Ok so I know I have asked this before in some sense. Lately Emma and Charlie (mainly Charlie) have been quite scared of me. I have had to catch them a few times for various reasons including a nail trim recently, but I actually attribute this behavior more to less daily hands on interaction. At the very beginning I was actively working every day with them for hours on end with special emphasis on getting them comfortable with my hands. Over time I shifted to a more hands off training cycle. This was partly due to the arrival of Lada, but more so due to the fact that I felt I had reached a point of sufficient trust between us. The training at that point then shifted more towards conditioning them more to their environment, ie where they can and can not perch, fly etc. I have essentially been giving them a lot more freedom outside the cage thinking this would encourage additional trust however I believe it has had the opposite effect and actually encouraged a bit more independence and forgetfulness... 
Ok the information above is semi important, but not directly related to the question at hand. I am curious how you think regular handlings will help. If consistent and gentle, I cant imagine it will have a negative impact. I noticed a shift during the few times that I did need to handle them that with each time, the experience became easier and seemed less stressful for them. This led me to wonder if regular handlings could actually reinforce the fact that there is nothing to fear from these encounters. This will of course make routines such as nail trimmings, etc much easier and less stressful for all parties. I feel this type of training is regularly employed with larger species and therefore should translate equally well to finches. The problem seems to be a mental wall among the community that "finches cannot do this", "finches cannot do that", "finches cannot be tamed", etc. Seems this is the only potential issue with this thought process. Now I do acknowledge that with finches there is an added danger due to their size, but with care and consistency, I feel I can foster a stronger bond with both of them. I look forward to everyone's thoughts on the subject.
Ok the information above is semi important, but not directly related to the question at hand. I am curious how you think regular handlings will help. If consistent and gentle, I cant imagine it will have a negative impact. I noticed a shift during the few times that I did need to handle them that with each time, the experience became easier and seemed less stressful for them. This led me to wonder if regular handlings could actually reinforce the fact that there is nothing to fear from these encounters. This will of course make routines such as nail trimmings, etc much easier and less stressful for all parties. I feel this type of training is regularly employed with larger species and therefore should translate equally well to finches. The problem seems to be a mental wall among the community that "finches cannot do this", "finches cannot do that", "finches cannot be tamed", etc. Seems this is the only potential issue with this thought process. Now I do acknowledge that with finches there is an added danger due to their size, but with care and consistency, I feel I can foster a stronger bond with both of them. I look forward to everyone's thoughts on the subject.
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