Taming...
-
KNG5
- Fledgeling
- Posts: 102
- Joined: Sun May 13, 2007 11:24 am
Taming...
My societies have 4 babies right now. They're just starting to get their pin feathers, and I dont think their eyes have opened just yet, but they are getting loud! It's so cute, and the pair are great first time parents! 4 out of 6 eggs were fertile. But, I've always wanted a tame finch, but I dont want to take away one of the babies from completely capable parents. Is there another way I can tame one of the babies?
-
Crystal
- Brooding
- Posts: 1331
- Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2006 2:27 pm
- Location: Richmond, VA
- Contact:
I personally don't recommend attempting to tame finches because I feel it is very stressful for them (being a prey species, as they learn to be birds they learn to be very fearful of non-birds). Finches are more appropriate as an "aquarium" type pet that are enjoyed by observing them and not by handling them...for people who are looking for a bird which they can handle, I recommend parrots.
That being said some people are able to get their finches to be fairly comfortable with their human presence... usually this is acheived by passive methods like holding a treat (e.g. seed) in their hand while walking into the aviary and standing very still or by allowing their birds to fly free in the house while they are in the same room as the birds (again this isn't something I generally recommend as there are so many hazards, especially if you have other household pets or if there's a risk of someone opening a door/window to the outside, or if someone leaves the toilet seat up and the bird falls in the toilet and drowns, or lands on a heated stove and burns itself, or if a ceiling fan is accidentally left on etc... lots of hazards). These methods tend to result in birds which, over time, become comfortable enough to occasionally perch on or near people. Rarely does a healthy finch care for being held or pet.
Hand fed finches are an exception and will often perch on and sing to their human "parent," and often allow the person to pet them. I do agree that it is in the finch's best interest to allow its parents to raise it if they are willing to do so. No matter how dilligent you are, hand feeding is never as ideal for the bird's health and development as being parent raised. It is a lot of time consuming work and often results in a bird which is not properly socialized and therefore does not learn how to "play nice" with other birds. Some people have had great fortune in producing hand raised birds that were later able to be "rehabilited" into a flock where they later bred successfully, though this is probably more the exception than the rule.
That being said some people are able to get their finches to be fairly comfortable with their human presence... usually this is acheived by passive methods like holding a treat (e.g. seed) in their hand while walking into the aviary and standing very still or by allowing their birds to fly free in the house while they are in the same room as the birds (again this isn't something I generally recommend as there are so many hazards, especially if you have other household pets or if there's a risk of someone opening a door/window to the outside, or if someone leaves the toilet seat up and the bird falls in the toilet and drowns, or lands on a heated stove and burns itself, or if a ceiling fan is accidentally left on etc... lots of hazards). These methods tend to result in birds which, over time, become comfortable enough to occasionally perch on or near people. Rarely does a healthy finch care for being held or pet.
Hand fed finches are an exception and will often perch on and sing to their human "parent," and often allow the person to pet them. I do agree that it is in the finch's best interest to allow its parents to raise it if they are willing to do so. No matter how dilligent you are, hand feeding is never as ideal for the bird's health and development as being parent raised. It is a lot of time consuming work and often results in a bird which is not properly socialized and therefore does not learn how to "play nice" with other birds. Some people have had great fortune in producing hand raised birds that were later able to be "rehabilited" into a flock where they later bred successfully, though this is probably more the exception than the rule.
Webmaster
http://www.finchinfo.com/
http://www.finchinfo.com/