can canaries and finches be tame?

[bookworm]

i kinda want a finch or a canary someday. do people let them out to play or do they just stay in their cages? and can they be tamed down at all?

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

my finches would stay in their flight cage I did have a finch however that would come close to the side of the cage when you called his name

 

[Kristy]

I have had Canaries but I never let them out of thier huge cage as they are not the easiest to catch to get back in it.

The Canaries I have had over the years all had different personalities. Some more than others would be curious of me and come over to see me. Perhaps because I spent a lot fo time with them but they often would be eating while I was feeding them. They didn't have too much fear but that of course did not come overnight.

My guess both could be tameish. Both are wonderful housemates though.

 

[bookworm]

ok, i wasn't sure if people let their finches and canaries out cuz i imagine those suckers would be hard to catch.

 

[Kristy]

I think you could but have no cats/dogs around when doing so of course as they dart around quite quickly.

 

[Quiverful]

I don't have canaries or finches, but I have seen some stories about them where they are pretty tame. I think it's definitely possible if you spend a lot of time with them..just like any other animal.

I have to admit, though, I love the sounds that finches make

 

[BraveheartDogs]

i kinda want a finch or a canary someday. do people let them out to play or do they just stay in their cages? and can they be tamed down at all?

Yes, you can to some degree. My brother used to keep his finches loose with their cage door open all the time. I have a canary rescue here I am fostering who used to live free and loose in a home. They have to eat and drink pretty often so they will go back to their cage for that

You have to be careful though with finches because if you keep them loose and you have a male and female they will probably go find places to breed

 

[akijoy]

Absolutely! I could never understand why there's the belief out there that finches can't be hand-tamed. In Japan, they are typical pet birds that are very tame. My java rice finch was never clipped and we would go out together all the time...he would be in my pocket, or flying around my head. I had him for several years.

In America, I had Pee wee, a finch that had the run of my house, never lived in a cage, and had perfect recall. Those were the days before I had parrots, but he was a gem and my constant companion.

 

[Quiverful]

Absolutely! I could never understand why there's the belief out there that finches can't be hand-tamed. In Japan, they are typical pet birds that are very tame. My java rice finch was never clipped and we would go out together all the time...he would be in my pocket, or flying around my head. I had him for several years.

In America, I had Pee wee, a finch that had the run of my house, never lived in a cage, and had perfect recall. Those were the days before I had parrots, but he was a gem and my constant companion.

That is so cool! Do you have any pics??

 

[BraveheartDogs]

That is so cool! Do you have any pics??

I would love to see pics too!!

 

[akijoy]

I would love to see pics too!!

Unfortunately not, because I had my java rice finches in Japan which was when I was in high school which was decades ago! And no digital cameras either.

I think I have photos of Pee wee my finch somewhere, but again, those were the days before digital cameras, so they are paper photos in a box somewhere.

I actually have only started to take photos since joining the bird forum board.

 

[Bokkapooh]

i kinda want a finch or a canary someday. do people let them out to play or do they just stay in their cages? and can they be tamed down at all?

Ive always allowed my gfinches out of their cages, in the bird room. Some were finger tamed (handled them when they were young) and ALL were tame enought o not spook when you put your hand in the cage.

If even BETTER if you find someone who handraises canaries and finches. They'll be super tame, LOVE cuddles, be very friendly and love human attention.

 

[akijoy]

The most interesting thing to me is that, while living in Japan as a young teenager, most pet stores sold these freshly hatched java rice finches. They'd all be in a box, chirping up a storm, opening their beaks to be fed. They told you how to make the mush and showed you how to hand feed them, and people would buy them, as I did. They had no feathers at all, and you could see their crop, and easily tell when they were full and happy. I find this so interesting because I was so surprised to see how hand-feeding is seen as a difficult thing in this country, and many people have had problems with it, like crop burning.
Of course, hand raising them as a day old baby gives you a very tame bird! And finches don't bite.
I don't know if there are finch breeders that will let you buy them at a few days old. I remember inquiring at a Petsmart that sold finches, and they said no.
I would not consider getting one now because my parrots are so much bigger and stronger, but I sure miss my little Peewee!

 

[robin's my baby]

yes but is hard and it only works for me because i co-parent feed and then they lose there tamness as soon as there adults

 

[robin's my baby]

• Of course, hand raising them as a day old baby gives you a very tame bird! And finches don't bite.

oh yes they do iv gotten bitten by EGG all the time and also they can lose there tamness

 

[akijoy]

• oh yes they do iv gotten bitten by EGG all the time and also they can lose there tamness

  My Chip never lost his tameness! As I said, I took him out all the time unclipped, and he would never leave me, and I lived in a big city...Tokyo!
  
  Pee wee was actually not hand-raised. I bought him at Petsmart, thinking it could be like my Chip in Japan. He was terrified of me at first, and would flutter all over the cage to escape my hand. I was a student back then, and every night I would study with a little more of my hand in the cage. It took me about 3 months, and he was not afraid of my hand. Then I would put food in it, and he would eat it out of my hand. Within 6 months, he was so bonded to me. He never lived in his cage, but slept on my lamp by my bed. He had little nests throughout the house where he would like to be, but never went in the cage. I can't imagine him ever losing his tameness before he died of a heart attack. When I was at home, his favorite spot was on my shoulder. I can't imagine my finches biting at all. It wasn't in their nature.

 

[robin's my baby]

It wasn't in their nature.

it dosnt hrt but i can tell EGG is doing it on purpose he dosnt atack. also i guss it would be easyer if i didnt have a flock of finches.sorry if i sounded rude

 

[Beatriz Cazeneuve]

Any animal can be tamed but most are better off on their own and finches and canaries fall under that category. My canaries are loose in the birdroom and my finches are caged (they are way too small and weak fliers due to their previous life) and they are not spooked by me but I would never consider teaching them to step up or anything like that, it's too stressful for them and stress kills little birds very easily. Robirda, a lady who breeds canaries and knows a lot about them, tells about this bird she had sold who died at only two years of age from stress due to his owner trying to tame him.

 

[Anne & Gang]

yes actually but you have to practically raise them from birht.. a lady used to come on the perch all the time and she used to post pics of her with finches all tame all over her

 

[akijoy]

Gosh, Beatriz,
I'm very sad if you're saying that my Pee wee died because of me. He loved life, and he loved me, and he sure didn't act like he was stressed. But he did die of a heart attack.
If what you're saying is true, I hate myself and I am in tears now. I am sorry, Peewee, if taming you shortened your life.