To owners with FLIGHTED BIRDS...PLEASE READ **UPDATED**

[pecks]

Here is the link to the water bottles that fit the celltei Pak-O-Bird carriers. It's the 8oz model that fits in the pack (anything bigger wouldn't fit). Very handy little carriers, and they're highly adjustable and come with a lot of options. I couldn't be more pleased with it.

Amazon.com: Water Buddy Topfill Water Bottle: Home & Garden

[MissV]

You know, I've actually been to the main company's website, looking at those backpacks...and you can custom order different types too! They can split the larger sizes so you can carry multiple birds at once. I'm wondering if they have enough room for a B&G and two conures all separate..but I think teh Macaw may just have to get his own bag...

He's being harness trained though, but I'd still be able to "put him away" if people end up getting on his nerves. Sometimes non-bird type people are just too pushy with their attentions! ^_^


As for bird escapes...I suffered so much anxiety in the time that my Sun could fly from just people opening doors carelessly or a particular incident where, suddenly spooked, Luca flew STRAIGHT into a glass window. And then she flew into it again! I couldn't handle actually seeing her hurt (she was fine..those beaks are tough!) But honestly, since I've had her clipped she's even behaving much better. And no more worrying about her and her snarky little swooping at my recently rescued little dusky.

[Jag]

Thanks for that link, Pecks!! I have been very happy with the water bottles. The other kind just leaked the entire bottle out and wouldn't stay put because it was too tall. However, this is coming from someone who bought a water bottle just so Rayne could have the little ducky out of it!

Yes, there is a WIDE variety of options for birds with these. I almost got a double, but was worried that one of them might not like it.... which I now feel was a silly assumption. However, given that they argue sometimes, I think seperate ones was a good choice. I may eventually get the stroller that goes with them.

"Snarky little swooping"... ROTFLMAO... we call those 'fly bys' here, and Rayne does it ALOT!! Rico now ducks if Rayne is coming by... LOL!! I think it keeps him on his toes! She also does fly bys with our heads...which is fine, unless I just got up to go to work... not yet awake, and my wife has the birds out. Then I have Rayne doing a fly by, and Rico lands on my head. Scares the living crap out of me. Rico doesn't listen about the head landings... I think he just has to 'dig his heels in' somewhere...LOL. I wouldn't clip either of them for it, though. Just part of the madness here. They have both run into the window after being spooked. However, we keep the curtains closed when they are out. The only time they aren't fully closed is when Rayne wants to sit on the window perch, and then they are still mostly closed.

I think for any bird that is bigger or who would have any tendency to chew, the steel mesh should be ordered. I didn't because of heat and time, but I don't have heavy chewers. They will also monogram the packs... or personalize them but I didn't have time for that, either. To tell them apart, I bought the little dog name tags in different colors and put those on the front clip. Then I know who goes where.... it really serves no other purpose, but I did include my cell number... you never know.

[Lisa B]

here Sydney and I are tricker treating, but you can see his harness leash on my arm....yes. he was a bee.

[gbird]

LOL...Lisa Pita would go for my jugular if I even entered the house with a costume for him to wear.....LOL

[heatherlovesbirds]

YES, I feel the bottom line is that if your bird is out of her cage she needs to be supervised period! I had a bad experience. My dad had that assumption that my bird wouldn't fly away. Her cage was in the living room at the time. He opened the door with her on his shoulder and yelled at the dog. HOW STUPID. I was one of the VERY FEW lucky ones and he did get her back. I moved her cage in my room after that and supervised her constantly. I didn't allow others to take her out of my sight.

[Markus]

I had JC, my female sun conure, outside last summer.. to show her a thunderstorm. Yeah.. real smart idea..NOT. Anyways.. she was clipped. As soon as the first thunder hit, and the rain started hard, she flew into the yard.. downhill !! She made it to some old car tires near the garden, and climbed inside the bottom tire. So there I am, trying to fish out a scared bird from a tire in a heavy downpour.

Lesson learned: birds can still fly a good distance when clipped. And they don't like thunder too much, either.



Lisa: That costume is too cute!! I'm thinking of some vampire costumes for my Suns. Maybe something like the Count from Sesame Street.

[suzhouchen]

Originally Posted by gbird

Recall training is good as well, but not everyone can or will do that. Plus I personally think you have been lucky. Lucky to have your bird recall trained, and lucky that so far it has worked for you.

Just remember, it just takes one incident to frighten your bird enough that he may not come back.




Excellent....thank you. We have emergency plans for our children, and should for our fids, they after all are our feathered children.

How do I train my bird to recall? I would be devastated if I lost either of my darling children.

[loyallyroyal]

Pick a word like "come" and train them to fly to you. I use pine nuts as a reward. I practice by going to different spots and having Dewey come on command.

Every once in a while I will get the ladder out and put him on top and let him practice flying down to me on command to.

Its not fool proof, but it makes me feel better that he comes reliably.

[jenseits]

Originally Posted by suzhouchen

How do I train my bird to recall? I would be devastated if I lost either of my darling children.

I recommend reading CarlyLu's flight blog to learn about some of the foundational steps and recommended resources: Carly Lu's Flight Blog: Parrot Training, Flight & Recall

You cannot simply take your bird outside unrestrained and try to train free flight without any sort of foundation. And even birds with fairly consistent indoor recall are not what can be considered "free flight trained".

My advice is to work on indoor recall until it's 99% consistent, but still don't take your bird outside unrestrained (unless you've engaged in serious free flight training with hands-on freeflight training/mentoring by a real professional).

Lots of birds enjoy being outdoors in a harness, which is a great (safer) alternative.