is so adjustable, it was really easy getting over her wings. We made it as big as it would go, and she pretty much just got into it the right way, we're still not quite sure why it was so easy! -Although I do have a few bloody fingers... We rushed outside as soon as we got it tightened. She spent about 80% of the time chewing on it, but hopefully that will die down as she gets used to it. I figured she would hate me for at least the rest of the evening, but after we got it off (which was actually more difficult than getting it on was) she snuggled up and starting kissing me. She was so relieved to have it off!
I love that the leash is made of a bungee cord. Someone started a lawn mower right as we got outside and spooked her. She took off, but wasnt even jolted. I'm sure if it would have been a regular leash it would have hurt her! Here are a few pictures, they are not the greatest because my boyfriend is camera challenged. In the one I am trying to distract her from chewing on it. These are actually the only 2 we got that she is looking at the camera...

[spectre]

Lovely bird, the bungee is quite nice isn't it. The guy who makes it says a forty foot flight line will be available in the Spring. I'll keep people posted. We should recommend him, he is quite helpful and responsive.

[Alika]

Have you considered starting a bit more slowly to train her to wear it without having to towel her to get it on?

It's just that, from a training standpoint, if getting toweled is a negative thing to her (it might not be, depends on the bird and method used, it's just that it usually is) then she will start to associate the negative thing with the harness, and dislike the harness as well. You'll have a harder and harder time getting it on and keeping it on, and she'll be more and more uncomfortable about it.

In theory.

You should consider desensitizing her to it and making it positive so that something good happens whenever it gets close to her, then when it touches her, then when you slip it over her head, etc. etc.

Eventually, you should be able to get the whole thing on without incident, and she wouldn't hate it so much.

I trained Beep's to wear a feather tether this way a little over a year ago. I decided it was too heavy for his little body, and I don't use it anymore. But it really does work.

[cfulhage]

Well I got her used to it to some extent. She is not at all scared of new things. She has been around the harness for the past week, and now barely even gives it a passing glance. She doesnt mind being toweled...when she was younger, I'd bathe her, then wrap her in a towel and sit with her to keep her warm. I know I probably rushed it, but with the weather getting so cold here now, we finally had a nice day, and I wanted to be able to get her right outside.
This also drives me crazy...Ollie doesnt have a "treat" that she likes. She is still in the weaning stages...no more formula, but she doesnt eat enough pellets to sustain her. She has to have a primate biscuit right when she wakes up, and before she goes to bed or I think she'd starve. I've tried EVERYTHING. what are some things that you guys use for treats? The only thing she goes crazy for are those pop-ice popscicles. I have to put her in her cage before we get one out of the freezer or its impossible to get the thing out of her mouth!
About the guy that sells these harnesses...he is so helpful! I would recommend these harnesses just for the service! And that longer cord sounds great, although I dont know how much I would use it. Ollie will probably just be sitting on my hand when I have her out. How would the longer cord go on? would you just have to buy a whole new harness??

[willowbirdy218]

How old is Ollie...she is beautiful and I like her name too!

For treats...have you tried spray millet (both of my birds LOVE this and as I have read, most other birds do too. This can also be used to give the bird a little bit of foraging to keep them busy...I ussually take one sprig (?) and cut it up into about 4 or 5 pieces then hide these around the cage for Willow to find), nutri-berries, beak appetit, plain cheerios, or the "trail mix" types of treats that contain seeds, nuts, dried fruits and vegetables, etc?

I think I might have to give this harness a try as Willow doesn't like the feather tether too much.

[Alika]

Have you tried peanut butter or warm oatmeal on a spoon? All my birds go nuts for it! Shelled sunflower seeds, bits of shelled peanut, bits of almond, and millet are other things I've had success with as reinforcers.

Sam likes her pepperoni. If there's something I REALLY want her to do, I'll give her a tiny bit of that.

[cfulhage]

Ollie will be 6 months old on the first of November. She was originally Oliver, but DNA sexed female after it was too late to change the name. I was already calling Oliver, Ollie for a nickname anyways...She Oliver became Ollie Grace!
Ollie is sooooooooo picky! I have tried nutriberries (2 different flavors), cheerios, dried fruit, sunflower seed kernels, peanut butter (sticks to her beak and she HATES that), almonds, walnuts.
I haven't tried oatmeal, or beak appetit. I thought I had read that millet wasn't safe to give african greys, and other larger parrots, because the little seeds, etc. are so light that they can fly up and become lodged in their nares. Maybe I read that in Bobbi Brinker's For the Love of Greys?? My tiel loves millet, but I have never given it to Ollie after hearing this. Please tell me if this is not true!
She loves seeds, but is currently refusing to eat pellets, so I dont want to give her any more seed than what is mixed in with her pellet. What do people that you watch on tv working with their parrots give as treats after they do something right? It has to be something they eat quickly, so they can move on to the next "act." Maybe some sort of a nut, I'm guessing?
Ollie has weird habits...she did like almonds for about 4 days after I introduced them to her. Now she wont even look at them. She also loved dry pasta for awhile, now she ignores that. I'm worried for the time she gets tired of her seed and pellets...what the heck do I feed her then?? darn picky parrot!!

[Monica]

Have you tried the giant millet sprays??? I don't quite remember what it's called, but it's found in wild bird seed (I believe), and is red seed like millet, but only larger???

[Christine9]

Originally Posted by Monica

Have you tried the giant millet sprays??? I don't quite remember what it's called, but it's found in wild bird seed (I believe), and is red seed like millet, but only larger???

It's called mega millet. I get it for my tiels at our local pet store, but I think either Petco or Petsmart also sells it.

[cfulhage]

Yeah, I know what you're talking about...I'll have to see if one of our local pet stores sells it until I can get to a Petco/smart! Thanks guys!