In numerous flicks, books, and also TV programs, owls are shown to be exceptionally pleasant, smart and affectionate animals. Do owls make good animals like they appear to be in the films? And if so, what does it take to correctly care for one? Can you keep one in a regular parrot cage and feed it seed as well as other kinds of industrial bird food?
Owls Required Lots of Area
While it holds true that pet owls have been popularized in publications as well as movies (such as the "Harry Potter" series), the truth is that owls are not a good choice for pets.
The hardships brought on by properly taking care of an owl are a large reason that it is best to leave them in the wild, as stunning and also fascinating as these animals might be.
For beginners, owls can not be kept inside a standard indoor parrot cage. They must be kept in a huge aviary with both interior as well as exterior access, as well as accessibility to a bathroom frying pan that need to be kept tidy.
They bathe on a regular basis in order to maintain their plumes meticulously clean. Owls fly silently, yet their feathers will make sounds if they are not kept tidy. This sound is detrimental to their hunting. They additionally must be able to fly often if they are certainly physically able to fly.
Owls Are Mostly Independent Creatures
These birds are raptors that live and also search independently. Unlike various other kinds of big birds like macaws or cockatoos, owls do not reside in flocks in the wild, making them extremely antisocial when it involves various other birds (besides their friends and their offspring).
The flock mentality is what allows a parrot to successfully integrate itself right into a human household. Given that owls lack that sort of state of mind, they check out every person with the exception of the single person they select as their "companion" as an opponent or target, and also will likely strike others on view.
This can be a significant issue if you ever come to be ill or otherwise incapable to look after your owl. As well as since they mate forever, they may end up being clinically depressed to the point of fatality if they are moved to an additional person's care.
Their Diets Are Specialized
Diet is an additional worry that makes it virtually difficult to efficiently maintain owls as family pets. Given that owls are practically a bird of prey, they have actually specialized dietary demands that can not be met by feeding them seeds, pellets or fresh foods like fruits and vegetables.
As a matter of fact, if you provided any of these treats to an owl, she or he would likely not even recognize them as food.
Owls are meat-eating creatures and have to be fed whole rats, like computer mice, small bunnies, guinea pigs, quail as well as tiny poultries that are readily produced in order to satisfy their intricate dietary requirements, and need to be stored frozen and afterward thawed before feeding or fed online.
As one may think of, this can be a less than enjoyable challenge to witness, much less to have to participate in numerous times per day. Like all birds, owls can be quite unpleasant eaters, so tidying up after meals is an additional job that lots of people would certainly locate tough to stomach, read more about pet study on scoutles.
As meat-eaters, owls are furnished with a beak and also talons that are specially designed for ripping and also tearing pieces of meat as well as they are capable of doing quite a bit of damage to human proprietors if they come to be displeased for any factor. They are devastating and also can quickly tear apart anything you might have in their room.
Owls Are Unlawful to Have as Family pets
It is prohibited to maintain owls in numerous areas of the world. Those that choose to defy the regulation and also keep an owl anyhow deal with a selection of added problems. If the bird falls ill, there is typically no choice but to take it to a veterinarian that concentrates on raptors.
Your conventional vet is not specially trained to deal with these impressive birds. Taking an owl to a veterinarian puts an illegal proprietor at risk of being caught, fined, and also perhaps incarcerated, as you need a license and also extensive training to end up being a licensed and also bonded specialist raptor trainer.
Other Alternatives
If you want owls, you may fund one at a wild animal care center. If you are seeking a companion bird, think about embracing a parrot who needs a residence. They are far much better matched to life with a human household than an owl.