Do Owls Make Good Pets?

Owls are becoming increasingly popular pets, partially due to the different movies that have been coming out with pet owls. What people do not realize is that owls are not human-like, like the movies make them out to be. They do not talk and they are not the friendliest pet you could own. Owls typically do not make good pets, not because they are really mean but because people don’t expect the right things from owls. Owls are usually not active during the daylight hours, do not expect your owl to go everywhere with you, riding around on your shoulder.

If you have a pet owl that you take outdoors you will need to get the wings clipped. This is done so that the owl does not fly away. Otherwise, you might not see your owl again. If you keep your owl indoors, be careful of ceiling fans because they seem to attract birds in that direction. You will also want to make sure that you have a cage which is made for birds and it’s big enough to keep the owl inside of with plenty of roaming room. You will also need some perches and things to amuse your owl.

You will need to supply your owl with food and water on a daily basis. A lot of owls eat smaller prey such as mice, moles and other small rodents. You can purchase these at any local pet store. They will usually sell feeder mice which you can purchase for your pet owl. You can also buy bird cages from the pet store as well. You can look up different pet stores on line and see what the cages look like before you drive all around town looking for a cage that is well suited for an owl. Some owls are just too large to keep in any regular size bird cage.

Owls are incredibly smart, docile creatures which usually do not make good house pets. They have very sharp talons or claws and when they land on you, you might get sliced up a little bit. It’s a good idea to wear a thick pair of gloves when handling these birds and keep your pets and children away from the birds as well. I’m not saying that people cannot have a pet owl but there are a few problems associated with owning an owl. The first problem is that most states won’t allow you to keep a wild animal. It doesn’t even matter if the animal is orphaned. You can usually find some type of bird rehabilitation center near where you live that you can take the bird to in the instance. If you can have a wild animal you will probably need to get a permit to have the owl in your home.