Tame Your Finches
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2018 10:04 pm
In March I bought a young Java rice finch who I named Buttons and set about hand-taming her. I found it remarkably easy, because she wasn't very afraid of hands. She was stepping on my finger for millet in a few days, and in a few weeks, she would come out and sit on my shoulder and fly to me on her own for company. I got her a companion in May, a bit younger, and she was much wilder but she picked up on Buttons' trust immediately and though a bit more hesitant about it, she was stepping up on the very first day - in fact, about an hour after bringing her home, she and Buttons took a nap on my finger. Both of them are now very tame and trusting and Bobbin has become the more outgoing of the pair. I have been clicker-training them since July and have taught both to fly to my hand when I call their names (and only their own names.)
While training the Javas, my 4.5 year old male society finch Apollo began to also join in the sessions, watching and sitting alongside them on the top of the cage where we trained. He'd see them fly to me and get a bite of millet. After a few days, Apollo stepped on my finger as I was calling Bobbin, and so I rewarded him. He has since also learned the step up trick well - though he is not so inclined to do it if he isn't hungry - and he now has the most reliable recall of all, and will come fly to my finger from across the house when I call his name. He has since taught his mate, a formerly very timid pet store bird named Poppy to fly to hand and the two fledged a chick a month ago who took after both parents and is basically fearless. He lets me pick him up and enjoys cheek rubs and will fly and sit on my head. At the moment, my only untame bird is a canary, who just has no interest in handling whatsoever, and I respect that. He lives with my Javas and so has an open cage door most of each day, but days go by where he doesn't come out and when he does it's only for a brief flight around or a quick bath in my bird fountain.
Having five tame finches now is a joy. The Javas are the friendliest and choose to be near me whenever possible, playing on my desk or hopping around on my bed if I sit there to read. The societies mostly come for millet. But all of them show much more curious natures now that they are not fearful of handling and their personalities have become very apparent. I once thought the Javas were an unusually smart finch but the tame societies seem just as clever, most especially my youngest, who gets into everything and is just so curious about his environment, he is forever playing with toys, pulling threads, knocking things off of shelves... when tame, they suddenly seem to take on a more parrot-like personality!
With free-flighted tame birds in the home, out of their cages most of each day, it's hard for me to imagine going back to timid birds in cages that can be only be watched. While not all birds can be tamed it's something I strongly recommend both for the birds' enrichment, and your enjoyment of them. It's wonderful when they want to interact with you and accept you into their flock, and don't live in fear of you as a potential predator. Clicker training works for any animal, and the results can be very quick.
Below are many pictures of my tame Javas who LOVE my phone camera and want to play with it. Bobbin is the normal gray and Buttons is pied. My societies are afraid of the camera and so I do not usually try to photograph them while training to keep it a positive experience.
As I said, they love the phone. When I leave it on the table they jump on it and turn it on. This is the photo I now have as my lock screen, so it's what looks back at them when they do so!
The Javas absolutely love any small space they can sit in, and will hop in and out for hours. This includes lamps, chandeliers, and piles of blankets. I got them a coconut house today, and they immediately checked it out.
I have a pet salamander in a terrarium on my desk, and they love to look into his tank.
Just to prove they're hand tame!
They are so special to me, especially because I lost my very beloved tame budgie Sam this June. They are helping to fill a hole in my heart. They can't replace Sam, and they are indeed very different, but they are just wonderful.
While training the Javas, my 4.5 year old male society finch Apollo began to also join in the sessions, watching and sitting alongside them on the top of the cage where we trained. He'd see them fly to me and get a bite of millet. After a few days, Apollo stepped on my finger as I was calling Bobbin, and so I rewarded him. He has since also learned the step up trick well - though he is not so inclined to do it if he isn't hungry - and he now has the most reliable recall of all, and will come fly to my finger from across the house when I call his name. He has since taught his mate, a formerly very timid pet store bird named Poppy to fly to hand and the two fledged a chick a month ago who took after both parents and is basically fearless. He lets me pick him up and enjoys cheek rubs and will fly and sit on my head. At the moment, my only untame bird is a canary, who just has no interest in handling whatsoever, and I respect that. He lives with my Javas and so has an open cage door most of each day, but days go by where he doesn't come out and when he does it's only for a brief flight around or a quick bath in my bird fountain.
Having five tame finches now is a joy. The Javas are the friendliest and choose to be near me whenever possible, playing on my desk or hopping around on my bed if I sit there to read. The societies mostly come for millet. But all of them show much more curious natures now that they are not fearful of handling and their personalities have become very apparent. I once thought the Javas were an unusually smart finch but the tame societies seem just as clever, most especially my youngest, who gets into everything and is just so curious about his environment, he is forever playing with toys, pulling threads, knocking things off of shelves... when tame, they suddenly seem to take on a more parrot-like personality!
With free-flighted tame birds in the home, out of their cages most of each day, it's hard for me to imagine going back to timid birds in cages that can be only be watched. While not all birds can be tamed it's something I strongly recommend both for the birds' enrichment, and your enjoyment of them. It's wonderful when they want to interact with you and accept you into their flock, and don't live in fear of you as a potential predator. Clicker training works for any animal, and the results can be very quick.
Below are many pictures of my tame Javas who LOVE my phone camera and want to play with it. Bobbin is the normal gray and Buttons is pied. My societies are afraid of the camera and so I do not usually try to photograph them while training to keep it a positive experience.
As I said, they love the phone. When I leave it on the table they jump on it and turn it on. This is the photo I now have as my lock screen, so it's what looks back at them when they do so!
The Javas absolutely love any small space they can sit in, and will hop in and out for hours. This includes lamps, chandeliers, and piles of blankets. I got them a coconut house today, and they immediately checked it out.
I have a pet salamander in a terrarium on my desk, and they love to look into his tank.
Just to prove they're hand tame!
They are so special to me, especially because I lost my very beloved tame budgie Sam this June. They are helping to fill a hole in my heart. They can't replace Sam, and they are indeed very different, but they are just wonderful.
