Holding finches

lyderbug · Post by **lyderbug** » Sat Feb 02, 2008 11:42 am

I've noticed that some people have pictures of them with finches perched on their fingers.

How did you do this?

I know most finches do not like to be handled. I was just wondering if there was a trick. Maybe you train them from when they fledge the nest?

I know when our society fledged we could touch her through the bars if she was close enough, and she seemed okay. She got flighty, I think, because she learned from her parents to be flighty.

Ravyn · Post by **Ravyn** » Sat Feb 02, 2008 2:14 pm

The only one I've held safely on my fingers is my Baby society, and that is because he has not yet fledged or learned to be scared of me. The only finches I've heard of that perch as adults on people without being frightened of them are ones that have been handfed...a risky business to engage in unless you know what you are doing, especially if all someone wants is a hand-tamed finch. However if you have no choice about handfeeding due to abandonment or something, the result is usually a hand-tamed finch.

lyderbug · Post by **lyderbug** » Sat Feb 02, 2008 2:19 pm

Very cool. If I do decide I want any more babies I more than likely wouldn't dare touch him/her...wouldn't want the parents to stop caring for the baby.

I guess I just go without holding the finchies.

thanks

hilljack13 · Post by **hilljack13** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 12:01 am

It's a belief that parent birds will abandoned the babies if held. This is scientifically proven to be false. I too can attest to this for when I was young I would roam my neighborhood and mess with every bird nest I found. Yes I would hold the eggs and chicks. They were never abandoned. It is good practice to leave them alone because too much interference will cause the parents to abaondoned the nest.