Just a Question......Harness vs Leg tether

[LoveMyBeak]

I know I might get thrashed for asking this but.....Why do we use Harnesses these days instead of using leg tethers? from what I know I guess that is all they had in the old days, and I have never heard of a bird being injured using a leg tether.
Keep in mind- this is only a question, nothing more, I was just curious and pondering this question in my mind lately. what made us decide to invent a harness? why was the tether done away with? is it becasue of safety? because if so, I can see how a bird can get injured even in a harness. is it becasue somebody invented the harness just to push something on us just so they can make a buck? hmmmmmmm just wonderin......LMB

[Lisa B]

I think the leg teather is illegal here......anyone know?

[sadisticotaku]

Wow.. illegal? I have nooo idea

I think the point of a harness is to spread the amount of shock throughout the body, instead of just the leg, since parrot legs break easily.

[chapala]

I have read that leg tethers can lead to injury in parrots. Birds of prey such as hawks and falcons have far stronger legs than parrots - hawks use their legs and talons in attacking and carrying prey. Leg tethers are used with birds of prey and apparently are fine. I don't think the same is true for parrots.

[LoveMyBeak]

hmmmmm cool replies, I appreciate the info. Stay tuned for more stupid questions from me, I am full of em, thanks for not showing up at my door with pitch forks and torches.........LMB

[bethn]

I saw leg tethers for sale for the first time last week so I guess they're not illegal. I was very surprised to see them though.

[Lisa B]

Originally Posted by bethn

I saw leg tethers for sale for the first time last week so I guess they're not illegal. I was very surprised to see them though.

really? where at?

[Monica]

Someone actually made a homemade leg-teather for their alexandrian parrot, one teather on each leg. The bird was also flight trained, and had the teathers on only when supervised outside. This person hasn't posted in a while so I don't know what has become of them.

With that said, I've seen quite a few pictures of birds on playstands, gyms, or otherwise, with a chain attached to their leg. That chain is then attached to the gym. The chains are usually kept short, which means that whatever the bird is sitting on is also usually rather small. This is all in poorer old world countries, as far as I know.... mostly within the southern Asian countries - I don't really know too much about other areas, however.

[r2rusmc]

Way back when I used a leg chain with my first macaw. A neighbor down the street had a Military macaw for around 20 years that used a leg chain without incident. They were my intro to macaws.

Like anything, if used improperly or with inadequate supervision there is potential for danger and injury.

My macaw only had it on when he was outside on the perch. His chain was long enough to reach the ground in case he got spooked.

Now I have harnesses for all my macaws. For what they are used for and considering how I supervise I've actually considered training them on a leg chain.

I've considered it.

I haven't persued it because I don't feel like getting jumped by people on the net that don't agree with me or share my same philosophy.

[magdalena]

I've never seen jesses sold for parrots though the man who breeds ravens and crows at the corvid ranch trains the fledglings to jesses as birds are trained in falconry. I did see a chain tether at a parrot store I went to recently and was surprised, it had a little medieval shackle you screw around the bird's leg. I've never heard of a parrot injured from a tether either but as chapala said parrots have weaker legs than raptors so chaining one by a leg and having it spook might be harmful. I wouldn't think jesses would work since they would be easy and tempting to chew through quickly.