Tame Finches

[Albinosilver]

After seeing lots of tame finches in videos, I've decided to try taming one myself...

So I picked one of the young society finches that I hand fed during the summer. He obviously didn't remember me and freaked out when I put my hand in the cage, but after a while he decided that it was safe and perched onto my finger...so i took him out of the cage. And everything was going very well, until something spooked the little guy and he went crashing into a window. Luckily it was a light collision so he's fine.

But so to make sure this never happens again...Would I have to clip his wings? I really don't want to but if it's the only way for him to be tame...

[monotwine]

Clipping finch’s flight feathers is a disaster waiting to happen. They cannot pull themselves up and down like parrots and so by clipping them you basically handicap them from moving. I personally feel that it's incredibly cruel for a finch. They are not dexterous like parrots so life will be very difficult and frustrating for them.

Ultimately I think you have to take a very serious hard think about a decision to tame a finch. Is it for the birds best benefit or yours? WE are privileged to share these small creatures lives and should provide them with the best care and life possible as we have caged/domesticated them. Just my opinion, but I would leave the finch be in his/her cage with its mates and you should be just happy to watch them do their finch thing.
As it is you are lucky your finch remembers you enough to sit on your finger. If you really really want it "tame" I would say that with plenty patience and hours of time to sit with your hand in the cage, perhaps with its fav food, you might entice the finch to become tame. If it comes on its own would that not be even more of an experience than forcing it via clipped wings?

[poohbear]

Absolutely not...these aren't playthings...I'm surprised you would even think of it.

[tobyneilson]

Personaly,if a finch is in a family and with other finches,i dont think it is right to tame them,yes they are social little creaturs and will talk to you when you are in the room/avary(well mine do) but as for hand taming,i would not bother.As long as they are fine and not scared when you put your hand into the cage that is great.
The difference between taming a finch and say a budgie,is that budgies are ok on their own,and to tame a animal it really needs to be alone and seperate so it bonds with you.And finches are not a bird that should be kept on its own
But this is just my personal opinion.
If you do want to try and hand tame one,try putting some light fabric(like the sort in a fishing net/catch net)over the window,so there is a gap between the mesh and the window,that way if the finch flys towards it it will not hurt itself by hitting the window

[Albinosilver]

Most of my societies already had their wings clipped when I got them and they can still fly and get around.

Also, by taming, I don't mean playing with it or anything. Just enough so that the finch can be allowed time outside the cage. Then returned without having to go through all the trouble of catching it.

And, I wasn't thinking about clipping his wings anyways, just wondering if it was nessesary. Even then I wouldn't have done it.

[nicky]

There is a few things i would like to know about this topic.First of all i would like to know why you purchased birds with clipped wings,and also i would like to meet the person that clipped them to ask them why.Finches are no way near as intelligent as a parrot,so clipping their wings is a severe handicap on them,and completely unnecessary,in all birds in my opinion.I hate this practise,its cruel and of no benefit whatsoever to the birds,and always remember,we keep them for their benefit,not ours!Only thing i can say to someone that clips wings is,"try letting someone break one of your legs,and see how well you will get around"

you dont need to clip a birds wing to get them to do this.Patience and calmness when approaching them,is all thats needed

[annague]

I'm very surprised ANYONE would clip a finches wings and I'm sure there were no malicious intentions behind the purchasing of finches with clipped wings.

I have partially tamed a couple of finches and I have to say that I think clipping its wings would inhibit the bonding process (not help it). The very nature of a finch is that of a flier and you must incorporate their nature into the taming part. Understanding the nature of your bird is what will make you effective in your taming efforts.

A tame finch is a wondrous thing! I have a finch right now, "Jellybean", a BC Cordon that I hand-raised. I sang to her from when I started feeding her (raised her from a 1 day old chick that had been rejected). So, when I come close to the aviary and call her she comes and if I sing her song-- she sidles close to me and makes friendly chirps to start off then starts singing back. What a thrill.

I also trained her to learn "down" so I could get her to land and feed her. And to learn "up" so she would land on my hand and I could put her back in her cage.

Right now she is bonding with her non-tame future mate and has gotten a little stand-offish with me (and will get wilder the less interaction I have with her).

So... go for it... but remember a tame finch must be put with other tame finches or it will revert to wild behavior.

Let us know how it goes.

[Ursula]

The difference between taming a finch and say a budgie,is that budgies are ok on their own,and to tame a animal it really needs to be alone and seperate so it bonds with you.

Unfortunately this is a cruel myth that seems to stick in people's minds. Budgies are NOT ok on their own. They are very social birds and live in large flocks in Australia. Keeping a budgie by himself in a small cage just to have the "pleasure" that he sits on your finger and otherwise has only a mirror for company is cruel and pathetic IMO.

[can]

My husband and I took two society finches out of a very cruel place this summer, where they were living in a cage that was less than a foot square. We discovered after getting them home that they both had their wings clipped. They couldn't fly at all, and would climb the sides of their new cage only to drop like stones to the bottom. We ended up putting their older cage into their new for a month, till they got comfortable. Two days ago I took them out to clip their nails, the first time I've held them since getting them. Peyto screamed and bit, she/he was so scared. She soon stop, and we took a few moments to size each other up. Wooley was much worst. He was very scared, and I heard a slight popping sound, that scared me so much I put him right back. It's been over three months now, Peyto flies not to good and gets around, but Wooley's wings haven't grown back as well, so he's still having a hard time. They are slowly becoming less scared of us.

I think clipping a bird's wings, especially a finch, make them feel more vulnerable and also, destroys the joy the get from flying. It also heightens their chances of getting hurt, because they can fall from high highs. If you are hoping to tame your finches, the best thing you can do is not force them and let them learn things on their own. I'm currently trying to tame our parrot finch to fly out of his cage and back in again. I am doing this by letting him find his own way out of his cage and his own way back in. It takes more time, but I believe it will lead to a calmer and smarter bird. (Cover the window though.)

As for the family we got Peyto and Wooley from, there was the father and three little girls, and I am sure he thought he was doing what was best for his birds so they wouldn't fly away. I also think he was doing what the person he got them from told him to do. I would, unlike the other postings, like to thank you for your post! Thank-you for asking the question, it's a very, very important question that goes to the mental and emotional well-being of your finches. You mentioned that you hand-feed your bird, I imagine then that you care very deeply for them, so I ask that despite the harshness of some of the responses you continue your postings. A lot of captive birds live behind close doors with owners who think they're doing the right things and never ask, and a lot of those birds live very sad lives. Pet shops make it sound easy to keep birds so they can sell and not much thought goes into it beyond that. I am new to this forum, however I am appreciative of its range to educate. Good-luck with slowly befriending your finches!

[Rhonda]

This is really a very good question! Someone new to birds in general would accept the practice of wing clipping if they'd seen it before. I am very new to finches, but I have a rather senior sun conure so am used to the idea of clipping wings. At the same time, until a week ago, my conure hadn't had her wings clipped in about 10 years.

Two parts to this story:
Our conure developed laryngitis. While peace and quiet was nice, I knew there was a problem and took her to a bird vet. While there I asked if her wings could be clipped if it wasn't too stressful on top of an illness. They assured me that clipping the wings wouldn't change things, so I had them clipped. Thank goodness I did! The vet put her on antibiotics and it was bad enough that I had to fight with a semi flighted bird to get them into her, I can't imagine if she were mad and flighted. LOL I say semi flighted because she can flap her wings and raise 9 or 10 inches, but she cannot soar from place to place.

On the other hand, we've had finches for a few months now. After watching them, I quickly realized that they are much different than the conure or parrot. They do not climb bars though they can land and cling to them. They can climb them a bit, but are not the monkeys that the conure is. I really think that if their wings were clipped, they would either get fat, fat from lack of flying exercise or would get injured trying to get around without being flighted. Thankfully, finches are small enough to capture in a cage without drawing blood...mine!

So I wouldn't clip finch wings. Personally, I believe that doing so could stress them out to the point of death. Stress, as I am learning, is not something that the finches handle well.

Rhonda

[tobyneilson]

The difference between taming a finch and say a budgie,is that budgies are ok on their own,and to tame a animal it really needs to be alone and seperate so it bonds with you.

Unfortunately this is a cruel myth that seems to stick in people's minds. Budgies are NOT ok on their own. They are very social birds and live in large flocks in Australia. Keeping a budgie by himself in a small cage just to have the "pleasure" that he sits on your finger and otherwise has only a mirror for company is cruel and pathetic IMO.

Just to clarify what i meant,to tame a bird it needs to be seperate and you need to spend a lot of time with it,budgies are ok with human contact as long as they are there constantly/a lot(in my opinion most birds are flock animals and better in flocks)

[apachetear]

You wont need to clip its wings, but you will need alot of patience. My zebra finch was bought from a pet shop in March, and now he's incredibily tame. It took a lot of work on both of oour parts. He now knows the curtain pole and lampshade are not where he can play.
And after a few encounters with my window, even with a net on it, he learnt it wasnt a fun game and sitting on my shoulder chuckling was much more fun!!! He now knows the phrase good boy and no. He hops on my hand when its time to go in and out of his cage as well.
He started to get very cross with me though being on his own, and after one event of him hissing at me due to frustration that he couldnt spend the whole day with me i decided to get him a friend. I thought he would forget me once he did, but he still comes out several times a day and he now lives with 5 other birds and still comes out and sits on my hand. I know ive got a little birdie friend for life! it just took a lot of patience and time but its acheivable, its very rewarding. good luck

[Ursula]

The difference between taming a finch and say a budgie,is that budgies are ok on their own,and to tame a animal it really needs to be alone and seperate so it bonds with you.

Unfortunately this is a cruel myth that seems to stick in people's minds. Budgies are NOT ok on their own. They are very social birds and live in large flocks in Australia. Keeping a budgie by himself in a small cage just to have the "pleasure" that he sits on your finger and otherwise has only a mirror for company is cruel and pathetic IMO.

Just to clarify what i meant,to tame a bird it needs to be seperate and you need to spend a lot of time with it,budgies are ok with human contact as long as they are there constantly/a lot(in my opinion most birds are flock animals and better in flocks)

Thanks for the clarification, Toby, and sorry for getting angry. But it's such a shame how many budgies are kept alone in small cages because people want a "tame" bird.

[tobyneilson]

I know what you mean Ursula, used to bug me when i worked as a window cleaner,used to see all these birds in small cages while their owners were out all day working

[monotwine]

Seems like from what others experience it is possible to tame your finch with patience, kindness and no clipped wings.