"Hey, Mom! A girl
can do anything if she has the right outfit! You just
gotta know how to accessorize." |
When we adopted Jesse, we purchased one of the
Hartman "The Aviator" harnesses - and we began using it
right away. Because she was so young when we started, we
really had no trouble using the harness - but if you are
starting this with an older bird, your bird may not be as easy
to harness train (Hartman's website has
excellent instructions and advice for folks starting with
older birds).
Later on, when we adopted Laka, we
had to take it a lot slower (Laka was not a baby when we
adopted her). But using the instructions on the
Aviator DVD, we
were able to get Laka to accept her harness in about 2
weeks.
|
When
Jesse saw me taking the harness out, she knew it was "bye-bye" time and
she'd get pretty excited.
Jesse knows she's "cool"
in her harness. |
The red strap part of the harness is
attached to an elastic lead that keeps her from being jerked
too hard if she suddenly takes off (which she's done once or
twice when startled). The lead has a loop at the end
that fits on my wrist - so never have to worry about
dropping the lead accidentally.
|
| Here are 2 videos filmed on 10/23/2005.
|
| The harness without
the bird (notice: the strap I'm identifying as the "back strap"
is slightly longer than the one that sits on the bird's
breast).
1) Harness without the bird
(this is a movie 3m file size - it
will take a moment to download)
|
Putting
the harness on Jesse. I think it's worth noting that this was
our fourth "take" - and Jesse was getting a little irritated
with me because I kept taking the harness off and putting it
back on (for the camera) - and because there is half a melon
sitting on the counter behind her (and she was
more interested in snacking than going outside by the time we
did 4 takes...). As you can see, it doesn't take
long to get the harness on - even when the bird isn't 100%
cooperative.
2) Saddling Up The Parrot
(this is a movie 4m file size - it
will take a moment to download)
|
|
I also own a more traditional harness with
clips and metal bits. It's a lot harder to get on the
bird, weighs more, and appears to be less comfortable for the
bird than The Aviator.
"There's nothing like having the
wind in your... uh... feathers..."
 |
