Warranty Information
My bird chewed the harness, can it be repaired?
While some harnesses can replace components, often repairs of the webbing can make it uncomfortable or no longer safe for your parrot to use. Please contact us with any damage related questions, we want to learn from our customer experience to improve our Aviator products.
We do not recommend at home repairs. We have seen extraordinarily dangerous home solutions put birds at risk from entanglement, poisoning, or being weighed down by extra metal components. For the safety of your feathered friend, do not use damaged Aviator Flight System products.
Can I use a damaged harness or other product?
For the safety of your feathered friend, do not use damaged Aviator Flight System products.
Are the Aviator Harnesses indestructible?
We all know that parrots can be very destructive and will be able to damage almost any material. Our goal is to make The Aviator as strong as possible while still being safe for your bird. We have issues with how durable we can make a harness that is still flexible, very light weight and still safe for your bird to move and also safely fly without getting hurt. We could use stronger materials but the harness will be too heavy and less flexible and will significantly compromise safety.
Returns & Exchanges
My harness did not fit my bird, can I exchange it for another size?
We are happy to work with our customers to ensure they get a perfect fit! Please visit our Contact Us page and fill out the necessary information to get an exchange figured out.
My bird doesn’t like the harness, can I return it?
We do recognize that not all birds will not enjoy using the harness, there can be a number of socialization, behavior, or medical reasons not every bird can use a harness. Viewing the instructional video, educational material, and working with your bird will benefit you and him, and your relationship with him, regardless of whether you are successful. For these reasons you and you bird will benefit from The Aviator and gain value from the purchase that cannot be returned.
Shipping
How fast is shipping in the USA?
We ship our USA packages with USPS and they are typically delivered within 5-7 business days. However, currently due to Covid-19 and other constraints USPS is facing, packages could be delayed up to 14 days. We ask for your patience as we are unable to guarantee current ship times.
How fast is shipping outside the USA?
We use UPS for shipping international orders as this is often the fastest and most reliable option. Typically packages to Canada, Europe, Australia, and Japan are received within 6-9 days. Packages being sent to South America, Maritime Asia, and the Middle East can experience times up to 30 days. Some countries have extended custom clearance and processing that can cause additional delays in receiving your item.
Do you ship to my country?
We currently ship to over 200 countries and territories. We may experience some limitations due to Covid-19 though we’re happy to work with you to ensure you can receive your items.
What skills does my bird need before using a harness?
We highly recommend having your bird target trained prior to harness training. Having your bird be eager move towards and to touch an target will allow you to request them closer to the harness. By having your bird target trained, you can encourage them to be confident around new objects. When you have target trained your bird you are able to speak the same language as your bird and let it know what you are asking! Using lots of praise and treats also helps let your bird know they’re doing well.
We also suggest having your bird trained to have their wings lifted. Some birds you may need to start with simply touching the wings and then rewarding them for not moving away. Young birds will often let you grasp their wing gently and move it. You always want to reward your bird for staying calm while you do this. Initially this may only be for short, couple seconds, touches. But slowly you can train your bird that picking up their wing is okay.
Finally we suggest that your bird be willing to be touched around the head and neck. Very few birds have ever had an object go around their head, and this can be very scary at first. Try first simply touching your bird with new objects, eventually try to have them be calm when you touch them along their head and neck. If they are comfortable with this then try making a large loop with the leash of the harness and having the bird take a treat from within the loop. You might have to hold the treat away from the loop initially, and slowly decrease the distance to the loop, but eventually it will be completely normal and your bird won’t second guess the new item.
I’m having trouble putting on my Mini sized harness, what can I do?
The smaller harnesses are definitely more difficult to put on and off. In addition to the close tolerance of the collar size we have large fingers and the birds only weigh a few grams.
Take a look at the foam insert that came in the collar and you will see the outside of the foam is larger than your birds head, and the hole in the center of the foam is about the size of your bird’s neck.
Making the collar opening larger will cause the belt to hang lower on the bird’s abdomen. This will cause the belt line to fall below the hip joint on a Love Bird or Parakeet. This is not dangerous but certainly not comfortable. Another issue with the larger collar opening is it can slide off the shoulder. This is also annoying and can be dangerous.
Installing the collar on a small bird is similar to us pulling a shirt over our head. It must be a little tight or it will not stay on our shoulders. Smaller birds are a bit more difficult but with a little time and practice you will be able to work it out. We always recommend training indoors prior to taking your birds outside.
What do I do if my bird’s toe gets caught in the harness?
When first learning to wear the Aviator some birds will experience their toe or foot getting caught in the belt or collar. This is more common with smaller birds. Once your bird is used to their harness this will stop happening.
This problem is usually caused, or made worse, when toenails are not trimmed. Anytime a pet bird’s nails are sharp enough to be even a bit uncomfortable on your skin, they are too long. The sharp point can get caught in the strap material and keep the toe from sliding off.
Another cause of toes getting caught is that the harness may be the wrong size and the collar is not tight to the chest. This usually means that the bird needs a smaller size of harness.
Your bird may also be trying to push the belt away. In this case try to tighten the slide on the side of the bird so the belt is being held tighter to his chest.
Progress slowly so you can learn to tighten the belt without pushing him off balance. Big human fingers often take a bit of training to tighten a belt on a tiny 200 gram bird.
Can I train my bird for free flight?
Most captive birds can learn free flight, but they need to be properly conditioned and trained.
I have raised thousands of birds for free flight but I do not recommend any owner to free fly their birds. Very few owners are qualified to raise their bird to safely free fly. Training for free flight after a bird is 4 month old becomes harder because the bird has already passed the sensitive stage of development for learning all of the tasks necessary to successfully navigate.
All of the babies we have raised at Hartman Aviary are trained to understand object permanence and learn significant flight skills within 1 week of their first flight. Any of our babies that get out of the outdoor nursery instinctively will not leave the compound. We raise our babies in a similar manner to what the parents would do. They understand that they have a place in the world and how to maintain an awareness of where this is. In the wild they do not get lost from the parents and the parents do not need to follow them outside of their home territory.
Even though our birds leave our facility being able to free fly we always expect the owners to use a harness when outside. As educated as our birds are we still have about 10% that get away from the new owners. However, because of the way we raise our birds we only know of one of our babies that did not make it back home.
The Aviator Flight Line is a very good tool for a bird to learn flying skills and how to turn around when they fly too far from the line.
We also have the Aviator Leash Extensions that allow a large parrot to fly as far as 40 meters.
Very few dog trainers would ever start training without a leash. Dogs are a lot easier to raise and train than birds and many dog owners do not walk their dog without a leash. The same concept applies to birds. Free flying your pet bird is possible with the help of a professional trainer.
My bird does not want to fly, what do I do?
Most likely your bird does not want to fly because his wings were clipped when he was young while his brain was developing. Other than a bird that has been injured, or wings clipped we have never seen a case of a bird that will not fly.
Humans often believe a clipped bird can glide to the floor safely. Your bird actually sees this as an unsafe and traumatic out of control ‘crash landing’. When babies experience unsafe situations the response is stored into the hypothalamus and becomes part of their instinctive behavior after adolescence. As an adult many they will not fly well, if at all’ because their brain is telling them that flight is dangerous and to be avoided. Sometimes you can slowly change his past brain experience by taking your bird to a large open area where there is nothing but short grass for at least 50 feet. There must not be anything but your own legs in the birds’ peripheral vision. Before you try this your bird must be comfortable standing and walking in grass. Place the bird between your legs and lift his body about one inch off the ground and gently drop him. It will take a few times for him to learn to use his wings to balance as he drops and lands. As he gains confidence you can slowly raise him higher for the drop.
Developing the confidence to use the wings for balance and learning to glide to a controlled landing may take a while, so go slow. You are attempting to change a significant amount of life experience that developed when he was young and his brain was learning how to navigate.
The next step is to work with your harnessed bird on a windy day. Perching your bird on your hand, face him into the wind. His natural instinct is to raise his wings. As he does this start to walk into the wind and encourage him to raise his wings. Take your time!
Other than this exercise, the best increase in flight and coordination skills is achieved by an accumulated positive life experience by getting out of the house while safely wearing the Aviator Harness.
Why is the Aviator harness more expensive than others?
The Aviator harness is very high quality and has been extensively tested. We do find that almost most stores that specialize in birds stop selling the other product once they see The Aviator and view the instructional video.
We also offer free exchanges for any customer that accidentally purchases the wrong size. We only need to be notified by the store or customer and we have the correct size in the mail the same day. The only responsibility of the retailer is to make sure we are notified. We also have very good customer service and take care of all problems immediately.
So while the Aviator may cost more upfront, I believe you will find that it is a higher quality than the competition and will last you and your bird much longer than any other harness on the market.
How often should I replace my bird’s Aviator harness?
The Aviator Harness can last years for the birds that never chew on it. For others it can be as little as a few months. We have many Frequent Flyers that replace their Aviator every spring, and always have a spare.
The Aviator Harness is considered escape proof because a bird is not able to take it off the way we do. However it is not damage proof. The Aviator is designed so that an attentive owner, following the directions, will have plenty of opportunity to observe an issue before there is too much damage. Even if a bird that has been left unattended has enough time to significantly damage one part of the harness, he still cannot easily remove the harness before the owner will notice the developing issue.
We have designed The Aviator to work well for the average pet parrot. As you have seen on the video we try to cover all the possible issues while making a safe harness for a bird. To make the strap material strong enough so a bird cannot damage it would require very thick, heavy and uncomfortable material. We have to balance safety and comfort with durability.
Most birds do not chew the harness enough to cause damage. If your harness does become damaged, please contact us and we will assist you in determining if the harness needs replaced for safe use.
Will the Aviator harness be too heavy for my small bird?
The smaller Aviator Harnesses weigh between 6 and 10 grams. This is similar to a human wearing a 15 pound (7 kilo) back pack. It probably does feel a little heavy at first but not enough to cause your bird to be less active. The larger sizes weigh up to 25 grams which is not even noticed on the larger birds.
One of the problems with clipping wings is that it stops the development of many parts of the brain and body. The cerebellum in the back of the brain makes up 25% of the bird's brain and is responsible for coordination. In humans the cerebellum is only 10% of the brain so you can see that coordination is much more important to a bird than a human. The cerebellum can only be properly developed by flying. This is one of the primary reasons birds become more aggressive as they get older.
Your bird will get bigger and stronger, but like humans, they can only do that with exercise and experience, it is not possible for a bird to develop properly and completely without full flight. As your bird flies more and more using their Aviator harness, it will feel less heavy.
Can I use a detachable leash with my Aviator harness?
The biggest problem with a removable or quick disconnect leash is many parrots are much better at unclipping them than humans. Cockatoos especially can remove some of the slip clips and squeeze clips in a fraction of a second. It is impossible to know what moment in time a bird will discover how to remove a clasp, and little way to train them not to.
A safe bird harness also needs to be as lightweight as possible. Any disconnect mechanism that is strong enough to stand up to a parrot’s beak, and can also be worked by human fingers, will increase the weight a bird has to carry.
Modifying The Aviator Leash to be removable is not recommended for several reasons.
Any change made to something as important as a harness for your companion needs to be thoroughly tested by someone with experience working with harnesses and birds. There are many variables that can only be discovered after many years of trial and error.
Curious mechanically inclined species like cockatoos will figure out how to work the connection and remove the leash every time.
A bird carries the weight of the harness and ½ of the weight of the leash. Extra weight is a problem for smaller species, especially when flying. The Petite Aviator Harness weighs less than 7 grams. This equals about 12% of a cockatiels weight. Adding a 4 gram clasp increases the percentage to 17%. For a 150 pound person this would be over 25 pounds, and we don’t have a lightweight skeleton and fly.
The possibility of the clasp snagging on something is low risk but can be very annoying to a bird walking in the grass or sitting on a tree branch. We need to avoid things that may annoy a bird and cause him to not like wearing a harness.
A bird wearing a harness and left in a carrier will likely become bored and may turn his attention to damaging a harness.
Most slip clips similar to what are used on dog leashes are a composite metal of steel. The metal does not bend like a nail, it breaks like plastic. A few larger parrots have been known to break the standard slip clip.
Most connectors will be shiny and attractive as a toy, and a constant distraction. Some are plated with a coating that can be peeled off, with sharp edges and possibly toxic properties. (The metal slide on The Aviator is powder-coated black with the same safe paint that is used on most quality bird cages.)
At The Parrot University we have over 20 year’s personal experience using harnesses on thousands of birds of all ages. Before we settled on this design we spent 10 years experimenting with our designs and researching every harness design from every kind of animal. Since 2005 The Aviator Bird Harnesses has been tested by over 400,000 birds.
Will my bird damage the cord attached to my harness?
The design of the Aviator Harness makes it unlikely that your bird will be interested in the leash and cause any damage. However, 400,000 Aviator Harnesses sold has provided us with a great deal of feedback.
Our choice of shock cord is difficult to chew through. It has a knitted nylon sheath that is very damage resistant. It is sort of like the difference between cutting a cotton t-shirt and a sweater. The sweater is much more difficult to cut through in one pass. We also have multiple rubber bands inside so they will not all be broken at the same time. Instead of the standard white rubber we use black. If the cord is damaged the rubber is the same color as the sheath and much less likely to hold your birds attention.
The position of the clasp that attaches the shock cord to the belt has also been well researched. Each size has a specific distance form a bird to the clasp that connects the shock cord.
With a little outside time experiencing freedom and flying longer distances your bird will become comfortable and have no interest in flying away, as well as becoming more used to the leash extension.
What size harness should I buy for my Pigeon or Dove?
Pigeons and Doves are unique pet birds that can also wear the Aviator Harness! Most breeds of pigeons wear a size small Aviator Harness, and most breeds of doves wear a size x-small. There are many types of breeds and species of both pigeons and doves around the world, as well as every bird being an individual with different sizing needs, so we encourage reaching out to customer support for help with sizing a harness to your bird!
What do I do if the clasp on my harness is broken?
The Aviator Harness is escape proof but not damage proof. The design of the aviator keeps birds from being able to remove it the way we would remove it. Most birds like to chew on things and can get airborne quickly.
It is necessary to train your bird not to chew on the harness. We know this is not difficult because most birds have been trained not to chew on our clothes. Normally birds do not pay attention to shock cord connection because it is hanging down below them. For each size Aviator there is a specific distance away from the body where the shock cord attaches to the belt. This keeps a bird from being able to get to this part of the harness and cause damage.
For the shock cord connection we use a double barrel clasp with a multi strand shock cord. This combination keeps the leash intact even when damaged, and allows the owner more time to observe their bird paying attention to this area.
One issue we do have with the clasp is the seam down the middle. A parrot’s main job in life is to figure out how to open anything with a grove like found on a nut or seed. This is a means of survival for them. Larger birds have much stronger beaks and could damage the clasp so all sizes Large and above have epoxy applied to the seam so they do not try to open it. The epoxy does not make the clasp much stronger but simply hides the groove and removes the challenge.
I am sure you have experienced the ability of a bird’s beak to do damage to almost anything. Our challenge in designing The Aviator is to balance the weight and strength of the materials with the safety of the harness. So, we can see the problem is not actually the strength of the clasp as we can understand most parrots can more easily chew through the strap material or the shock cord. If you Aviator Harness becomes damaged, please contact us so we can help determine if it needs replaced.
Why won’t the slide on my harness rotate?
Many people ask about the slide, it actually does not move on the belt. The entire belt is what rotates around the birds’ sides. Think of a person with only two belt loops on a pair of pants. One in the front and one in the back. Put on a belt and you can rotate the belt (buckle/slide) ½ way around your waist from front to back on your right side, and that’s how the Aviator belt works.
You will not be able to rotate the belt until the Aviator is on your bird and the feathers hold the belt loops in place. This rotating operation works on all birds but is easier on larger birds because they are bigger around.
If you bird is perching and not active it is usually better to have the leash towards the front of the bird. If he is walking or climbing you can manually rotate the leash to the back so it is out of the way of his feet. When flying, the leashes point of attachment will reorient as he flies and exerts some pull on the leash.
How do I help my bird become healthy enough to fly?
If you can see your bird panting after a little exercise he is probably not in very good physical condition.
Most wild parrots have evolved to fly up to 25 miles a day, while most captive parrots have not flown 25 miles in their life. These conditions make it difficult for an out of shape bird to fly and the resulting pain and lack of cardiovascular potential quickly teaches them that it is better to walk. Any bird with clipped wings will most likely have a high BMI, and be out of shape. Older birds that have not been flying will most likely have bad joints and weak bones. These issue often lead to a resistance to trying to fly.
Young birds have the same ‘I think I can, I think I can’ attitude that we do when we are young. They will repeatedly fly and with experience, learn how navigate without running into things. When their wings are clipped they have very little control over where they land. Eventually each landing is recorded as a crash landing and the bird learns flying is dangerous.
Developing a healthier mental and physical condition is important to teaching an older bird to fly. The fastest method to teach an old bird to fly is to get him a young flighted friend. The older bird will be encouraged to think a bit differently about moving and playing. His brain and body will automatically get more exercise. Get him outside as much as possible to encourage more exercise.
Go Slow.
A bird in poor condition that is forced to fly will become even more reluctant to try. Weak bones and sore joints can cause some pain when trying to fly and land. You need to work on getting him to flap his wings and move around the yard to help increase his cardiovascular condition. Learning to walk in the grass, perch on a wobbly branch and explore the garden will start the process.
Even a little activity will limber up his body enough to develop confidence. Start by holding him an inch off the ground and dropping him on a surface he is already familiar with. Every day let him go from a higher and higher position. He will slowly learn about lift, landing, and balance and he will be prepared to experience longer flights.
How long will it take to harness train my bird?
It all begins with an idea.
Every bird is different. I think of the Aviator in a similar manner to how I think about wearing a suit and tie twice a year. It bugs me all day long because it is constricting my body in several places. But if I were to wear it a few days in a row I adjust and no longer fidget. Your bird can feel the same way. I have been trained that I have to learn to tolerate and like new things. The only way to get over this is to make sure you use the harness often. At first it is important to do new activities right away to keep his mind off of the harness and on new things. Do not push the time limit. Try to get him mentally stimulated by being in a new environment like walk in the grass, then remove the harness before he gets worn out and starts to focus on the harness.
If you have professional training skills like myself or another professional trainer I would say it would take 7 – 10 days for a difficult but friendly bird. If you follow the extensive directions that came with your Aviator Harness, check out our blog, and search out other training tools you will soon know how quickly your bird will get used to his or her new harness. With a good training plan and a cooperative bird, you should plan on at least a week.
How soon can I start harness training my baby bird?
It all begins with an idea.
You can start harness training as soon as the feathers are mostly opened. This will be as early as 3 weeks old, depending on the species of bird, before your baby should be taking his first flight.
1-2 weeks before his first flight he should be wearing his harness outside while following you through the yard learning to perch on everything that is suitable for landing on.
If your baby is used to the sights and sounds of outdoors before he starts flying he will naturally follow you (walk), just as he would follow his mom in the wild. If he is exposed to the outdoors early the baby will be raised properly to follow the flock, and once he starts flying will already have a good understanding about where he should and shouldn’t be.
As your baby goes in and outside the house they will be developing the idea of ‘object permanence’, which is basically the awareness that there is a place called home that I can go back to.
Babies should always wear the Aviator outside, because you never know when he will take his first flight.
It is also never too late to harness train a pet bird. It just takes a little more time to teach an older bird new tricks.
Should I use the Flight Line or the Leash Extension?
It all begins with an idea.
The Aviator Flight Line is stationary. A lead up to 30 feet long is attached to two end post that are placed into the ground. The post can be placed closer or further apart depending upon how big your area is. Leash extensions included in the packager are attached to the 30 foot long line. The other end is attached to the Aviator Harness leash. Larger birds that are in good condition will be able to fly in an area as large as 50 x 80 feet.
Now your bird can fly around the yard on his own without you holding onto the lead. This product is good for all ages but is very useful for younger birds. Your young bird will gain confidence moving around outside with you at a distance.
The Aviator Flight Line is great for training outdoor flying and landing skills like recall training. It is very important for young birds to learn how to fly out and return to where they came from. A bird in the house does this but only because there are walls and other objects that make him turn around. It is a completely different experience in an open space.
The Aviator Leash Extensions are useful for moving around with your bird. As you slowly build up his strength and endurance you can let out more lead to fly longer distances.
Birds that do not have outdoor flying experience will usually fly in a straight line and may disappear if they accidentally get out on their own. A bird without outdoor experience can quickly become afraid. Because of lack of experience he will not know how to turn, and will not know how to land in grass or a limb with leaves on it. He will also have no idea where he is because he does not understand how the outside world works.
It does not take long for a healthy bird in good condition to learn all he needs to know to act more like a bird raised in the wild and not get lost. The Aviator Leash Extension can help you train your bird to fly freely without fear of getting lost.