I've had untold numbers of finches over the years, starting with the first birds I ever got, when I was eight years old. So, I've had 30 years of finch experience, including doing some rescue for a few years.
When you get a finch cage, in a addition to making sure there isn't too much space between the bars, you also need to be sure to purchase a cage that is considerably longer than it is tall. Finches do not climb up and down the bars like a parakeet or cockateil would, they simply fly back and forth. That is why length is more important than height.
And, like husky_lover said, they are prolific breeders, and if you get a male and female, they will lay eggs almost constantly. This sounds fun at first, maybe, until you are trying to constantly find good homes for baby finches. And I mean constantly. It's really a better idea to get either two males or two females and just let them be buddies. If you get zebra finches, it is easy to tell the males from the females. It's very hard to tell with society finches.
As for taming and clipping wings, it does not hurt a bird to clip it's wings if it done properly. Only the feathers are trimmed. However, most birds that have trimmed wing feathers are the larger hookbills, like parakeet, cockateils, etc. These birds can use their beaks and feet to climb up the bars of their cage and get around well without flying. However, a finch is different. I'm not saying it's impossible to hand tame a finch. I'm sure it is possible, and I'm sure someone is going to jump in and say as much. However, IN GENERAL, finches are not as easily tamed as other birds. They are rather nervous little guys, easily frightened. They are, IMO, better left to flying around with their finch buddies in their cage. I think, if you want a hand tamed bird with clipped wings to be an out of cage companion for you, you would be better off getting a young, preferably already hand-tamed, hookbill.
Finches are charming, cute, pretty little birds. They make adorable noises, bond closely with their cage mate, and are easy to care for. They are not the best choice for someone looking for a hand-tamed companion bird.
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Originally Posted by Argranade
Actauly clipped finches are easy to tame, after there molt and they can fly again there still stay tame because there used to being held when there wings where clipped.
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If you're an intermediate-experienced bird owner, you might even want to look into Pacific parrotlets. Though they're about the size of a Java finch, these little parrotlets have the heart of a macaw!
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