Are Finches Affectionate? + Do They Like To Be Handled By Humans?

As a bird lover, you need to understand the background of the birds. This holds true in beginner’s case as they need to know which bird would be an ideal pick, to begin with.

There are various birds available, like Small Parrots, Parakeets, Cockatiels, Budgies, Canaries, Finches, and more.

However, it is equally important to know whether the bird you want to bring to your family is sociable and affectionate. So, are finches affectionate?

No. Finches are not affectionate towards their owners. They are docile and friendly in nature, enjoy being in the company of their mates, and can lighten up the mood in your house with their gentle chirps and chatter.

However, they don’t crave attention or seem to form any real bond with humans.

Now that you know, although Finches are affable and easily settle in a new environment, they do not connect with their owners.

Let’s find out whether they can show their affection towards their companion.

Can Finches Show Their Affection?

Finches are sociable and love the company of their mates. In the wild, they share a powerful bond with their mates. They display gentle wooing behavior like sharing food with each other; by allopreening, they communicate with each other, which helps them stay connected and do other things that exhibit their affection and caring behavior towards their mates.

In captivity, just like in the wild, Finches reveal the same behavior towards their mates. There is a strong bonding between each other. You may find them sharing their food, they chirp and show their happiness when excited, they engage in playful activities like flying within their large cage and playing on the perches and other toys kept in their finch cage. Parent finches are caring towards their fledglings, which demonstrate parental love towards their young ones. Both parents feed their chicks until they are independent and can imitate cage-mates behavior to find their food.

Finches are fascinating as they come in an array of stunning colors. Young children may easily get attracted to them and enjoy their playful behavior. However, finches usually don’t care much about interacting with humans and depend on us for their food supply.

Now that you know, finches do not develop any fondness for humans. Do your pet finches like to be handled?

Do Finches Like To Be Handled?

Finches are active, friendly, charming, and keep chattering most of the time, but they don’t intermingle with humans. Like many other pet birds craving love and attention, finches neither yearn for any attention nor want to spend time with their owners.

Though finches dislike being handled by humans, they are also unlikely to bite. This means that not only adults but even older children in your family can engage in taking care of your pet finches. This is a good characteristic of your pet birds that they do not show aggression. However, be mindful that finches are small, soft, and gentle and need to be handled with care.

Now that you know, unlike other pet birds like Cockatiels, Conures, or Green Wing Macaw, who are considered responsive and most affectionate pet birds. Finches like to stick around their cage mates and do not like to be handled by their owners. In such a situation, how would you determine that your pet finches are happy?

Related Further Reading:

How Do I Know If My Finches Are Happy?

Finches are generally very active and engage in a lot of activities throughout the day. As a pet owner, you must ensure that they receive proper food, hygiene, and health care. You should regularly check their behavior to determine if your pet finches are healthy and happy.

You may look at the below points to understand and determine whether your pet finches are happy.

Adequate Nutrition: Good quality and nutritious food are most important for physical wellbeing. Finches are generally seedeaters and eat a variety of plant seeds but seeds alone may not provide the necessary nutrition. Besides seeds and depending on the season, you may also add certain fruits, vegetables, and berries to their diet.
Good Company: Finches are not solitary birds and enjoy living in pairs. They are friendly, active, and engage with the other mates in their finch cage. Depending upon your requirement, at least a pair of finches must be there in your birdcage.
Decent cage size: The size of your finch cage must be good enough for the finches to fly around from one part to another. Unlike many other big birds, finches do not walk or climb but rather prefer to fly around the cage. Therefore, you have to ensure there is enough space in your finch cage for your finches to spread their wings.
Toys and Perches: Adding perches, toys, and swings to the cage not only improves the look of your finch cage but also provides an opportunity for your pet finches to remain playful. Finches love to hop from one perch to another. They keep themselves entertained by moving around perches in the cage. Similarly, like most birds, finches may also love to play with swings. They may not be able to move the swing but can hop on to it. You can also add few toys like a bell, a little string, and keep your pet finches entertained and active throughout the day.
Clean Finch cage: A clean and well-maintained cage may not directly add to your pet bird’s happiness. But will definitely keep your pet finches free from any infections. You must also observe your pet finches for any signs of dullness, motionlessness, trouble breathing, or puffing to understand whether it’s time to visit an avian vet. Healthy finches remain active and engage themselves in lively activities all through the day.

As a pet owner, you may provide an excellent livable condition to your pet finches, but does that mean your pet finches will bond with you?

How Do You Know If Your Pet Finches Are Bonded To You?

Although finches are friendly, active, engaging, charming, chirpy, and chattering throughout the day, finches are least interested in connecting with humans. In other words, finches are not likely to create any bonding with their pet owners.

However, even though finches do not bond with their owners, below are some reasons why they are an excellent pick for bird lovers.

Being pretty and chatty: Finches come in an array of stunning colors and attractive feather patterns and are a joy to watch. Finches keep chirping and twittering, and you may also find them appealing, as they are chatty birds.
Low inclination to interact with birds: Finches prefer to bond with their mates within the cage rather than humans. If you have little time or inclination to interact with your pet birds, finches would be an ideal choice, as they do not crave your time and affection.
Suitable for any age group: Finches can be an excellent choice for adult beginners, older children, and aged individuals as primary caretakers. Finches do not crave any attention with humans, and therefore minimal handling to no interaction is fine. You don’t need to be a bird expert. Anybody who is eager to become a bird owner can begin with finches as their pet birds.

Recommended Further Reading:

Conclusion

Finches are cheerful, jovial, easygoing, beguiling, and appealing to humans with their varied color and feather patterns. However, finches tend to be only affectionate towards their mates, living in their finch cage. They develop an intense and strong bond with cage inmates, which can be seen through their behavior, and have no interest in developing any connection towards their owners, but would instead only care about what’s is put in their food cup.