Our collars come in many different shapes and sizes, some slip over the head, and others have velcro or snaps. All of them need similar prep to be done before you can put our product on your pet. It is important you determine what works and doesn’t work for your bird to ensure they are happy and healthy. Below are two options on how to put our slip-on product on your pet, all of these methods have been approved by an avian vet and are considered to be safe and effective.
Option 1:
Putting the Collar on Immediately
If you find that your bird is plucking to the point of permanent damage or even self-mutilating, then it is imperative that you get the collar on them as soon as possible. This means you will be putting the collar on with no introduction period and this can frighten your bird. This option is commonly used by veterinary practices and won’t cause any physical harm to your pet.
Step 1: Towel your bird to prevent them from biting or harming you and themselves. Be sure that when you have them toweled you are gently grabbing around the neck to prevent movement.
Step 2: Uncover their head from the towel while still leaving their body wrapped and continue to hold them around the neck. With your other hand grab the collar and position the neck hole in front of their beak.
Step 3: Slide their beak in first, followed by their head until the collar is positioned around the neck. If the collar is not fitting over the head please refer to our guide on how to modify the neck hole size. You can then release them from the towel and place them on the ground so they can calm down.
Important Reminder:
Much like children, birds are very emotional creatures and often like to throw tantrums in order to get their feelings across. After putting the collar on, your bird will most likely lay on its back or side and pretend as if the collar is too heavy for them to walk in. This is simply not true, they are attempting to get you to remove the collar since they don’t like it. It is recommended that you let your bird lay on the ground for a while until they give up on convincing you to take it off. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. Once they have started to walk around in the collar it is important that you give them time to adjust to the new collar that is restricting their movement. This means you shouldn't put them anywhere high up where they could fall and hurt themselves. Be sure to move the perches in their cage so they are no more than a foot or two off the bottom of the cage. This ensures that if they do happen to fall they will not be injured in any way. Over time your bird will become comfortable perching, climbing, eating, and playing in its new collar. Once they have fully adjusted to the collar you may put the perches back in their cage. Be sure to always keep an eye on them to ensure they are safe and happy.
Option 2:
Slow Introductory Period
If your bird only occasionally plucks or has a very mild case of plucking then this option is for you. Over the course of several weeks, you will begin to slowly introduce your bird to the collar until they are comfortable with putting it on. This method is very similar to harness training a bird.
Step 1: Place the collar in your bird's room far enough away from their cage so they aren’t scared, but yet close enough that they can see it. Over the next week move it closer and closer to the cage until it is sitting directly next to the cage. Be sure to never make your bird scared or uncomfortable. If at any point they become frightened be sure to go back a step and give them more time to adjust.
Step 2: Once your bird is comfortable being in the same room as the collar you can begin to get it close to them when they aren’t in the cage. This means having the collar out during training sessions and allowing them to touch or play with it. If they aren’t comfortable touching or playing with it then show them that you are comfortable with it. This means having the collar on your shoulder during training or just during daily activities, play with the collar when you know your bird is watching. Over time your bird will want to also play with the collar and eventually they will no longer be fearful of the collar.
Step 3: Once they are completely comfortable touching and being around the collar you can start training them to let you put it on. During regular training sessions bring out the collar and hold a treat through the neck hole. This means they must stick their beak through the hole in order to get the treat. Once comfortable you can slowly start to slide it over their head as they are trying to take the treat. Be sure to never force it if they start to pull away. The key is consistency and patience, eventually, your bird won’t mind and will only care about getting the treat. Then you can safely slip the collar over their beak and head so it is positioned around their neck.
Step 4: After getting the collar on them for the first time let them play with it. You’ll find that they want it off very shortly after getting it on. So take the collar off and continue training, each time you get the collar on them, leave it on them for longer and longer periods of time. Starting with 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, and so on until they are comfortable keeping it on full-time. This will take months to do and it is important you are patient with them as they are very emotional and intelligent creatures.
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