What is the best owl to keep at home. Many-faced owl: symbols, talismans, traditions

Before you start looking for an owl and arranging a home for it, think about whether you can keep this animal. Such a pet is contraindicated for sensitive persons, because an owl is, and it should be fed with meat. But not either beef purchased at the nearest supermarket, but real game - fresh rodents or. It is advisable not to butcher them before feeding, but to provide the bird with the opportunity to cope with this task on its own. An owl is not the most accurate eater, and you have to regularly remove the remains of her lunch from the floor and walls, otherwise they will start to emit an unpleasant one.

An owl is not the cutest pet to handle. You are unlikely to get as much warmth and return from her as from a dog or cat. The bird will not be able to cuddle or fall asleep with her in an embrace. Moreover, if you have or a decorative dog, they can suffer from the clawed paws and sharp beak of a predator. The pleasure of keeping an owl lies in watching this strong and intelligent animal.

Owls live for a long time, on average - from twenty to fifty years. Before you get an owl, consider whether you are ready to spend several decades with it, or even your whole life.

Where to get an owl

In captivity, it is better to keep medium-sized owls. These are the Short-eared Owl, Long-eared Owl, Tawny Owl, Owl, Scops. The bird should be purchased from a nursery, and preferably as a chick, so that it gets used to you. Owls sold in bird markets are illegally taken from nature. They can be carriers of various diseases and have no desire to come into contact with a person.

How to furnish a house for an owl

A large open-air aviary would be ideal for keeping an owl, but if you live in an apartment, you are unlikely to have the opportunity to build such a dwelling. Get ready for the fact that you will have to give one of the rooms to a new pet. Remove from the room all objects that the bird may be injured. Cover the windows with heavy curtains so that the owl does not smash against the glass in an attempt to fly away. Special wooden or metal branches should be attached to the walls, which will replace the branches of a real tree. Owls love to swim, so you should put a large comfortable basin of water in the room. At the same time, they splash everything around, so take care in advance not to spoil the furniture. Install a drinker that will always have fresh water. The room is now ready for a new tenant to move in.

And animals. Of the birds of prey in homes, the most common 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 got lost. It is impossible to look at small fluffy 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 are caught by poachers, and not grown 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. That's why domestic owls will behave accordingly, all night, shouting (most actively - during the mating season), rumbling something and preventing the owners from sleeping. It is best to start owls for people who are predominantly nocturnal.

Feed

Owls need to be fed meat. At the same time, the digestion of these birds is arranged in such a way that they need to eat the whole victim, with wool, feathers and bones. This means to feed domestic owls chopped beef or chicken is not allowed. As feed, you will have to purchase day-old chickens or mice. They are not cheap, and getting them in large quantities is quite problematic.

Owl selection

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 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 upholster feathers on the jambs and walls. Most the best choice for the apartment there will be marsh owls, long-eared owls, owls or barn owls.

Before buying an owl, you need to properly equip your apartment for it. It is an apartment, since these birds cannot be kept in cages, they beat feathers on rods, injure cere (soft spots above their beaks) or get namin on their paws. Content rules:

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

2. On the walls of the room you need to nail "perches" - covered soft cloth"perches". You can use iron or wooden sticks upholstered in carpet or artificial grass. You also need to put bathing suits, because owls like to bathe regularly. For this purpose, wide, shallow containers of water are used, for example, high-sided cat trays.

3. You need to feed owls with recently killed mice or chicks. Mice are easiest to buy in bulk at the "bird 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 buying 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.

The content of the article:

Many people prefer birds as pets. Usually parrots or canaries known to us since childhood live in the houses of feathered lovers, but what would be your surprise to see an owl in your friend's house. Yes, it is the owl, the one that lives in the woods, the one that many children are waiting for, that she will bring them the cherished letter from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Witchcraft, as the hero of the books by JK Rowling, the world-famous Harry Potter.

IN Lately keeping exotic animals in the house is a very popular and fashionable craft, and owls are no exception. These birds of extraordinary beauty will undoubtedly be able to bring not only into your home, but also into your everyday life as a whole, many new, hitherto unknown feelings and emotions. After all, an owl is not just a bird or animal, it is an elegant and majestic living creature that will not only be an original home pupil, but a symbol of the wisdom of your home and your life.

If you decide to acquire this delightful representative of the fauna as your friend, you need to get to know him better, having mastered the simple rules of communication with the scoop, she will be able to become a family member for you absolutely free of charge.

Origin of the owl

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

It is impossible to indicate the exact coordinates of the habitat of the natives of this large family, because each separate view honors his motherland absolutely different countries and even continents. It seems possible to meet an owl both on a tree, around the corner of your house, and in the countries of the South Birds of North America, as well as Africa and Australia, and a snowy owl can be seen at all 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, they all differ from each other in appearance, behavior and natural habitats. Your attention is presented to those owls that can be started as a pet.

spectacled owl

Pulsatrix perspicillata - this native of the owl family has a very original and beautiful appearance. The length of the delightful torso of the spectacled beauty is approximately 42-48 cm, body weight ranges from 450 to 700 grams in males, while females are about 200 grams heavier. The whole body of an owl is wrapped in thick silky feathers. The color differs in different parts of the body, usually the main tone is represented by a dark brown, almost black color, and the abdominal area casts a white, slightly yellowish tint. Also on the body of this bird you can see a few more decorations: there is a white spot on the neck, a transverse stripe of dark brown color on the chest.

This beauty most likely got her interesting name from the fact that her cute big yellow eyes surround the so-called white “glasses”. On the front of the head of small owls, you can see a black mask, usually their color changes with the achievement of puberty.

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

snowy owl

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

This is a fairly large owl. The length of the male is approximately 57–63 cm, female owls are much larger, their average body length is approximately 65–69 cm, respectively, the wingspan also varies depending on gender - females are about 160 cm, while males are 145 –155 cm. The weight of the body of the strong half of the owl 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 very small in size, but the feathers at its base carefully cover it, which makes the “face” of the owl not only beautiful, but also very pretty. visual organs medium size. On the paws you can see thick and long feathers that cover the greater half of the claw. The magical wings of this bird of prey are quite wide, but not very long.

Usually their natural colors are represented by the main white tone, on the surface of which an ornament formed by many elements flaunts. various shapes dyed dark brown.

A feature of this owl is that at different ages it "dresses" in a different outfit. They have an outfit 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, wide dark stripes are placed, and in the head area there are white spots of medium size. In males, the “clothing” is very similar, only less patterned.

The “costume” of the second year is a snow-white plumage with a small amount of dark inclusions in males; in the female, there is usually a well-defined brown pattern on the body, formed by elements of various 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 hue.

The native places of the white owl are the territories that the Arctic Ocean and the tundra wash with their waters. Geographical differences in body parameters or coloration are not observed.

long-eared owl

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

According to 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 by sex.

The body of this cute feathered one is covered with thick feathers. The coloration 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 tones of the strip are clearly visible, which are placed both longitudinally and transversely. On the cute face of an 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 bunches of feathers, the owl can control them, namely, lift them up or press them to the head. These "ears of feathers" have nothing to do with the auditory organ of the feathered one, except that they take part in the direction of 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, though quite rare, 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 get along quite peacefully in the same territory, moreover, they brought great benefits to each other. A person who sowed fields with various cereal crops would certainly encounter such pests for his possessions as mice, while owls hunted them. It turns out a double benefit and the bird is full, and people don’t have mice.

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

Great Gray Owl

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

The Great Gray Owl is a bird of relatively large size, 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 dark concentric stripes are placed.

The color of the plumage is represented by ash-gray shades, forming a complex pattern on the body of the bird, 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 that is located under the beak. In appearance, it is a bit like a beard.

Splyushka

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

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

Very entertaining in these mini-predators is the process of hunting. Late at night, a small owl sits comfortably on a branch of a tree and carefully looks out for its future food. As soon as the prey is in her field of vision, the splyushka immediately attacks her. There are also cases when a bird, as it were, plays with its food, like a cat with a mouse. This happens when an owl comes across a small flock of some beetles, with great passion she chases insects and captures them on the fly.

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

Before you run headlong to the pet store for your owl, take care of where she will live with you. Do not expect 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 it will injure its wings, 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 close the windows with thick curtains, since your friend, seeing freedom, will make attempts to fly through the window - and it hurts him, and you leave everything and take the bird to the veterinarian.
You should not leave a tulle in front of an owl, in it it can also get tangled with its claws and get hurt.

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, then 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 the paw, your exotic pupil can destroy all this.

Be sure to organize a pool for your pet, something, and owls love to swim very much. Not very deep is best, as they definitely won’t dive, but a fairly wide water tank.

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

Acquisition and price of an owl

It is highly discouraged to buy your pet in ordinary bird markets, no matter how 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 exotic species, have increased work.

Prices at bird markets, of course, are much more pleasant than in nurseries, but in this way you are unlikely to be able to save money. Usually, in individuals native to the wild, the body is inhabited by many helminths and other pathogenic bacilli, since almost all diseases in birds occur without obvious clinical signs, you will not have time to blink an eye, as your newly made friend already lies 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 legal grounds They will take away your friend and write out a considerable fine.

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

Prices for owls vary depending on one or another species, on average, the price for one individual of a long-eared owl is from 8,000 to 11,000 rubles, for a snowy 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:

How to feed an owl at home if the predator has become a pet? You should think about this before the owlet managed to settle in a city apartment.

What to feed an owl at home?

The process of giving food bird of prey- an occupation that requires strong nerves and iron endurance. It is strictly forbidden to feed the bird with meat or pieces passed through a meat grinder.

This is explained by the special structure of the digestive system. In its natural habitat, the bird eats its prey whole. That is why it is important that even when kept at home, the bird receives wool, feathers, blood, bones and meat. Only in this case can we hope for a long and healthy life feathered predator.

No substitutes can provide the bird with the full functioning of digestion and, as a result, good health.

Why clean meat is bad for an owl

Bones, wool and feathers are indigestible components, but they ensure the full functioning of the predator's digestive tract. After entering the stomach, they form special dense lumps (pellets), which the bird later regurgitates. If you give the bird fully prepared meat, that is, devoid of bones and feathers, then no pellets are formed. As a result, there is a violation of the digestive process, which affects the peristalsis of the entire gastrointestinal tract of the predator.

In addition to the bones and skins necessary for an owl, a predator also receives the necessary vitamins and microminerals from small animals. Bacteria that fill the intestines of the victim produce the necessary components in large quantities. That is why you need to feed the bird with ungutted carcasses.

So, what to feed an owl? Suitable here:

Live mice

day old chicks

small birds.

Some owls do not refuse fish and frogs, as well as beetles. But this type of food should not act as the main one.

Real owls (Strigidae) belong to the family of birds of prey and the order of owls. Bright representatives of owls are eared owls, scops and owls, as well as owls. They are among the most ancient birds living on our planet.

Briefly about owls in nature

According to many domestic and foreign ornithologists, the presence of owls in the northern part of America was noted tens of millions of years ago. In nature, owls are of no small importance. Such predatory birds do not allow the population of rodents to increase, which can cause very serious damage to forestry and agriculture.

Birds of this order can be found almost everywhere, including deserts, steppes, mountain slopes, sea coasts, forest areas and settlements. Different types differ in their sizes. The smallest owl is pygmy owl length 17-20cm and weight 50-80g. The largest representative of owls is the eagle owl, which in adulthood has a body length of 60-70 cm and a weight of 2-4 kg.

This is interesting! The average life span of owls in natural conditions is about ten years, but in captivity such a bird lives for about forty years, and sometimes a little more.

Owls are able to absolutely freely turn their heads 180-270 degrees, and since such a predator must be able to track down prey, the owl's eyes are located not on the sides of the head, but in front. The paws of an owl of any kind are strong and very grasping, with sharp and curved claws that allow you to grab and hold prey.

The flight of this feathered predator is almost silent, due to the special structure of the feathers. The flight speed of an owl can reach 80 km/h. About seventeen species of owls settle on the territory of our country, a small part of which lives exclusively in open areas.

Owl as a pet

It became very fashionable to have a pet as a pet after the movie "Harry Potter" was released. The Hedwig Owl has become popular and recognizable, so the prices for an exotic predatory pet have risen overnight. In fairness, it should be noted that many breeders have not been able to cope with the content of such a feathered pet, due to the difficulty of getting used to a predator home conditions.

Important! Keeping an owl at home is almost around the clock constant and hard work with a pet, as well as minor abrasions and fairly deep scratches received from the claws of a predator, even when he is in a good mood.

As practice shows, the presence of such a bird at home completely excludes the purchase of expensive furniture and exclusive interior items, since they will be hopelessly damaged in a short time. An owl is a free bird and requires a certain free space, so such a predatory pet is not at all suitable for small apartments.

Combined keeping of poultry is practiced, in which for some time the pet sits in a cage, and for some time it is released to fly in a specially equipped room.

A domestic owl is not able to just sit quietly on a perch in splendid isolation. Without attention from its owner, such a pet will scream loudly and for a long time.

Requirements for a cage or containment room

In order for the bird to feel comfortable at home, it is necessary to allocate to it, albeit a small, but separate room for regular flights. Windows in such a room must necessarily be curtained with sufficiently thick curtains, and the window must be tightened with a strong and reliable mesh. It is recommended to fix special perches on the walls, represented by wooden or iron "boughs", upholstered with a thick layer of artificial grass or carpet. Care should also be taken to create an artificial "hollow" in the form of an old and empty wooden bedside table.

Cage content is more suitable for not too large species of owl, and for large varieties, it is advisable to install an aviary made of steel bars. To reduce the likelihood of diseases caused by a lack of sunlight, the aviary should have both a darkened and a part illuminated by the rays of the sun. But, the best option keeping a bird of prey is an aviary installed in the fresh air.

Diet than to feed a domestic owl

Absolutely any species of owls use exclusively animal food for food, represented by worms, large insects, snakes, fish and lizards. Some species prefer to eat rodents and small birds. It is important to remember that owls never eat carrion and are even ready to starve in order to end up with a complete protein food. On average, one domestic owl can eat a couple of mice per day. Once a week, it is advisable to arrange a fasting day for a bird of prey, which will prevent the development of obesity.

It is advisable to purchase a separate freezer for food storage. Among other things, the owner of an owl must be prepared for the fact that in the process of eating food, such a pet, with the help of claws and beak, mercilessly tears the food, so the insides of the prey scatter around. Experienced owl experts recommend gutting game and rodents on their own before feeding them. house owl. It is necessary to give the bird meat along with bones, feathers or wool, from which the predator partially absorbs calcium and other microelements vital for the owl. Undigested leftovers are regurgitated in the form of a lump, called a pellet.

This is interesting! Owls imported from tropical countries are happy to eat fruits, various vegetation and berries, and some species are able to do without water for several months, and quench their thirst only with the blood of their prey.

Care and hygiene

Owls, regardless of species, shed annually, so the owner of such a pet must be prepared to rake out numerous feathers and owl down in large quantities. Cage maintenance involves daily replacement of water in the drinking bowl and weekly treatment of the dwelling, feeders and all accessories with non-toxic disinfectants.

Important! A domestic owl, as a rule, loves to swim, therefore, for such a feathered pet to take baths, certain conditions must be created. It is best to use a large and stable basin filled with clean water at room temperature for these purposes.

Diseases and prevention

Unfortunately, today few veterinarians are well versed in owl diseases and are able to help with recommendations for the treatment of diseases. As a rule, experienced owl owners recommend focusing on determining the health status of a feathered pet on appearance bird droppings, which should resemble a white puddle with dark and hard patches.

Foul-smelling, green or greenish-brown litter may be a cause for concern and a visit to the veterinarian. Among other things, you should observe the behavior of the bird. An unhealthy predator often has a complete lack or a sharp decrease in appetite, as well as lethargy and loss of coordination.