What do I do if my bird’s toe gets caught in the harness?

SizingHarness Training
Written By Steve Hartman

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.

Steve Hartman

With his Natural Resources Management degree from The Ohio State University and over 30 years of construction experience, Steve Hartman was able to combine his unique knowledge to develop the Hartman Aviary. With a goal of breeding for a better temperament in Blue and Gold Macaws, Steve set out to start his aviary in 1984. Since then he has gone on to guest lecture at various universities and conventions. His experiences with pet birds and large aviaries of birds had led Steve to the development of The Parrot University and manufacturing of products like The Aviator Bird Harness and Leash.

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