Owl chick (photo). How to feed an owlet at home

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Very often today, an owl chick becomes a pet. Although, when making their choice, the future owner often does not even imagine how many difficulties await him.

Why is it an owl?

How is it that a seemingly adequate person suddenly decides to keep a bird of prey in the house? Yes, I just came across an article in someone's blog about what a smart and cool owl chick, the photo next to it was touching.

How could it be otherwise? Wow, he's so funny! He hatched his eyes, fluffed up in all directions - laughter, and nothing more! It is not in vain that an owl chick is compared with an aunt who wakes up in the morning after a good booze. The photo is clear proof of this.

And many still believe in the myth of the outstanding mind of owls and owls. In all cartoons, all the characters go to these birds for wise advice. And even in the intellectual battle “What? Where? When? as a prize, the winners are awarded a cup in the form of an owl. The symbol of wisdom is this amazing bird.

I would not want to deprive the hope of raising an extra-intelligent creature of someone who has already acquired a little owlet. But it will have to. In fact, the intelligence of an owl is much lower than that of a crow, raven, falcon, hawk. ATit's hard to believe, but even a heron is smarter! And snowy owl chicks are generally recognized as the most incapable of learning.

And yet the uniqueness of these birds distinguishes them from all birds. This is:

• ability to turn head 270 degrees;
• silence of flight.

All these qualities help predators during night hunting. But even the long-eared owl does not have so-called ears. Bunches of feathers stick out on the head of this charming bird, and not ears at all, as many believe.

Nature clock is a great power

When purchasing such an exotic pet, the future owner does not always take into account the fact that in his usual habitat this predator sleeps during the day and hunts at night. Or, perhaps, a naive person hopes that an owl chick, once in a human family, will adapt to the new regime?

In fact, everything is absolutely wrong. After all, this charming bird even has eyes arranged in an unusual way. A special layer of cells in the pupil reduces its sensitivity to daylight. Therefore, both the owl chick and the adult prefer to sit motionless in some secluded place during the day. It is unlikely that it will be possible to force a nocturnal predator to stay awake during the day. And if you really annoy an owl, then a frightened bird can fly up and stumble upon a wall, door, furniture. And this is fraught with injuries.

But at night, the owl chick will rustle, shout, try to fly and make itself felt in a different way. In nature, at this time, the predator goes hunting. Well, what can you do? Hunting instinct, and you can not argue with him.

Selection of a pet based on its size

A bird of prey cannot stay in a cage all the time. She just needs to fly around the room a little. Therefore, when choosing a pet, the future owner must measure the volume of his home, which he is going to share with the bird, and the size of the owl in adulthood.

It should be borne in mind that owls and owls grow quite large. Trying to fly around a city apartment, these birds will simply beat a feather against walls and furniture.

Therefore, the best solution would be to get smaller representatives of this family - barn owls or owls. The Long-eared Owl chick also does pretty well in city apartments.

Organization of space in the room where the owl lives

It should be understood that it is almost impossible to accustom a bird to accuracy. Therefore, when starting an owl in the house, it is better to hide all the objects that the bird can spoil, drag, tear, overturn, break. The location of documents should be taken especially seriously - owls simply love to drag them to a secluded corner and enjoy it there, tearing their passport or marriage certificate into pieces with gusto.

Experts advise removing tulle curtains from windows. Owls easily get entangled in them, start to beat and break their wings and paws. And when the bird just gets tired of fighting for its life, hanging upside down for several hours, it will inevitably die.

Windows and mirrors must be hung. The bird, despite all the stories about its outstanding intelligence, does not understanddifference between open space and closed space. Therefore, there is a possibility that the owl will fly into a mirror or window and begin to fight, getting injured.

It is recommended to fill the walls with special "perches" that will imitate branches. These fixtures are made of wood and covered with either artificial grass or carpet.

Owls love to take a bath. Therefore, it is necessary to arrange baths for them - wide, but shallow containers of water.

Diet of a captive owlet

It's good if the future owner of an exotic pet asked in advance what the little predator prefers for lunch. It happens worse when the owner finds out how to feed the owlet only after he brings it to his house. After all, the diet of these birds consists of mice and small birds. Moreover, the digestive system of these predators is arranged in an interesting way. A long-eared owl chick, for example, should eat a whole bird or mouse, with bones, fur, feathers. Therefore, it will not be possible to feed her with chicken meat or minced meat, pork tenderloin or beef chops. And as for cereals and vegetables, both boiled and raw, it’s better not to start talking at all.

To solve the problem of what to feed the owlet, the owner will urgently need to run to the pet store or to the bird market for mice, chickens or quails. Here he may be unpleasantly surprised by the prices of these rodents. Yes, they cost not even a penny at all.

How to feed a baby owl?

In the early days, not yet found a place where you canbuy mice and chickens in the right amount, you can replace live food with chicken hearts. The meat should be at room temperature, free of fat.

If the owls are very small, the food is chopped with a knife. When the chicks open their beaks, demanding food, you need to put small pieces directly into their mouths. From time to time, a piece needs to be dropped under his feet. If the owlet manages to pick up food from below, you can switch to such feeding. Pieces of meat should gradually be made larger. Owlets must learn to tear apart animal carcasses with their claws and beak.

2-3 times a week chicken liver should be given to chicks. Predators are reluctant to eat this type of food. Nevertheless, the liver is a storehouse of useful feathered trace elements necessary for the body.

Features of owl digestion

In order for a long-eared owl chick to grow up he althy, it needs to consume a couple of mice or the same number of chickens per day, and freshly slaughtered, and by no means frozen.

If a quail gets on the predator's menu, then the carcass should be gutted before “serving it on the table”. It is also desirable to cut off her paws and head. They do all these manipulations because quails are carriers of many infections. If you allow the owl to eat them whole, then it is quite possible that the disease will pass to her through food.

He althy bird eats well, with appetite. And after 10 hours, she should regurgitate a pellet. So called undigested bones, wool and feathers. If there is no riddle, this is a cause for concern. You also need to be alarmed if a bunch of regurgitated owl smells bad or shows blood in it.

Saving the owls is the business of their parents

People love to go out into the woods to nature. And there sometimes they find little owls in the grass under the trees. Deciding that the chick simply fell out of the nest, well-wishers feel pity for the baby and take him to their house.

In fact, they are doing it wrong, since it is quite difficult to feed an owl chick at home. And things are different from what a person imagines.

Owlets don't fall out of their nests at all. They systematically fly to freedom. However, the wings of the chicks are still weak. Therefore, the kids dive to the nearest bush. Parents are ready for such a turn of events, so they calmly watch the first flapping of the wings of their children. Nevertheless, despite the fact that the owlet flew out of the nest, mom and dad continue to take care of their child, feed him, protect him.