What does it mean when an owl lives at home. Are there domestic owls? Why clean meat is bad for an owl

Today it is fashionable to house wild and exotic animals. The birds did not go unnoticed. So, the concept of "domestic owls" is already becoming familiar. But in fact, before you start any animal, you need to think very carefully whether you can provide the necessary conditions for it, whether your living space is suitable for it. And if in the case of our traditional companions, cats and dogs, we have an idea of the needs of the animal, its characteristics, food habits, then, acquiring a bird of prey, few people know what it will have to face in reality.

Feathered beauties

Domestic owls are not parrots or canaries that feed on grass seeds and can safely spend their entire life in a cage. Owls need space and movement, in addition, they are active at night. Would you like the fact that at night a fluffy "ghost" rushes around the apartment, hooting and clattering with something? Perhaps, if you yourself are nocturnal, then such a neighborhood will be to your liking.

In fact, it is simply impossible to look at feathered creatures with huge eyes without affection. Sellers take advantage of the charm of these birds and praise their character, habits, restrained disposition, in order to just get the goods off their hands. There is no need to succumb to persuasion, it is better to think and weigh it again, as well as get more reliable information. Today, domestic owls are sold at the poultry market, and some bring fledglings from the forest and raise them as pets.

Specialized nurseries

Home content

This activity is far from easy. If you do not have a separate room that can be given away for an aviary, then forget about this idea. Domestic owls are a marketing name, in fact, a predatory nocturnal is hiding behind it, absolutely not social bird... A person cannot live in the same room with an owl. Very pungent and odorous droppings make themselves felt even with regular and very thorough cleaning.

Feeding is a separate topic, we will look at it in more detail a little later. An owl can stay in a cage only for a short period, at night the bird will fight and demand freedom. A small aviary is suitable only for the smallest breeds, and even then, in flight, they constantly knock feathers against the lattice. If you have an average city apartment, then these pets are not for you.

This also applies if the owners are ready to give the pet an empty room. Sleeping in the next room will also be difficult, at night and early in the morning the owl makes sharp and very unpleasant sounds - either a cry or a whistle. Modern houses provide good audibility, so the neighbors will not sleep either. Keeping an owl at home is complicated by the lack of proper veterinary care. City experts do not know how to help the feathered creature, and as a result, you can lose the bird, which will be left without proper treatment.

Owl selection

We have already said that there are a great many owls. Not everyone can get along in an apartment because of their size. If the nocturnal lifestyle and type of food does not scare the future owner, then the type must be chosen very carefully. A domestic owl should be very small so that it can fly around without damaging its wings and household items. For example, a snowy owl has a huge wingspan, this is, firstly, and secondly, it will need to eat at least four animals per day. Rodents, rabbits, ducks or chickens will do. Huge owls are also not a choice, even medium owls require more space than a spacious apartment can provide. Therefore, if you are firmly convinced that you will be happy with such a pet as a domestic owl, then choose an owl or a barn owl. You can agree on a short-eared or long-eared owl.

Once again, we draw your attention to the fact that a domestic owl is a rather sloppy and noisy creature. Over time, you may begin to consider her a pet as your home, but she will forever remain a forest and free dweller, with her own habits and instincts.

Owl living room equipment

Owls as pets became known after the release of the Harry Potter story. The famous white owl-postman won the hearts of many people. Unfortunately, things are not as cloudless as shown in the film. It is impossible to keep a bird in a cage, like a parrot, it can only serve as a temporary shelter for the time of transfer. Owls knock feathers on rods, wound waxes above the beak, get namina on their paws.

From the room where the owl will live, you need to remove everything that the bird can tear, stain or knock over. The domestic owl (the photo does not reflect all the beauty of these luxurious birds) loves to play, so valuables should be removed away. To slightly change the schedule of the activity of your capricious pet, the windows should be curtained with blackout curtains, be sure to remove the tulle, as the owl will get tangled in it with its claws and may get injured. Large glasses and mirrors should be removed or covered because the bird will break when trying to fly through them.

On the camps of the room, there should be perches, perches or shelves on which the bird will rest. It is advisable to cover them with soft cloth or artificial grass. Make one perch wider with a feeder. Find a place to put your swimwear. Owls are very fond of taking baths, so the water will have to be changed quite often. Wide and shallow containers, such as high-rimmed cat litter boxes, work very well. Bird hygiene is very important, get ready to regularly clean the room where your feathered friend lives. The smell of this bird's droppings is very strong, but do not use chlorine-based chemicals or artificial flavors when cleaning.

How to feed domestic owls

Feeding a bird of prey is not for the faint of heart. You cannot constantly give her raw minced meat or chopped meat. Its digestive system is designed in such a way that it must digest wool and feathers, meat, blood and bones entirely. This is the right food you need to provide for your pet. No other surrogate will provide normal well-being and healthy digestion. Why is clean meat bad for poultry health? Indigestible residues are essential for the proper functioning of the digestive tract. Of these, dense lumps are formed in the glandular stomach - pellets. As it forms, the bird regurgitates them. If the bird is fed with completely digestible food, then pellets are not formed, which means that digestion is disturbed, which affects the peristalsis of the entire intestine.

In addition to essential indigestible components, carcasses of small animals contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Bacteria living in the intestines of small rodents synthesize these essential trace elements in huge quantities. They also participate in the formation of the normal microflora of birds. This is also why it is necessary to feed the owl with whole, un-gutted carcasses. Not only is this an unpleasant sight, but also owls do not suffer from neatness. Now you know what domestic owls are biting, and you can make a conclusion in advance how this bird is suitable for you.

The main inconveniences of a domestic owl

First of all, this is a toilet. The pungent, heavy-smelling droppings released by the bird fly up to 2 meters. Very soon, the whole room will resemble a chicken coop. And not only in appearance, but also in smell. The remains of rodent and bird carcasses also smell and look bad enough. What domestic owls eat will have to be purchased in advance, at the poultry market. Only here you can buy forage mice and chickens in sufficient quantities and for a reasonable price. Do not feed an owl with hamsters from a pet store. If you are recruiting rodents for future use, you will have to take care of their maintenance. In an ordinary aquarium, they will live peacefully until they are eaten. You can hammer them in and put them in the freezer. As an option for express feeding, raw minced meat is used, into which the dog's hair is cut, the eggshell is crumbled.

Finally, another compelling argument. A bird of prey is poorly tamed, even raised from a chick, an owl will remain semi-wild. She will take food from her hands, but if she feels danger, she is always ready to use her beak and claws. There are exceptions, some specimens turn out to be very friendly and reasonably smart, but they are not so common. If you decide to get yourself a feathered pet, then look for specialized nurseries, where the chicks have several generations behind them that have lived in captivity, next to a person.

Diseases and treatment

Vaccinations

For both poultry (chickens, ducks) and forest birds, there is a special vaccination system that can protect them from a number of diseases. Usually, a specialist, in parallel with the vaccine, prescribes a course of vitamin and mineral feeding, because life in captivity severely limits the predator. If you are planning to buy a pair and breed, your veterinarian will advise you on how to equip the nest and care for the little owls.

Games and caresses

Feathered raptors rarely become completely tame. Raised in captivity, they are not afraid of humans, but they also do not let them get very close, flapping their huge eyes and clicking their beaks. But for an appetizing mouse, they will fly with pleasure, and then retire to eat. You should not allow the child to go to the owls alone. They can perceive any caress as a danger and severely injure with their beak. These are all domestic owls. Reviews of former and current owners agree that these are very specific birds, suitable only for true lovers of feathered predators, who also have a suitable room. It is better not to take such pets into the apartment.

Let's summarize

Domestic owls can be called only very conditionally. These are wild forest birds, which are much better in the wild. Think very carefully before making such a purchase. It is quite possible that you are better off buying a parrot or canary that eats seeds and sings beautifully than a large predatory owl with a hooked beak and huge eyes. This bird is difficult to keep and is suitable only for large nurseries, where there are all the necessary conditions.

Pet lovers aren't always limited to commonplace cats, dogs or fish, and often opt for more exotic fauna. These include snakes, crocodiles, spiders and even owls - birds that are familiar to everyone from biology lessons and the Harry Potter films. At first glance, it seems that caring for a feathered friend is no more difficult than for an ordinary parrot, but in reality people who decide to take such a step face a lot of difficulties. Can an owl be kept at home and what do you need to know for those who want to get such a pet?

Owls are birds of prey that belong to the family of owls and are found primarily in Europe, Asia and North America. They have thick feathers of light, gray and brown shades, but some members of the family are completely white. In nature, these birds play an important role - they destroy small rodents, which cause serious harm to plants and humans.

All owls have similar structural features of the body and head, but differ from each other in size and wingspan. Their head is large, with lush plumage, and their face looks like a large disk formed by spherical plumage. Feature birds have large eyes that allow them to hunt at any time of the day or night. Owls also have ears, but in their structure they differ from the hearing aid of mammals - they do not have an external shell and are located asymmetrically, due to which the birds can hear perfectly. To hunt small birds and rodents, owls use strong paws with sharp claws, with which they instantly grab and kill prey.

Eagle owl is the largest member of the family of owls

The largest owls are owls, eagle owls and white owls - their wingspan is 1.2-1.5 m. Keeping such birds in an apartment is extremely dangerous due to their large size - in captivity they most often live in zoos. Small representatives of the family are more suitable for home keeping - long-eared owl, passerine and house owl, scops owl.

Table. Varieties of owls

Variety of owls	Peculiarities	Photo
	Outwardly, a long-eared owl resembles an owl, but much smaller - the size is 37-39 cm. On its head it has small tufts of feathers that surround the auricles and improve hearing. This species of birds is the least aggressive towards its relatives, and has a rather friendly disposition.
	A miniature representative of the family of owls - the body length is 20 cm, the wingspan is 40 cm, and the weight is 60-80 g. It lives practically throughout the entire European continent and is most often used as a pet. It feeds mainly on small insects
	The body length of the house owl is 25 cm, weight - about 170 g. Habitat - southern and central part of the European continent, North Africa and Asia. It preys on insects, small rodents and lizards
	A miniature variety of owls, body length is 14-20 cm, weight ranges from 55-135 g. Scops owls have grayish-brown plumage and large eyes with yellow or orange irises

Interesting fact! Owls are able to freely turn their heads 180-270 degrees, which allowed them to earn a reputation as one of the best hunters of the animal world, so it will not be possible to get close to the bird unnoticed - it sees everything and always. This feature is explained by the special arrangement of the carotid arteries, which have bridges and branches of small vessels, which prevents constriction and deterioration of blood circulation.

Video - Types of owls

Should I have an owl in my apartment?

An owl is a difficult pet to keep, so before you start this cute fluffy creature, you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons.

Advice! Owls have very powerful, sharp claws, and it will be difficult to do without scratches and small wounds even if the pet is in a good mood. For this reason, all household members should pay special attention to the choice of clothing - it is better to cover arms and shoulders with dense material that the bird cannot penetrate.

Where to buy an owl

If the future owner of an owl is not afraid of the difficulties associated with maintenance, you can proceed to buying an owl, but acquiring a bird of prey is more difficult than a dog or cat. It is strongly discouraged to buy pets in spontaneous markets - even if sellers claim that the bird was raised in a nursery, most likely, it was caught by poachers. It is impossible to keep such an animal in an apartment, as it can be a carrier of various infectious diseases. In addition, owls bought "from hand" often turn out to be sick and die immediately after they get to new owners.

Another problem is that catching and keeping wild birds in Russia is prohibited by law, and an owl for which there are no relevant documents can be seized and the owner fined.

You need to purchase domestic owls in special nurseries, where all the documents will be drawn up for the buyer. The cost of a bird may vary, but is approximately 8-60 thousand rubles, depending on the species. When buying an owl, you need to make sure that the number engraved on the ring (in the nurseries of all birds they ring in mandatory), coincided with the numbers indicated in the documents.

The birds sold in nurseries are more tame and healthy than wild birds, but it is still better to show a purchased individual to a veterinarian-ornithologist and get tested. You need to transport an owl in a closed box or box - a cat carrier or an ordinary cage will not work for these purposes, since the pet will begin to beat and twigs and can seriously harm itself.

Attention! Wild owls can carry a variety of zoonotic diseases, including psittacosis, salmonellosis, trichomoniasis, chlamydia, and many other infections. Accordingly, keeping an owl raised in the wild can be extremely hazardous to the health of all family members. You can read more about salmonellosis in.

Conditions for a domestic owl

Owls need space and freedom, so it is impossible to keep such birds in cages, otherwise they will get sick, injure themselves and quickly die. The best option is to allocate a whole room for the pet, which should be properly prepared. The window should be closed with blackout curtains, otherwise the owl will see freedom and try to fly out the window. Only small individuals can be kept in spacious cages, regularly releasing them to fly.

It is recommended to remove all fragile, fragile and valuable things from the premises, as sooner or later they will be destroyed. Several sticks should be nailed to the walls, which will serve as a resting place for the bird. Owls love to swim, so it is recommended to place a shallow but wide enough container of water indoors.

Attention! The owl can see well in the distance, but these birds have serious problems with near vision. There are often cases when birds on the fly crashed into walls and were seriously injured, so the owner will need to make sure that the pet does not crash.

How to feed a domestic owl

In natural conditions, owls eat small insects, rodents, fish and amphibians, sometimes plant food. The best option for these birds is mice, rats, rabbits and chickens (depending on the size of the pet), about two individuals per week. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the age and characteristics of the pet - adult owls who know how to hunt can be offered live rodents, and it is better to feed young ones with carcasses of just slaughtered animals, at least frozen.

Not all pet lovers are ready to watch the hunt and real murder that take place in their apartment, or to kill living creatures on their own, but it will be extremely difficult to find an alternative. The digestive system of owls is arranged in a special way - they swallow small animals whole, along with bones and hair. After food is digested, all inedible residues form into a dense lump, which the bird regurgitates. It is called a pellet and is an important part of owls' digestion, as it allows the inner lining of the stomach to renew itself. If you exclude this stage from the process of digesting food, all the work of the gastrointestinal tract will be disrupted.

In case of interruptions with live food, you can replace it with pieces of meat with bones, roll them in wool, feathers, crushed shrimp shells, with the addition of grated carrots and other vegetables. If an owl constantly lives in an apartment, you need to feed it low-fat food, otherwise there is a high probability of obesity and health problems. For birds with which they are engaged in training and education, the fat content of the feed does not matter.

One more important aspect is that owls often store food and eat rodent carcasses that are already thoroughly rotten. Birds that live in apartments also have this feature - they scatter uneaten food leftovers, and eat them up only after a few days. It is not worth fighting this habit, as it is important factor maintaining normal digestion and fermentation in owls.

Live insects are a useful supplement to the owl's diet

To diversify the food of a domestic owl and provide it with all the substances necessary for health, you can give it fruits, vegetables, berries, dairy products, as well as live insects. These include crickets, locusts, any cockroaches, mealworms, tobacco moth and wax moth larvae. Before giving insects to birds, they can be fed natural products to increase the nutritional value of live food.

Advice! You can collect insects for domestic owls on your own, but this should be done only in ecologically clean areas away from major highways. Do not feed birds with insects collected from plants treated with pesticides and other chemicals.

How to care for a home owl

On the first day after the purchase, you should not frighten the owl or immediately pick it up - the bird must get used to the new place. To do this, you need to open the box and leave the new pet alone to look around. You can offer the owl water and food in 1-2 hours - if it is still small and cannot tear the carcass with its claws, you need to cut the meat together with the bones.

Food can be offered to the bird from the hands, so that it quickly gets used to the new owner, but not make sudden movements or scream at the same time. In the room where the bird is located, there should always be a container with fresh water. In the future, it will be necessary to carefully monitor the state of the owl - the behavior of a sick pet is significantly different from that of a healthy one.

Diseases in owls develop rapidly - in the morning the bird can be cheerful and active, and after a few hours die from the disease. For this reason, you need to constantly keep the phone number of the veterinarian-ornithologist at hand, and when the first symptoms of the disease appear, immediately take the pet to the veterinarian.

Owls are funny and interesting, but extremely difficult to keep and care for birds, and as a pet are suitable only for those owners who are willing to spend time and money on them. Before buying an owl, you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons, so as not to turn the life of a bird and your own existence into real torment.

Video - How to keep an owl at home

It is difficult to pass by a beautiful and peculiar bird with big eyes. However, if you think that an owl is a poultry on a par with parrots, you are deeply mistaken. Having conceived to take such a beauty for maintenance, you need to carefully weigh all the pros and cons, because in this case, your life will change dramatically for at least fifteen years.

Should you start an owl at home?

Recently, it has become fashionable to have exotic animals at home. They are bought in special stores, ordered or brought from exotic countries. At the same time, among the exotic, and from this so desired pets, there are not only animals, but also birds. The latter are most often purchased at the poultry market or found in the forest.

To make the right decision, you need to understand the characteristics of the life and nature of the predator:

These birds are active at night;
They feed on live rodents;
During mating periods, birds make loud sounds similar to meowing;
They have a fairly large wingspan and fly fast and high.

In connection with the above behavioral features, before purchasing a predator, think about what you have to do when it appears in your home:

You definitely won't have to sleep at night. Because during activity, the pet will rattle with various objects, fly from place to place. Such a predator is suitable for those who are just like him is nocturnal... In this case, together you will not be bored;
Do not expect to feed your pet with purchased store-bought meat, as the peculiarity of the structure of its intestines is such that it can eat whole loot only, with fur or feathers. Therefore, you will have to look for food for your pet in pet stores or in the markets. These can be live mice or quail and chicken chicks;
At night, in addition to the noise, the bird will publish screaming harsh sounds, therefore, if you plan to keep it in an apartment, you will need to take care of sound insulation;
A pet cannot live without flying, and its flights will require a lot of space.

How to feed a domestic owl?

Features of the digestion of a bird of prey:

Absorb the victim entirely and only if the carcass is too large, they tear it into pieces;
Some time after eating, the predator regurgitates undigested residues.

In addition to meat, many owls eat:

Frogs;
Worms;
Insects.

Therefore, you will have to provide your pet with fresh small carcasses. These can be chickens, quail chicks or rodents. If it is not possible to offer them live to your pet, then you need to choose the freshest carcasses. An owl needs at least two of these a day.

This diet helps the bird maintain a healthy microflora and vitamin balance. Restricting such food will lead to intestinal problems and serious illness.

It is much easier in this regard to keep a pet in a private house than in an apartment. There you will have the opportunity to grow pet food yourself.

To check in a new guest, you should carefully prepare:

The owl will not be able to live in a cage and will quickly die. Therefore, if you do decide, remove all valuable things from open places. These birds are playful and love to rip and tear their toys;
Remove lightweight fabrics from the interior, especially tulle. During the flight, the feathered one can get entangled in it, catch on with its claws and even break its wings;
However, you cannot leave windows without curtains, as a bird can fly into the glass. The same goes for mirrors;
Place perches for the owl on the walls, where after the flight it could sit. It should not be just sticks, but wood covered with soft material, artificial grass or carpet;
Birds love to swim, so a bathtub should be specially equipped for them in the form of a container with water.

Remember that the bird will occupy your entire apartment or house. It is impossible to restrict her in movement, this will have a detrimental effect on health. If you are not ready for such sacrifices, you should leave this venture.

Where to get a predator?

By law, keeping wild animals at home is prohibited. Therefore, when purchasing a bird in the poultry market, you run the risk of:

Break the law and be punished;
To be left without a pet;
Buy sick chick.

When chicks are found in the forest, the risks are the same. The only official way to buy a bird is to buy it. in a specialized nursery... There the birds are ringed and special documents are made on them. Thus, you will protect yourself from fines and withdrawal of your pet.

It is important that owls from nurseries are already accustomed to people and behave much more calmly than wild ones.

As for health, after the bird is in your hands, you must immediately show it to a special veterinarian - an ornithologist. The fact is that many diseases in birds can go unnoticed, so you should pass all tests and do an x-ray.

Only after all the procedures can you bring your neighbor home and introduce him to your family.

Problems with domestic owls: reviews from the forums

Negative moments there are several in the maintenance of an owl at home:

It is impossible to teach her to defecate in one place. The droppings that she releases often enough smell very bad and fly widely;
Predators will not be able to neatly eat the carcasses of their prey; after eating, there will certainly be parts and masses that are not eaten, which the bird regurgitates after a meal;
Their predatory instincts are very tenacious and therefore owls are difficult to train;
After a sharp change in diet and familiar image life, a bird can become seriously ill, and there are few veterinarians specializing in these birds;
Pre-purchased carcasses for a pet also require space. They can be cut up in advance and stored in the freezer, or placed alive in an aquarium.

Thus, although a feathered one can be in your house, it is definitely impossible to say that an owl is "domestic" and suitable for keeping in these conditions. This feathered person is too freedom-loving in nature and it is unlikely that she will ever adapt to you. On the contrary, you will have to radically change your lifestyle.

In this video, Daria Ovsova will show her pet how it eats, tell about the features of its maintenance:

One of my acquaintances, who has a granddaughter Dasha, talking on the phone about how they are doing, besides Dasha, all the time mentioned some Masha. Audibility was poor, and I decided that she had another granddaughter. An acquaintance, a former Murmansk woman, has been living in central Russia for a long time, we see each other very rarely, we mostly call back.

Therefore, with the next mention of Dasha and Masha, I asked:

- How old is Masha already?

“I don’t know exactly,” my friend said, stunned by her answer, “they say age can be determined by the color of the feathers. Ours is still small, and the wingspan is somewhere about half a meter.

A granddaughter with feathers and wings ?!

- So this is a bird, or what?

- Well, yes, I told you right away, you need to listen carefully: we bought a little owl Mashka for Dasha.

Then there was a story about how Masha had already got everyone, how many feathers flew from her around the apartment, how she tore apart the furniture upholstery with her claws, how she had to buy live mice and chickens to feed. As Dasha is no longer allowed to communicate with Masha, and, in general, the moon-faced one will have to be returned back, and Dasha will be left with an uneaten chicken instead.

Neither cuddle nor pat

The desire to have this particular bird as a pet has recently become some kind of fashionable fad. Moreover, the source is called the Harry Potter saga. The devoted letter-monger, who brought letters to the school of wizards and took away the answers to them, attracted many. Children all over the world wanted to have a live snowy owl at home.

- Only not polar! - those who understand a lot about owls protest, and explain why.

The wingspan of this bird reaches one and a half meters or more. She cannot be kept in a cage, she must fly. She gravitates towards open spaces, hunts for rodents, as well as hedgehogs, hares, ermines, ducks, partridges.

Small animals are swallowed whole, large ones are torn to pieces and eaten. Wool and bones regurgitate in the form of small lumps. On a day, a snowy owl needs at least four rodents to get enough.

Well, how can all this happen in a single apartment ?!

In addition, owls are predators, remind connoisseurs. Therefore, such a bird can, during fun and play, unexpectedly attack without any warning. Owl maintenance - 24 hours of constant work and intense attention, plus small and deep scratches from its claws.

You will call your owl a pet, but it will never become a pet. You will never be able to hug her, cuddle and really stroke her. She will not let you do this, and if she does, she will scare her off the smell, which is simply awful. And wild screams at night ?!

Owls do not eat flowers at all ...

Forget about expensive furniture if you have an owl at home, experienced owls warn. Anything that can be scratched will be scratched by her claws. Pillows torn to shreds, stuffed toys, crumbled bedspreads, tablecloths and bed linen will become commonplace for you.

Is there an extra room?

I learned all these horror stories about attempts at domestication of owls on the Internet, where many are wondering where to buy an owl. In response, they first receive such a warning about the consequences of such a rash step, and then, for the most persistent, they give information about who can be kept at home.

These are the tawny owl, long-eared owl, short-eared owl, barn owls, owls and scops owls. If you buy an owl, then only in the nursery. The market usually sells wild-caught birds, which is illegal. On the paw of each owl from the nursery there is a ring with a number stamped on it, which must match the number indicated in the bird certificate. Better to buy a chick. He will quickly and easily get used to captivity.

The owl as a pet requires free space. In order for everything to be good, it is necessary ... to provide her with a room in which any possibility of accidents should be prevented. Eliminate any unwanted objects that the bird might collide with and injure.

The windows should be covered with thick curtains - in a light tulle, the bird will get entangled, and trying to fly through the glass, it can get hurt, the window must be tightened with a strong mesh. It is advisable to attach so-called perches to the walls in the form of wooden or iron "twigs" upholstered with some material - for example, artificial grass or, at worst, carpet.

Domestic owls love to swim, so it is necessary to create conditions for this by placing a large comfortable basin or another, depending on the size of the bird, capacity. High-sided cat litter trays work well.

Scops owls and little owls are the most popular among lovers of owls. These are small birds that can be kept in cages, according to some owl experts, while others insist on a separate room even for such small things as scops owls. In extreme cases, they propose to build a spacious aviary in the apartment.

The sparrow owl, aka sychik, has a body length of 15-19 centimeters, weighs 55-80 grams. The body size of the scops owl is 15-20 centimeters, and its weight is 60-130 grams. By the way, the scream of a scops owl is a sad melodic whistle "sleeping" or "sleeping-spit". Hence the name.

These baby owls look like toys, and very cute ones. Large heads, expressive round eyes, fluffy bodies. I just want to stroke, press to the chest, sweat, be amazed. Stops, however, the sight of a sharp hooked beak and strong non-toy claws.

I admired the scopes in one of the Murmansk pet stores. Sellers assure that they are willing to take owls. Three scops owls slept, sitting on a perch, and looked like three such fluffy sheaves.

A barn owl sat in another cage. This owl is about the size of a jackdaw. She sat motionless on one paw, the other, clasped in a fist, pressed to her chest. Eyes - half closed. However, through two narrow yellow crescent stripes, she watched what was happening around. And, judging by the way I slightly turned my head to the left and then to the right, echoing my movements, when I was spinning around the cage, trying to see the bird from all sides, I followed closely.

There are such birds, by the way, a lot: scops owls for 12 thousand rubles apiece, barn owl - 32.

Fly, owls, fly

In many tales and legends, owls act as advisers, discerning birds, messengers, bearers of unusual knowledge. The Slavs attributed the role of the keeper of underground wealth to the owl. Among the ancient Mayans, she was a symbol of power; her images are found on the bas-reliefs of rulers.

For a long time, the owl has been a symbol of wisdom and knowledge. Although if somewhere these birds personify prosperity, then somewhere they are considered unclean creatures, harbingers of misfortune and misfortune. But pragmatic scientists explain that owls have nothing to do with evil spirits, and the chilling night owl cries, for example, are nothing more than just marriage songs.

The statement that owls sleep during the day, because they cannot see in the sunlight, is a myth. They lead a nocturnal lifestyle to avoid competition with daytime predators. Owls can see perfectly during the day, scientists say, but at night they are guided by hearing, since their ear openings are arranged in a special way - asymmetric and surrounded by sensitive feathers.

But the "ears" on the head of some owls are not actually organs of hearing - they are just bunches of feathers.

Owls also do not shine with special wisdom. According to research by ornithologists, owls have an average level of intelligence among birds.

And owls are also devoted spouses. It is known that even birds wintering alone in the spring return to their native places to the old nest and the mating partner.

These are such interesting birds. Why keep them in captivity? Let them fly in the open air.

Galina Dvoretskaya
Murmanskiy Vestnik newspaper

It is becoming more and more fashionable and popular to keep exotic animals and birds at home. An owl in an apartment or at home - you will not surprise anyone with this, today such cases are found everywhere. Can a wild bird be tamed? If so, how can you name an owl?

Is it possible to have an owl at home?

Owls are wild birds that are predominantly nocturnal, hunting rodents and insects. Why tame such an animal, can you be sure of its loyalty to its owners?

Today the market is replete with offers to purchase a domestic owl, for this there is no point in going into the forest in search of a pet. Owls bred specifically for home living are fashionable, popular and unusual. However, such birds also require increased attention, adherence to special conditions of feeding and life.

You can get an owl at home, today demand creates supply, so this issue is not considered illegal. The main thing to remember is that a person takes responsibility for any animal that tames, and an owl is not easy.

How to care for an owl at home?

In order for the bird to feel comfortable, not sick and not feel a lack of space and food, you will have to try hard. The predator needs a fairly spacious aviary in which she can move around calmly. It is best to provide her with a separate room where she can fly.

The owl is not adapted to permanent sitting in a cage, it needs the opportunity to stretch out. At the same time, the bird shits a lot. The digestion process is fine, so the owl defecates up to 15 times a day. It does not matter what you call an owl, it is important to take proper care of it, to maintain the conditions necessary for a comfortable life.

Feeding is a separate topic for discussion. Despite the fact that owls eat the meat of small rodents, feeding them pork, beef or chicken is contraindicated. Due to improper nutrition, the bird is sick. The main diet of owls is rats, hamsters, quails, insects, even rabbits. In the wild, the owl swallows the victim whole, along with hair and bones. At home, you will have to provide the same diet, but the owner will most likely have to kill small animals on his own. Birds raised specifically for the home do not have the skills to hunt and kill.

Despite the funny appearance, as well as the chosen funny name (if the question of how to name the owl has already been resolved), this bird has a very difficult character. With its beak and claws, it can cause serious damage not only to the owners, but also to the interior.

Where can I get a home owl?

An owl is an exotic animal. To purchase a bird, you need to contact a special nursery. You can not buy an owl without hands correct documents, this can incur heavy fines on the owner under Russian law. An owl raised in a nursery has a personal number, which will be indicated in all its documents. It is better to buy an owl at a young age, this will allow her to get used to both a new home and a new owner.

What should you call an owl?

Choosing a name for a feathered pet is an interesting and difficult question. If for cats and dogs nicknames seem obvious, then for a forest predator you want to choose a special name. What should you call an owl? There are a lot of options, but we have selected the cutest and most cozy names that, perhaps, will endow the obstinate pet with a more loyal character.

Based on the characteristics of behavior, how to call an owl a girl? Splyusha, Glazena, Buklya (for fans of the famous work about wizards), Mouse, Sonya. By and large, ordinary human names are also suitable if they are associated with a new inhabitant.

How to name a boy's owl? Splyush, Prosha, Fluff (if the plumage meets this definition), Filya. Looking at the color of the feathers, you can pick up names such as Blackie or Snowball.

In choosing a name, it is best to rely on your own opinion, because it is you who will communicate with the big-eyed pet in the future. Euphony and good associations are great helpers in deciding what to call an owl. The name is as important to a bird as it is to a person. The owl is a graceful bird, although it has rather amusing manners. Approach the choice of a nickname creatively, do not discard your imagination and you will surely find a suitable combination.