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Many people
think it would be fun to have an owl for a pet, but
few people have any true comprehension of what is
involved in caring for one.
It is illegal to keep owls without
special permits in most countries. Some countries issue permits to
individuals to keep owls after necessary training and proper facilities have
been built. The United States does not allow
private individuals to keep native owls as pets--they may only be
possessed by trained, licensed individuals while being rehabilitated, as foster
parents in a rehabilitation facility, as part of a breeding program, for
educational purposes, or certain species may be used for falconry in some states
(although they rarely make good falconry birds.) Even in these instances,
the person licensed to keep the owl does not "own" the bird--the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service retains "stewardship" of the birds so that they may recall them
at any time if permit conditions are not being met.
Alice the Great Horned Owl is in a bit of an
interesting situation. She works at the Houston Nature Center, which is
staffed by a single individual. The facility isn't staffed seven days a
week, nor is there a secure location for her to stay overnight, so Alice lives
at the home of her handler, Karla (Kinstler) Bloem. Alice was injured so young
that she grew up thinking she's a person and considers Karla to be her mate.
As a result, she gets lonely and gives begging calls if housed in a pen
outdoors.
Through a series of baby steps, Alice
eventually moved into Karla's home. This involved all kinds of
modifications to make the situation safe and healthy for Alice. It also
allowed Alice to freely interact with Karla, and presented the unique
opportunity for Karla to conduct the first-ever vocal study on Great Horned
Owls. It has also given Karla a very unique perspective on why owls don't
make good pets. The following is a summary of Karla's experiences living
with an owl.
Top 10 Reasons
You Don't Want an Owl for a Pet
10. Taking a vacation or going on a
business trip is difficult. You can't just take the owl with you
(especially since in the United States permits are usually needed every time you
cross state lines.) It takes a trained person to take care of an owl, and
if you have a human-imprinted owl like Alice, they may be aggressive with anyone
else who comes to take care of them. Owls also like routine, so disruption
to the normal scheme of things is very stressful for them. Alice once lost
half a pound when Karla was away for nine days...and she only weighed four
pounds to begin with!
9. Owls can be very destructive.
They have a natural killing instinct that can be applied to blankets, pillows,
clothing, stuffed animals, and just about anything else that can be shredded.
Alice also has a habit of clearing everything off her perches, which means she
deliberately pushes and drops everything onto the floor from dressers or
anyplace else she wants to be. Talons are also really bad for woodwork.
They bring out the natural grain of the wood really well as they strip off the
finish.
8. Mating season involves a lot of
all-night racket. Remember, owls are active at night, so that's when
they'll be hooting and calling during mating season. Since she thinks
she's a human, Alice directs her hooting at Karla, and Karla is expected to hoot
with her. Alice can get quite crabby if Karla doesn't spend time hooting
with her several times a day (early morning and late evening) during this
time of year. If you have neighbors nearby, they won't be very happy about
the noise.
7. Owls don't like to be petted and
cuddled. Captive owls still retain their natural instincts, and
traditional "petting" doesn't fit into the owl scheme of things. Even
though Karla has lived with Alice for over 10 years, Alice still bites if Karla
tries to pet her on the back.
6. Owls
are high maintenance. They require daily feeding, cleaning, and
attention, especial human-imprinted owls like Alice. Owls that are capable
of flying need to be flown regularly, or housed in very large cages where they
can get adequate exercise.
5. Owls
are long-lived. A Great Horned Owl could live 30 or more years in
captivity if things go well. Small species could live 10 years.
Taking on the care of an owl is a long-term commitment.
4.
Beaks and talons are sharp. If an owl doesn't like what you're doing,
it's going to let you know. And you might wind up bleeding because of it.
It's also easy for an owl to scratch you even if they aren't trying if they step
up onto your gloved fist but stand off the side of the glove on your bare arm.
3. Owls
need specialized care. Most veterinarians don't have the necessary
training to properly care for owls, so you'd need to find a vet who's
comfortable working with an owl. And you as a caregiver need to know quite
a bit about owl health also, including what "normal" poop looks like, which very
subtle behaviors might indicate health problems, provide proper perching
surfaces, a healthy diet, appropriate housing, and regular talon and beak
maintenance. There is a LOT to know, which is why proper training is
normally required before permits are issued.
2.
Feathers, pellets, and poop! Owls molt thousands of feathers every
year, and they wind up everywhere (including the furnace filter in Karla's
house.) Owls throw up pellets of fur and bones wherever they happen to be
at the time. And poop happens. A lot. In addition to "regular"
poop (like most birds), owls also empty out the ceca at the end of their
intestines about once a day. This discharge is the consistency of
chocolate pudding, but smells as bad as the nastiest thing you can imagine.
And it stains something awful. Keeping owls involves non-stop cleaning.
1. FOOD. You can't just go down
to the local grocery store and buy Owl Chow. Owls are strict carnivores
and require diets of whole animals for proper health. For Alice, that
translates into her own chest freezer stocked with pocket gophers, rats,
rabbits, and mice. Each day Karla thaws an animal for her, removes the
organs Alice won't eat, and serves it up for Alice. Leftovers from the
previous day must be located and removed, as owls like to cache (or hide)
leftover food for later. If you're not prepared to thaw and cut up dead
animals every night of your life for 10 years or more, you aren't up for having
an owl.
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