Ladies are 8 months old, raised since hatchlings, and they are still only mildly tolerant of being pet or handled. Is there any hope they’ll become snuggly or is our relationship purely transactional?

Meet Liz, Leslie (Brahmas) Penguin and Puffin (Orpingtons)

We’ve raised the ladies since they were two days old, under the impression that hand-raising them may make them more prone to snuggling and interaction. While they did enjoy that as babies, they turned all business outside. They are honestly very sweet and engage a ton if treats are involved — they’ll jump up on laps and dance around — but they tend to duck out of pets or do the submission thing and try to edge away. They have become much more tolerant of being handled outdoors, but it is clearly not something anyone is pining for.

Is there a chance they’ll come around on handling at this age or should we just accept that we’re more into them than they are to us and enjoy things as they are?