Is the bird harness "Feather Teather" Ok for my cockatiel?

Question

She is hand raised and friendly, and it'd be a neat idea if it would work. How long until she gets used to it? I put her on it but she just freaks out, which of course is expected... but will she ever settle down? Is it mean to do?!?! I don't want to hurt her. But this way she'd be able to go boating and bike riding and roller blading with me which would be fun for her.

Answer 1

Just get the right size...xs I think might work...be careful, you don't want her to slip out of a too large one.

Answer 2

Cockatiels will eventually adjust to the harness, though they will treat it as a portable toy. I use a converted hamster harness to bring my birds out. I have to watch they don't remove the leash while they're nibbling. The biggest problem I have with the harnesses is that it can throw their balance off and they don't like that. They do learn to adjust to the object, but will complain bitterly the first few times. I actually found my cats had more problems with a harness than my birds!

I trained my birds to harness by plopping it on and letting them squirm for an hour. I'll do this every 2 days and let them get used to the weight. I've heard that some birds, when they realize the harness means outside play time, they get quite excited. Cockatiels aren't quite as sensitive as greys, who would need to get used to the thing over several weeks. It took my tiels 2-4 tries before they quit complaining. Watch out for plastic bits that keep the harness on as your bird WILL find them and chew the living hades out of it. I lost two harness clips that way! Use stainless steel claps, which are found at jewelry and craft shops.

Hope that helps! I love showing off my monsters and if it wasn't for my harness I don't know what I'd do!

Answer 3

I bought the same harness for my cockatiel earlier this summer. She is hand-fed but not the most tame bird around. She "freaked out" like you said when I tried to put it on her. In fact, it took several times of trying and adjusting to get it on her. Supposedly, if you take her out immediately after putting it on, it will excite her and take her focus off of the harness.

However, a few words of warning: My bird did not seem to ever enjoy having the harness on her and kept pecking at it, even when we were outside. Also, she didn't know how to fly in a straight line and kept wanting to fly "up." Since the harness is short, she wasn't able to go far and got caught and would fall. Perhaps with some effort your bird can learn this. My bird is pretty old and is very scared of new things.

Finally, the box of the harness mentions how difficult it can be to adjust the harness to the right size. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU GET IT TIGHT ENOUGH. Like you, I was trying to be so careful not to tighten it too much and hurt her, but the second time I took her outside on the leash, she got out of it!! Her wings were not clipped, so we could have lost her. Thank goodness she flew right to me and I grabbed her and took her inside.

My bird also showed some symptoms of "shock" when I held her to put the harness on. It took an hour or so for her to calm down and get back to her cheerful self.

In sum, I think the harness is a good idea, but it wasn't right for me and my bird. I wish you the best of luck!

Answer 4

Be patient with her. Put it on frequently, but only for small increments of time, increasing the time by a little bit each session. Reinforce her. Talk to her and give her a treat when she's wearing it.
Someone mentioned the "Flight Suit". The flight suit is not a harness, it's a bird diaper, and it won't keep your bird on the tether. One has nothing to do with the other, so it's important not to confuse the 2 products.

Answer 5

You and your pet would be much better off if you learn to trim its' flight feathers and work with him that way. Learn this trimming from a PRO one small mistake and your friend will bleed to death at an alarming rate. a harness can be a scary thing for a small bird. More success with larger birds like oh even a amazon or small macaw even to them this can be scary. You need to work with them on a different level for a while before ever tripping them up with binders.

Answer 6

certain, because the a lot less tail feathers he has the harder that's going to likely be for him to fly and finally he wont be able to fly. he's probable falling on the floor even as spooked because he's making an attempt to fly away yet won't be able to because he has no tail. the feathers will advance back finally even as he moults, yet even as he does attempt to shop him in an surroundings with as little rigidity as conceivable. there's a procedure utilized in falconry referred to as imping, that's the position we use old moulted feathers in strong mission, both from the poultry from the previous 3 hundred and sixty 5 days, yet another birds moult or a lifeless poultry to interchange the old feathers, incredibly like hair extensions. notwithstanding it would want to be very perplexing with a poultry as small as a cockatiel.

Answer 7

I'm not familiar with feather teather. I do know that "flight suits" is a good product, look it up on the internet, if they are similar, then great, your birdie will do just fine once she gets used to it.
Birds take a while to learn and get used to new things. give her time, she'll come around.

Answer 8

Bird Harness Cockatiel

Answer 9

harness are ok but very scarey couse the bird mught be afraid and snap at it what i use is

http://www.birddiaper.com/

it has clothes, diper and harnes all together.. the bird will get used it in time just let it wear it all the time!!

good luck :)

Answer 10

Get the figure 8 shape, xsmall... getting it on is fun, especially if they decide they dont like iit... first impression is everything! And dont try to adjust it while its on, it bugs them.Praise, Praise, and Praise.... Good luck!