Caring for owls at home. Home nest

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Many people prefer birds as pets. Usually, the houses of bird lovers are inhabited by parrots or canaries known to us from childhood, but what your surprise would be to see an owl in your friend’s house. Yes, exactly the owl, the one that lives in the forests, the one that many children expect to bring them a treasured letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, like the hero of JK Rowling’s books, the world famous Harry Potter.

Recently, keeping exotic animals in the house has become a very popular and fashionable craft, and owls are no exception. These birds of extraordinary beauty will undoubtedly be able to bring not only to your home, but also to your daily life in general, a lot of new, hitherto unknown feelings and emotions. After all, an owl is not just a bird or an animal, it is an elegant and majestic living creature, which will not only be an original home pupil, but a symbol of the wisdom of your home and your life.

If you have decided to purchase this delightful representative of the fauna as your friend, you need to get to know it better, having mastered the simple rules of communicating with the scoop, it will be able to become a member of your family absolutely free of charge.

Origin of the owl

The owl is an extremely beautiful representative of the large kingdom of birds, which is classified into the class of birds and the order Owls.

It is impossible to indicate the exact coordinates of the habitat of the descendants of this large family, because each separate species considers completely different countries and even continents to be his homeland. It is possible to meet an owl both in a tree, around the corner of your house, and in the countries of Southern Birds of North America, as well as Africa and Australia, and the polar owl can even be seen on the islands of the Arctic Ocean.

Common types of owls and their characteristic features

On our big planet Earth there are a large number of species of these beautiful birds, all of them differ from each other in appearance, behavioral characteristics and habitats natural habitat. Presented to your attention are those owls that can be kept as a pet.

Spectacled Owl

Pulsatrix perspicillata - this native of the owl family has a very original and beautiful appearance. The length of the spectacled beauty’s delightful body is approximately 42–48 cm, body weight ranges from 450 to 700 grams in males, while females are approximately 200 grams heavier. The owl's entire body is covered with thick silky feathers. The color differs in different parts of the body, usually the main tone is dark brown, almost black, and the abdominal area has a white, slightly yellowish tint. You can also notice several other decorations on the body of this bird: there is a white spot on the neck, and a dark brown transverse stripe on the chest.

Yours interesting names this beauty most likely got it from the fact that her cute big yellow eyes are surrounded by so-called white “glasses”. On the front part of the head of small owls you can see a black mask; usually their color changes when they reach puberty.

The native territories of these birds are considered to be the tropical forests of Mexico and other countries of North and Central America. A condition for comfortable living for spectacled owls is the presence of a nearby source of water.

polar owl

Nyctea scandiaca - some people believe that this is not just a bird - it is a fabulous work of art, perhaps one cannot but agree with them. After all, this is really a feathered thing, I’m not afraid of this word “fascinates” with its appearance.

This is a fairly large owl. The length of the male individual is approximately 57–63 cm, the female owl is much larger, the average length of their body is approximately 65–69 cm, respectively, the wingspan also varies depending on gender - for females it is about 160 cm, for males it is 145 –155 cm. The body weight of the stronger half of owls is approximately 1400–2100 grams, the weight of the weaker sex is usually 400–500 grams more.

The head of this northern bird is relatively small, the beak, although not particularly small, but the feathers at its base carefully cover it, which makes the owl’s “face” not only beautiful, but also very pretty. Visual organs average size. On the paws you can see thick and long feathers that cover more than half of the claw. The magical wings of this bird of prey are quite wide, but not very long.

Usually their natural color is represented by a basic white tone, on the surface of which there is an ornament formed by many elements various shapes, painted dark brown.

The peculiarity of this owl is that at different ages it “changes clothes” into a different outfit. They have a plumage of the first year of life - in females it is usually represented by plumage of white and brown shades. On the main white background of the back, wings and shoulders, there are wide dark stripes, and in the head area there are medium-sized white spots. Males have very similar “clothes”, only less patterned.

The “suit” of the second year is snow-white plumage with a small number of dark inclusions in males; in females, there is usually a well-defined brown pattern on the body, formed by elements of different shapes.

The color of the feathers on the front part, elytra and legs does not change, regardless of gender, age and habitat - they are always white. The iris of the eye is usually black, sometimes with a golden tint.

The native places of the snowy owl are the territories washed by the Arctic Ocean and the tundra. There are no geographical differences in body parameters or coloration.

Long eared owl

Asio otus - probably among all its relatives - is the most common bird; it lives throughout almost the entire territory of Eurasia, North America and the northern part of the African continent. The favorite habitat of this long-eared beauty is coniferous forests, but it tries to avoid very dense wooded areas. They usually hunt for their prey in more open areas of the forest - edges, clearings or clearings. By their nature, long-eared owls are the only ones of their species that can be attributed the status of “ migratory birds", although they are not used to flying over very long distances. But some individuals for a period winter cold people fly away from the European continent to bask in the sun in Africa.

In terms of its structure, it is a medium-sized bird, its body length does not exceed 38 cm, its wingspan varies from 85 to 100 cm, and its body weight is approximately 250–350 grams. Long-eared owls are also one of the few owls that do not differ in size depending on gender.

The body of this cute bird is covered with thick feathers. The coloring is very interesting and patterned, represented by a combination of grayish and brown colors. The area of ​​the abdomen is painted in reddish shades, against which dark-colored stripes are clearly visible, which are located both longitudinally and transversely. On the cute face of the owl, large eyes of a rich orange color are immediately visible.

A unique feature of this representative of birds of prey is their “ears”, which are formed by several long tufts of feathers; the owl can control them, namely lift them up or press them to the head. These “feather ears” have nothing to do with the auditory organ of the bird, except that they take part in directing sound waves from environment. Her real hearing organs are not very noticeable, although they are rather large in size, and even placed absolutely not symmetrically on both sides of the head. Such a beauty with four “ears” exists in our nature.

Long-eared owls near our homes are a rather rare phenomenon, but this fact does not mean that this bird species is on the verge of extinction. It's all about something else. Previously, owls and people could coexist completely peacefully in the same territory, moreover, they brought great benefits to each other. A person who sowed fields with various cereal crops certainly encountered such pests for his possessions as mice, and owls hunted them. It turns out to be a double benefit: the bird is well-fed, and people don’t have mice.

But near human settlements, owls also have enemies - crows. Due to the fact that the owl is active at night, during the day it is usually in a state of dormancy, precisely at this time beautiful bird may be subject to attack by flocks of crows, which usually ends in the death of the owl. Therefore, for their own good, owls try to avoid such an unsafe neighborhood.

Great Gray Owl

Canis lupus - this winged predator lives in the taiga, occasionally settling in mountain forests. The distribution area of ​​this owl begins with the Kola Peninsula and stretches to the coastal mountains.

The gray owl is a relatively large bird, the length of its graceful body reaches approximately 75–85 cm, the wingspan is up to 150 cm. The head is quite large in relation to the body, it is decorated with huge yellow eyes, around which there are dark concentric stripes.

The color of the plumage is represented by ash-gray shades, forming a complex pattern on the bird’s body; only on the front side of the neck there is a white area resembling a collar. The lower part of the wing is decorated with regular stripes.

It is likely that this miracle of nature received its original name due to the large black spot located under the beak. In appearance it looks a little like a goatee.

Scops Owl

Otus scops - this cutest living creature is distinguished by its miniature size from other representatives of owls. The length of its small body is only 14–20 cm, body weight ranges from 55 to 135 grams, the wingspan is approximately 45–55 cm. Sexual differences in body size are present, but not very pronounced, females are quite a bit larger than males.

The feathers on the mini-owl's body are colored brown and gray. In the area of ​​the shoulder feathers you can see a little white coloring and a complex, but very beautiful drawing, decorated in dark shades. The iris of the eye is usually yellow, but sometimes there are individuals with orange eyes.

The hunting process of these mini-predators is very entertaining. Late at night, a small owl sits comfortably on a tree branch and carefully looks out for its future food. As soon as the prey comes into its field of vision, the Scops Owl immediately attacks it. There are also cases when a bird seems to play with its food, like a cat with a mouse. This happens when an owl comes across a small flock of some kind of beetles; with great excitement, it chases the insects and captures them on the fly.

Before starting a meal, the bird examines its lunch with special care.

Before you run headlong to the pet store to get your owl, take care of where she will live. Do not hope that you will buy everything you need in the same place as the inhabitant himself; do not confuse an owl with a parrot.

It is most optimal to allocate one room of your apartment for your new friend. Keeping such a bird in a cage is unacceptable, considering its size and love of flying. In a stuffy cage, very soon the life of an owl will turn into torture, because with every attempt to fly, the wings will be injured, and constant physical inactivity and bad mood will immediately affect the health of your pet.

The room also needs to be properly prepared. It is best to cover the windows with thick curtains, since your friend, seeing freedom, will try to fly through the window - and it will hurt him, and you will have to drop everything and take the bird to the veterinarian.
You should not leave tulle in sight of the owl; it can also get its claws tangled in it and injure itself.

It is good to place several places for the owl to rest on the walls; for this you will need to nail wooden or metal sticks to the wall; if you use metal perches, it is better to cover it with carpet.

It is necessary to remove all breakable things, valuables, books and documents from your pet’s personal apartment - with a slight movement of his paw, your exotic pupil can destroy all this.

Be sure to organize a pool for your pet, because owls really love to swim. The best solution is one that is not too deep, since they definitely won’t dive, but a fairly wide container for water.

For breakfast, lunch and dinner, owls prefer exclusively live food, at least for the first time living at home; perhaps, when the chick gets used to you and its new home, you can try feeding it with dead food.

Purchase and price of an owl

It is highly not recommended to buy your pet at ordinary bird markets, no matter how much they praise this or that individual. Most often in such places they sell birds caught from wildlife poachers, who, due to the demand for various exotics, have had more work.

Prices at bird markets are, of course, much nicer than in nurseries, but you are unlikely to be able to save money this way. Usually, in individuals native to the wild, the body is populated by many helminths and other pathogenic bacilli, since almost all diseases in birds occur without obvious clinical signs, then before you even have time to blink an eye, your newly made friend is already lying motionless at the bottom of the cage.

Catching owls is punishable by law, so don’t be surprised if the authorities come to your house and legally take your friend away from you and issue you a hefty fine.

In official nurseries things are different. There they will be able to provide you with all the documents for the bird you are interested in and detailed information about it. In addition, usually birds raised in nurseries get used to their new owners much faster, and become tame, better, and in better health.

Prices for owls vary depending on one species or another, on average the price for one individual long-eared owl ranges from 8,000 to 11,000 rubles, a polar owl - from 65,000 to 100,000 rubles, and a spectacled owl will cost you about 170,000 rubles It all depends on your tastes, preferences, and, of course, financial capabilities.

How to keep an owl at home, see here:

The desire to find a true friend among representatives of the fauna has long settled in the heart modern man. And if earlier everyone loved the cat Vaska and the parrot Kesha, now give sophisticated owners more delights than ever before. Through one, exotic lovers drag marsupials, leatherbacks, lemurs, barnacles and other carnivorous herbivores and birds into their virgin Khrushchev jungles, with the hope that there will be 33 of them square meters wild animals will like them. But, damn it, this is far from true. Stop torturing animals, you disgusting nonconformists, we shout at almost every corner. And if you have already got yourself some outlandish living creatures, be kind enough to provide them with all the norms and rules of the State Standard for Wildlife.

In support of the above, we were supported by the opinion of a professional amateur - Alisa Bogomolova, who is the proud owner of a rather rare pet - a long-eared owl named Cirilla. The kind Alice kindly answered us several questions regarding the content of the living symbol “What? Where? When?" at home.

- Alice. How did you get an owl? Did you dream about this or is it all in random order?

— I love all animals, I keep a lot of things at home and I want to get a lot of other things, all my friends know about this, and they often “send” someone to me for treatment, foster care or adoption. Of course, I dreamed of an owl, but I knew very well that I was not ready for such responsibility. Therefore, I didn’t deal with the issue of deliberate search, but I was terribly angry that owls were constantly falling on all other people, but not on me. last year only the lazy one didn’t pick up the owl. And then, one day, “happiness” came to me.

A man I knew brought a miracle bird to work, it fell on him in the bushes on the highway)) and the compassionate man thought that the bird was in a bad way, that it needed help and that it was necessary to pick it up. Here is the first misconception. You cannot select fledglings. If they are not in the city and are not injured or in danger, of course. A fledgling is a chick that has already grown up for the nest. The time comes, they fly away from the nests and “graze” near their father’s house, their parents do not abandon them, they remember and feed them until they themselves take to the wing. In short, he brought it to work, they work at a service station. And it seemed like they decided to leave it, but they fed it chicken and naturally the chick stopped eating on the third day. By this time, I was ready to take his fate into my own hands and take him to the bird of prey rehabilitation center. But my young man dissuaded me and suggested that I keep the bird for myself at least for a while. So I already had experience nursing. the chameleon was saved) saved, by the way

— Where can I get an owl and is it necessary to get one at all?

— Owls are sold by poachers for the most part, who also select fledglings, put them in cages, feed them meat and then sell them on AVITO or in VK groups. I saw prices from 4000 to 15000, in our city. There were so many of them in my memory, not a single healthy and whole bird, but an ignorant person cannot see this. There are nurseries where, like in Russia, owls are bred - barn owls, for example, they breed in captivity. And there are owls that never give birth in captivity - long-eared ones, for example, which my owl turned out to be. But they still write about them that they say they are not a wild bird, but tame. If the question arises about wanting to have an owl at home, it is better to seriously prepare for this, not by hearsay, because in fact, few people are able to provide the bird with proper care. But if a person is still ready and has a certain material and food base, our CRHP will accommodate birds that cannot be released back into nature. Non-flying ones, for example. After passing the “interview”, the center’s staff can make a positive decision and give the scoop into care, but only after making sure that all conditions of detention will be created.

— What positive things, besides general hemorrhoids in content, will an owl bring to the average person?

— Correctly chosen words, truly, this is a wonderful contact
a beast from which there is a return. They are tamed (but this is also a huge job!) They get used to the owner, they can be trained. It’s impossible to take your eyes off them, they have millions of emotions and actions in their arsenal, like a person or a cat, everything is always written on their faces. They are incredibly sweet and even affectionate (of course, not all). and the most important thing is achievements. An owl is like the cat of the bird world. But when you call your cat to eat, it’s normal, but when your owl flies to your call, it’s an indescribable emotion, like taming a dragon.

— Are there any owl exhibitions or beauty contests?

— There are owl meetings and owl groups, where owners exchange experiences, ask questions, and walk together. There are no beauty contests, but there are trainings, meetings, and photo shoots.

— Is it possible to release a domesticated owl into the forest, wishing it a successful hunt and hoping that it will survive?

— Domestic owls are imprints, raised by humans and accustomed to their owner. In principle, some owls can be re-educated for release, but no one does this. For the most part, even if a bird is flying and knows how to kill prey itself (this is also not the case for everyone, by the way), it does not know where to get this prey) a person brings it to it. Therefore, Birds are never released just to fly; the bird may not return, but in nature, 99% of the time, it will not survive. In general, each co-holder has/should have special ammunition for the bird, a glove, entanglements (putts) - laces on the paws, a debtor - a leash, it comes in different lengths, which is attached to the putts and to the hand or glove, so that you can walk with the bird and it will not flew away

— How to dissuade an unresponsible person from starting an owl in three words?

And answers to the most popular questions:

• Lives in a cage? NO NO and NO again. if you want an owl - NO CAGES!! either in an apartment, or on a balcony (if the owl is accustomed or not southern) or if it’s your own home, then a large enclosure. The owl is large, it does not sit quietly in a cage, it is not a parrot. it flies, not flutters, its wingspan is large, and these same wings against the bars of the cage actually lead to the death of the owl. feathers become confused, grow incorrectly, the wing is formed incorrectly, necrosis, infection begins, and so on. it's terribly short. I can post about the owl after the cage, I also rescued it, took it to the center, where she had to pluck all her feathers
• He doesn’t live in a cage, he craps everywhere and does mischief, and steals, and unwinds, and breaks, but not as much as a raccoon.
• He sleeps at night, his eyes don't light up, and he doesn't hoot nonstop. Sees better during the day than at night.

And animals. The most common birds of prey found in homes are domestic owls. They can be purchased at “bird markets” or brought with them from the forest, assuming that the chick fell out of the nest and was lost. It is impossible to look at small furry creatures with huge eyes without emotion. Sellers, trying to sell goods, lie with inspiration potential buyers about the nature of these wild birds. In addition, most of them were caught by poachers, and not raised in nurseries, which means they are infected with various infections and parasites.

A little about owls

Owls are nocturnal predators, which means that the main peaks of activity of these birds occur at night and early morning. Therefore domestic owls They will behave accordingly all night, shouting (most actively during the mating season), making some noise and disturbing the owners’ sleep. It is best to keep owls for people who are predominantly nocturnal.

Feed

Owls need to be fed meat. Moreover, the digestion of these birds is designed in such a way that they need to eat the whole prey, with fur, feathers and bones. This means feeding domestic owls Cut up beef or chicken is not allowed. You will have to purchase day-old chicks or mice as food. They are not cheap, and getting them in large quantities is quite problematic.

Owl's choice

If nocturnal domestic owls and their diet does not frighten the future owner, then first of all he needs to decide on the type of owl that he will be able to keep at home. There are a great many species of owls, from huge eagle owls to small owls. Even medium-sized birds, such as tawny owls, are too big for a standard city apartment, as they need a lot of space to fly. Even if all the rooms are spacious enough, birds can feather feathers on doorframes and walls. The best choice for an apartment would be short-eared owls, long-eared owls, owls or barn owls.

Before you buy an owl, you need to suitably arrange your apartment for it. It is the apartment, since these birds cannot be kept in cages, they break their feathers on the bars, injure the ceres (soft places above the beaks) or get sores on their paws. Content rules:

1. From the room in which the owl will live, you need to remove all things that it can knock over, stain or tear. Pet owls love to play, so owners will have to be careful about where their valuables are. The windows need to be curtained with thick curtains, the tulle should be removed (as the bird can get entangled in it and be injured). Large mirrors and glass must be removed or covered, otherwise the owl may break while trying to fly through them.

2. On the walls of the room you need to nail “perches” - “perches” covered with soft fabric. You can use iron or wooden sticks covered with carpet or artificial grass. You also need to provide bathing suits, because owls like to wash themselves regularly. For this purpose, use wide, shallow containers of water, such as high-sided cat litter boxes.

3. Owls should be fed with recently killed mice or chicks. The easiest way to buy mice in bulk is at the poultry market. You can also find day-old chicks there. Preliminary cutting of mice and chickens before feeding is not required.

Buying an owl

You can buy owls only in official nurseries in order to avoid fraud (after all, catching and keeping wild birds is prohibited by law). When receiving documents for a bird, you need to check that the document number matches the number that is stamped on the ring on the bird’s paw. After purchasing an owl, you need to show it to an ornithologist veterinarian (which is not available in all clinics) so that he can do the necessary tests and vaccinations.

Here we will focus on birds of prey.
Mostly they keep owls. It is very difficult to pass by this cute fluffy creature with huge eyes. People buy owls at the infamous “Bird Market” or bring owls from the forest, believing that they are “lost”, “fell out of the nest”. We can talk endlessly about the Bird Market. Sellers obsessed with the thirst for profit recklessly lie to customers in the hope of profitable sale. Naturally. After all, few people would want to keep a bird at home, which does a lot of shit, screams at night and eats exclusively mice. Moreover, it has all the “charms” of a wild animal - as a rule, sellers assure that owls are raised in nurseries, but in reality, all the birds were caught by poachers. So people buy a pet literally “filled” with helminths and various infections. And in birds, most diseases are asymptomatic and rapid - just yesterday the bird ate well and was active, and today it lies at the bottom of the cage.

Photo 1. Great owl

Therefore, before getting an owl, think carefully, weigh your possibilities - do they coincide with your desires?
So - owls. The owl is a nocturnal predator. This already says a lot - the main activity of the bird is in the late evening, at night and early in the morning. At this time, owls hunt in nature. So in captivity it will be the same - from evening to morning the owl will rattle and shout something (especially during the mating season) preventing you from resting. So it is best to have an owl for people who lead a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle. Now let's look at the concept of “predator”. It is clear that such a bird cannot be fed with cereals; predators feed on meat. But here too there is a difficulty - the owl’s digestion is designed in such a way that it needs to eat the entire carcass of a rodent or bird - with feathers, fur, bones. Accordingly, feeding chicken or beef is no longer necessary - get ready to purchase mice, day-old chicks, and quails. But they cost a lot and it’s a problem to get them in the right quantity.

Photo 2. Little owl

But let’s say that the night screams and the specific diet of owls do not frighten you and you still want to buy an owl. Then, first of all, you need to decide what kind of owl you can keep. The fact is that there are many different owls - from small owls (photo) to a huge eagle owl (photo). Medium-sized owls are the gray owl (photo) and the long-tailed owl (photo). But still, tawny owls are too big for an ordinary city apartment, they will need a lot of space to fly, and even if you have spacious rooms, the owl will still feather its feathers. Therefore, it is optimal to keep long-eared owls (photo), short-eared owls (photo), barn owls (photo) or the above-mentioned little owls.

Photo 3. Barn owl

Before purchasing an owl, arrange its apartment in a suitable manner. Yes, yes. Your own apartment, and not a cage in the apartment, because... Owls cannot be kept in cages. An owl will certainly break a feather on the bars, injure the cere (the soft place above the beak), and develop sores on its paws.

How to prepare a room for an owl.
First of all, you should remove all objects that the owl can knock over, tear, or stain. Owls love to play, so keep in mind that you will have to strictly monitor the location of your belongings, especially socks and documents. Leave it unattended - the owl will certainly pick up the “toy” and goodbye passport! The tulle on the windows needs to be replaced with thick curtains, because... An owl can easily get entangled in tulle and, while struggling, break its legs or wings, or simply die, hanging upside down for several hours. Large mirrors (windows too) should be removed or curtained, otherwise the owl may be seriously injured trying to fly through the glass.

Photo 4. Eagle owls

It is necessary to nail “perchages” to the walls - wooden or iron “sticks”, always upholstered with something soft - for example, artificial grass “astroturf” or, at worst, carpet. Also, think in advance about a place for bathing - owls love to wash themselves, for this they are provided with shallow, wide containers of water (cat litter trays with high sides are perfect).

So, the place is prepared. Now you need to think about food for the owl. As I already wrote above, owls must be fed with carcasses of rodents and birds, and freshly slaughtered ones. Of course, you can feed thawed carcasses, but “live” food must be present in the diet, because Frozen meat loses some essential microelements.

Photo 5. Long-eared owl

You can buy rodents at a pet store, but the prices there are steep and most often there is not the required quantity. After all, even a medium-sized long-eared owl eats at least two mice per day. So it’s better to buy mice in bulk at the Bird Market. You can also buy day-old chicks and quails there. Keep in mind that if mice and chickens can be given to an owl without preparing the carcass, then the quail must be opened and the entrails carefully removed and the head and legs cut off. The fact is that these birds often have various diseases that can be transmitted to your owl during a meal.

Photo 6. Long-eared owl chick

Do you still want to have an owl at home? Then about the purchase:
Owls must be purchased from official nurseries, making sure that upon purchase you receive all the documents for the owl and that the number on the document matches the number stamped on the ring (birds are ringed in nurseries). In this way, you will be insured against the seizure of birds (catching and keeping wild birds is prohibited by law), and besides, birds from nurseries are more tame and healthy. Although immediately after purchasing an owl, you must show the owl veterinarian, take the necessary tests, take an x-ray just in case. By the way, not every veterinary clinic has a veterinarian who understands birds. In Moscow, there is a veterinarian ornithologist at the Belyi Klyk clinic and at the Moscow Zoo; in the Moscow region, birds are accepted at the Cobra clinic, which is located in Krasnogorsk.

As a rule, in the nursery you will be offered a choice of the most common species - these are the long-eared owl, short-eared owl, tawny owl, long-tailed owl (there is also a great gray owl (photo), but it is too large for an apartment) and various owls. When choosing a type of owl, you must remember that even a small long-eared owl needs a lot of space (at least a room), so I strongly do not recommend purchasing long-tailed owls, bearded owls, and even less so an eagle owl. Small owls are no worse large species, they are just as sociable and playful, and they are not inferior in the beauty of their plumage. It is better to buy a very young owlet, he will get used to your hands faster, and like all babies, owls are very funny. Distinguish a chick from adult quite easily - the owlets are covered with delicate down, the older owlets are already beginning to acquire “adult” feathers, but their tails are noticeably shorter than those of adults, and in some places the down is still preserved. An owl must be transported in a closed, spacious box (a cat carrier is not best option, because the owl will see through the bars of the carrier, and accordingly, out of habit, it will get scared and begin to fight). You need to lay a soft diaper on the bottom of the box, and cut several very small holes in the walls of the box for air access. If an owl is purchased in winter, then the time spent outside should be limited as much as possible, otherwise there is a risk of catching a cold.

When you arrive home, do not scare the owl, let it look around. To do this, simply open the box and leave the bird alone for a while.
After a couple of hours, you can offer the owlet food and water. Sometimes the owls cannot yet tear apart the carcasses, so the carcass must be finely chopped. Place the water so that the owlet can clearly see it - when he turns his attention to the bathing suit, dangle your hand in the water, thus showing the presence of water in the container. Over time, the owlet himself will determine whether there is water, but while he is small and in an unusual environment, you should pay much more attention to him, without disturbing or frightening him - try not to pick him up, do not make excessively sudden movements, don't shout.

Always offer food from your hands - this way the owl will get used to you faster.
Closely monitor your pet's digestion and appearance. After each meal, the owl must discard the pellet. Poop is undigested bones, hair and feathers that birds regurgitate approximately 10 hours after feeding. If there is no clue, this is a reason to worry about your pet’s health. You should also inspect the pellets - there should be no blood on them, the pellets should not smell bad. Pay attention to the droppings - normal owl droppings are a white “puddle” with a small splash of dark, harder droppings. If the droppings become foul-smelling, yellow or brown, or become more liquid, contact your veterinarian.
The normal behavior of a healthy owl is very different from the behavior of a sick one. A sick bird loses its appetite, becomes apathetic, sits for hours with its eyes closed, squints, half covering its eyes with the lower eyelid, the feathers, especially under the tail, stick together and become dirty. All of the above are signs of the disease. Therefore, in such cases, the owl should be shown to a veterinarian as soon as possible. Diseases in birds progress rapidly; not a minute can be lost.

Yulia Mikhailina,
experienced owl owner

Lately it has become fashionable to keep different birds. As a rule, the matter is rarely limited budgies. They have long ceased to be exotic, so they rarely attract ordinary people. Therefore, it is becoming popular to have forest pets. Many people wonder whether an owl can live at home? The answer is yes. But this will require a lot of patience.

So what does it represent domestic owl? First of all, it is nighttime. Therefore, the main activity will occur precisely at this time of day. Therefore, if you prefer a diurnal lifestyle, you are better off getting another animal. Since at night an owl can look for something, rumble something and make noise in every possible way. This will obviously interfere with your sleep. The exception to the rule is having your own large house. Then the place for the birds can be equipped in a separate room.

Domestic owls are predators, so you only need to feed them meat. But there are also a number of difficulties with this. Due to their digestive characteristics, they need to eat fur, claws, and feathers. Therefore, ordinary pieces of beef and divided chicken carcass will not work. As a rule, experienced people feed owls with mice or day-old mice. This is an expensive feed and difficult to obtain. Keep in mind also that these are very voracious birds.

What kind of domestic owls are there and how to choose them? First, find official nurseries. Do not look for advertisements on the Internet on message boards, as you will only find poachers. This means that you will make a purchase of a sick bird. You can buy a small owl or a giant eagle owl. It is best to proceed from the size of the apartment. In a small room it will be difficult for the bird to fly, and it may hit the doorframe. Therefore, for keeping in standard apartments it is better to choose owls or barn owls.

Domestic owls are not so easy to keep. They should never be kept in a cage. Even the largest enclosure will result in wing injuries. Therefore for

It is best to use a separate room for keeping these birds. The windows should be covered with dark curtains, and it is better to remove carpets from the floor. You need to take out all the mirrors, as the owl can break it and get hurt. It is important to make several perches, that is, perches. They need to be covered with fabric. You also need to build special bathing suits. You can use wide bowls for this.

Despite the fact that domestic owls are difficult birds to keep, they are very interesting pets. Therefore, think carefully before purchasing a chick. Will you be able to buy him special food and give him a separate room? If yes, then feel free to get this bird, despite the possible difficulties. Of course, don't forget about regular visits to the veterinarian.