Java finch or Society finch? starting in Japan...

[eri]

Hi everybody!

I am new to the community, not new to the finch love/obsession though ... I have had birds since I have memory, mostly canaries, then the first two finches came, two (males, as I knew later) white headed mannekins I bought in a local market because I thought they were in such a sad condition... (and my mother almost killed me), and I feel deeply in love with those small buddies.... they lived with me for 12 years, and passed away 3 and 4 years ago leaving a huge hole in my heart... anyways, that's another story! But after that first contact with small finches there was not coming back for me...
The fact is, I am now living in Japan, starting a new journey, and as soon as I will be stable here I am considering to buy a finch, and I am between Java or Society, not only because they are extremely easy to find here, but also because I want to have as much interaction with it as I can. It´s very strange, but luckily for me in Japan is very normal to find baby birds in the stores (totally impossible in Europe or in the States...), so my idea is buying the youngest baby I can find and hand raise it with lots of love, patience and care. I have a lot of experience in hand raising birds, I used to work in an animal hospital and took care of the nursery where hundreds of wild orphan birds came every week... my doubt is, which of this species, Java or Society, is more easy to be handled/enjoys more human interaction/contact?
As far as I have seen in the forum, Java finches seems to be extremely intelligent, strong and sensitive birds with a lot of personality, while society finches seems to be more easygoing, funny and easier to take care of (?). I am not looking for the easiest, but for the one who can have a happier life if I am interacting every day with him, taking in my hand, maybe touching his head as I have seen society finches doing to each other (is that good for java finches too?)...
I apologize if my english sounds strange, I am spanish

Thank you in advance, I will appreaciate all information you can give me about this topic!

[Sally]

Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good information at http://www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on finch care. If you put your general location in your profile, it makes it easier to answer locale-specific questions later on. We don't have many members from Japan.

From what I have read, I think the Java finch will work for your needs, especially since you can get young ones. One of our members, Nipper06, has tamed quite a few Javas, and they make great pets. Societies also can be tamed, but I don't think with quite the success as with Javas.

Your English is excellent, no need to apologize. We Americans sometimes don't do as well with spelling and grammar!

[wilkifam]

Welcome Eri!

I don't have experience with Java's, but do with societies, I think if I was going to have a single bird that was hand tame I would choose the Java. They are beautiful.

Your english is beautiful too!

Keep us posted when you get your new baby.

[vienneparis]

eri
Welcome to the forum. Wonderful to hear from someone in Japan. I'm curious about the birds that are available over there. You'll have to tell us when you go shop for your bird.

Your English is very good, better than some of us here in the US. There's no need for apologies.

Regarding your question, I raise both Javas and Societies and find them both charming in their own distinct ways. As you've noticed, Javas are intelligent with strong personalities, whereas Societies are sweet, friendly, and easygoing. My Societies are housed in a mixed aviary and are pretty used to me interacting with them when I bring the daily greens and egg food for the flock. Because of their more aggressive personality and tendency to overpower smaller finches in the aviary, my Javas get their own flight cage. Even though I interact with them daily, the Javas are still cautious and not quite as friendly as the Societies.

Both my Societies and Javas seem to do better in a flock. I'm not sure that either type would do well as a single bird, although I understand that a bird would be easier to tame if it's on its own. I'd be concerned that the bird would be lonely when you're not around to interact with it.

Good luck with your bird, whichever one you decide on.

[eri]

Thank you very much for all your nice replies!
I am becoming more and more clear about having a Java finch... I checked some pet shops this days and every time I see them I fall in love! Society finches are very lovely and sweet as well, but I am saving them for a future where I can buy a big pack of them!
About Java finches... any special care I need to know? I already checked some websites, it´s a pity that there are so many great books about java finches (文鳥) and society finches (重視末）but all of them are in japanese ... it´s a real pity because they seem to explain a lot of things about how to tame your bird, how to hand raise it, with plenty of details. I guess I need to speed up my japanese learning ...
It would be great to know some other japanese fellows areounf the forum to share the experiences.
I will keep you updated about my choice!

[lovezebs]

eri
Welcome to the Forum. If you love finches and burds in general, then this is the place for you.

I have never owned Javas, but do own several Societies. Although the Socies get used to your presence, they are not tame. They will come close and listen attentively when you speak but still fly away if you approach too quickly or too close.

Just a quick question. If you really want to hand tame a bird, why not consider one of the Parrot Family? They are much easier to hand tame and really love human company, being handled and spending time with their humans. Many will even learn how to talk and enjoy chatting with their people.

~Elana~

P.S. If you were to get a parrot of some sort, it doesn't mean you couldn't also have two finches (or more) as well.

[avicella]

Hi Eri,

I have two male Java finches, almost 5 years old. I bought them as chicks in a pet store. Stores usually clearly label birds as hand tame (tenori/手乗り) if they are tame. Pet stores sell syringes and chick food if you are raising chicks from very young, but it's easier to buy birds that are a month or two old that the breeder and pet store staff have raised by hand.

Personally, in Japan I would favor Java sparrows over society finches, because Javas are a traditional pet in Japan (and Taiwan and China) going back centuries. Why not tap into that tradition and culture? You see them in historical movies and television dramas, as well as in Japanese paintings, songs, and literature. They are not quite as popular as they once were, so I like to support them! The white ones are liked here, but I prefer the "sakura" (pied) bunchos, because they seem to be the most traditional kind (nobody even knows why they are called "sakura," they go back so far).

All those Java sparrow books and articles you see: They are all by one woman!: Miyoko Ito. She is a Java Sparrow writing machine, jumping from magazine to magazine, publisher to publisher. I'm not sure how much of an expert she really is: she doesn't have any particular credentials, and she tends to anthropomorphize the birds. But she has a lot of practical experience I guess.

It's terrible the way that you can't easily buy chicks in the U.S. In California there is a law against selling chicks, unless you have some sort of ridiculous certification. It's much more humane to sell chicks that continue to be tame and can interact with their owners, spending much of the day outside of the cage, than to sell only adults who are fearful of their owner and need to be caged for life.

[cindy]

I raise both societies and javas, I adore hand raised javas!!!!! They are easy to feed out like a baby canary and love the attention... even if not handled often they still come up and eat out of my hand climbing on my fingers. One of our other members has one of the siblings and it to interacts with her.

I have not had time in the last 6 months to feed out but this new breeding season I would like to start up again.

Here are some of the little Dark Eyed Whites that were handfed