Does your bird like outside?

[raddaughter]

Yes! Lots of out time! Mine love the outdoors. Echo has a harness and goes outside whenever it is nice out (not too hot or cold) and the sun light and fresh air is so good for them too!

[MsSmurfy]

My feathered ones totally 'THRIVE' of being outdoors. Luckily we are able to provide a beautiful Aviary which is surrounded by natural wildlife. We live on the water & the birds are often visited by the critters who enjoy the waters edge. But most of all, TIKI [male D2] totally enjoys the rains...he is kind of like our little weatherman: "It's raining~ COME_ON Let's go"...whistling & flapping his wings, TIKI bathes happily & visibly exstatic with excitement & pleasure beyond definitive words.

[Bonesy]

Originally Posted by RMSacha

Ummmmmm... I wasn't referring to aggression... I own a Hy and would never think about taking it outdoors to fly... now, I see you meant she was indoors. I totally agree with the idea of flighting birds, I am just apprehensive about doing it outdoors. It seems more prevalent in Europe than in the U.S.

No she was flighted in a big 50 acre field. No cables or anything in over 2 miles.

She loved playing in the ash trees that bordered the hedges too. I swear she thought she was a dog, she'd bring me branches she'd broken off and want me to throw them for her to waddle over and bring back. She had that wonderfully hilarious John Wayne swagger that cracked me up every time!

She WAS a screamer, that was her only issue and the reason she came to me, but I told the owner a bird of that size NEEDS more than a room to fly in. So i got in contact with my falconer friend and we went from there. We bought in a big bird harness from the USA and trained her to it in a week and she was flying outdoor in 2 weeks. Her screaming halved in the first week and stopped entirely in the second.

So that's proof for me half of some problem bird's issues stem from excess energy and not enough stuff to take it out on.

Smurfy : Some of my clients birds I've taken out have loved rain too! Even my little mikko gets all exited if it starts raining when he's out in the garden with me. His little birdie hackles go up, he fluffs his head out and waddles around ecstatically with his wings flung up in the air. He only gets grumpy when it rains too much and then he goes and cowers under his blue mousie toy, hehe

[Irish]

My macaws (including a Hy) LOVE spending the day outdoors--in an aviary. 2 of them are fine on Aviator Harnesses (the Hy and the Scarlet), the other two would rather die than wear one. They're all flighted, so the only place two of them can go outdoors is in the aviary. The other two, we take lots of places with us when they have their harnesses on.

[macawlover]

My birds LOVE it outside! Buddy likes to sit on the front porch railing!

[Copper]

Angel-Rose will bring her harness over to me if we haven't gone out by 11 in the morning... she loves her walks, and loves her flights!
If we can't do the walks, everyones cage is moved out on the deck, they need that fresh air as much as we do

[Raylene]

Our harliquin Mac kept biting his harness when we first used it i just kept distracting him after a couple of weeks he stopped, we dont use it now as his wings are clipped.
I dont think we are having his wings done again as we only had them done once just after we had 12 months ago as he was flying into things and i was worried he was going to hurt his self.
our other one the greenwing Topaz will not be having his/hers done as he/she not as clumsy

[birdsnreps]

If i were you, i would try to associate the harness with a fun time. of course they arent gonna like the harness if he has to sit around inside doing his daily routine with the harness on.

[sassie]

All of My birds were allowed outside this spring/summer. Now My Too is flighted he wont be going out --- also Teko is flight (but he cant fly)

Everyone else loves being out

[SDavid]

"Luckily we are able to provide a beautiful Aviary which is surrounded by natural wildlife. "

Sounds great.

Was just wondering if some of you that have outdoor aviaries could post pics (only if it's not too much trouble). I don't have one so I have to be with my fids all the time when they're outside-which is fine, it's one way that I spend time with them. And, yes, they seem to love the outdoors. I put my budgies cage on the deck. My TAG and Galah are clipped but I still fly them a bit for exercise.

A word of caution for everyone. Last summer a Blue & Gold on Lond Island got West Nile Virus. The article is in the latest LIPS newsletter. So, if you live near a body of fresh water take the necessary precautions.