FINCHforum

I have six societies in two cages. One for the girls and one for the boys. Just turned out I have three of each. I am in the process of figuring out which sex they all are. Four are young. Does anyone have ideas on how to catch them with the lease amount of stress? Obviously I am pretty slow and these guys are little speed demons. Lol. They are all so sweet I really don't like this part of being a finch caregiver. I know it's necessary though for many reasons.

Remove swings & anything hanging & maybe a perch or two if it's in the way & use a small butterfly net.

Another method use some kind of divider to make a smaller catching area. I hang a towel from the top of the cage. Shoo one of them into the catching area, and then catch it in a soft cloth, either on the cage wall or when it lands on the floor, just drop it over it.

You could skip the divider, but I find it's easier to get the bird in a smaller area. Of course if the cage is small-ish, this wouldn't be necessary.

beachbird
I spray my finches with molting spray or water to slow them down. It's so much easier to catch them this way. I learned this from others on the forum, and it really works well. Less traumatic for me and my birds

If feasible, first cover the entire cage with a large towel or blanket to make it dark inside. This usually settles the birds down quite a bit. Try to only let in enough light to see the bird you are trying to capture. If the cage is very big, try using a medium to large sized fish tank net. Bob

Oh my gosh thanks so much guys. Those are excellent ideas. I feel so much better having some better methods for catching them. As you probably know these little birds couldn't be any sweeter and just love each other. I want them to be happy.

Pick a spot in the cage you want to catch the bird. Follow it in with your hand. Grab it as it comes into contact with the wall.