Has any of my fellow USMB members ever had a pet owl???

[jackflash]

I got thinking about a pet Short Eared owl I had back in the early 70's. I had him for about 7/8 years before Barney passed away. If you have or had a pet owl I would like to hear about your experience.

short eared owl - Google Search

www.google.com

 

[HenryBHough]

Not personally.

Fella I knew had one. He was kind of a local celebrity. Got invited to appear on a live TV kid's show.

He did.

With the owl.

During the shows the owl took off for the studio rafters and stayed there.

They couldn't get it down!

when the show was over they darkened the studio and laid out some fresh killed chicken hoping to lure the own down.

It wasn't hungry.

Hours later they had to re-light the studio for the evening news.

About 29 minutes into the half hour newscast the temperature up there got so high that the own perished.

It fell on the news anchor's desk as he finished his "Kiss-off" closing:

"Have a good night tonight and a better (THUD!!!) day.....tomorrow?????"

 

[TroglocratsRdumb]

what did you feed it?

 

[Bob Blaylock]

There is a thread on the subject, from nearly two years ago, at I Want a Pet Owl. Contains some information from Luddly Neddite, who apparently has some expertise and experience with caring for such birds.

 

[Sunni Man]

Owl's are a very unique bird. They are completely silent when they fly.
A nocturnal hunter, an owl could fly a foot above your head at night and you'd never know it was there. ...

 

[jackflash]

what did you feed it?

The vet told me to feed Barney chicken necks/gizzards & live mice. We'd also feed him diced up red meat. He had to have the mice so he could regurgitate the fur ball for his digestive tract health.

 

[CarlinAnnArbor]

Beautiful animals. Not sure what kind of pet they'd make though. They don't even look like birds. They also seem much more intelligent

 

[Votto]

I got thinking about a pet Short Eared owl I had back in the early 70's. I had him for about 7/8 years before Barney passed away. If you have or had a pet owl I would like to hear about your experience.

short eared owl - Google Search

www.google.com

"WHO" are you asking exactly?

 

[L.K.Eder]

don't. just don't.

 

[ReinyDays]

Check your local laws ... in some jurisdictions it may be illegal ... in others there may need to be a "paper trail" to document the owl is from a domesticated lineage ...

Do your research ... owls aren't budgies, canaries or parrots ... they are predators, and keeping them may be more akin to falconry ... and they're nocturnal, they'll be active at night and need their sleep during the day ...

I suggest volunteering your time at a local wild animal rescue facility ... learn about owls and their needs ... find out if you like them first, and all that goes into the proper care ... and you gotta gotta find a vet that will take an owl on as a patient ... not all will ...

DO NOT ... under any circumstances ... watch YouTube videos about owning owls ... absolutely the worst place to get good information ... the young couple posting videos about keeping a yearling puma in their home suddenly stopped ... we all know why ...

 

[Sunni Man]

I grew up in the southwest around a lot of Indians.
They think owl's are evil witches that have shape-shifted into a bird.
Indians tend to get freaked out if they see an owl or hear one hooting or screeching at night. ...

 

[Pogo]

Owls are so cool.

But they belong in the wild, not imprisoned as a "pet".

 

[jackflash]

Beautiful animals. Not sure what kind of pet they'd make though. They don't even look like birds. They also seem much more intelligent

D/A; I absolutely assure you a short eared owl makes the BEST of pets! On top of that they BOND for life with their mate. Barney was a wounded owl as some ruthless bass-turd scatter gunned the poor little fart(destroyed his left wing) leaving him to die a slow death, so he didn't get to have a mate after I got him. Soooo Barney just adopted me & eventually my entire family! S/E owls are extremely affectionate/playful & dedicated. As far as intelligent they have BIG heads with BIG ear canals & small brains. I was stroking Barneys mask(he just loved this!) with the tip of my index finger one evening down in the basement, & the edge of his mask(above & to the outside of his left eye just came lose. It shocked me because I thought his face had come lose & was falling off his head. As I pulled his mask out further I seen all this purplish/pinkish colored membrane that I took as infection/putrid rotten flesh.

Then I noticed light coming through a membrane & then realized I was seeing light radiating through the membrane behind his left eye. Owls eyes are fixed in position giving them EXCELLENT light absorption capability(no muscles needed to move the eyeball(s). At the same time I realized that what I had first thought was putrid flesh was in all reality a huge sophisticated in design ear canal. The mask is just a protective cover for owls ear canals.

Below is a link to my last math instructor(2010-2011ish) when I was attending SSC in Spokane Wa. Chris Brady turned out to be the BEST instructor I ever had & I have had MANY of what I would call 'world class' instructors through the years. Chris also majored in the field of Biology, & Chris just happens to be into owls also as can be seen in his profile below(Great Horned Owl pictured perched on Chris' hand!!!)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-brady-ms-74808979

 

[Rambunctious]

I pulled into my driveway one night to see an owl with a mouse or something in its grasp...it turned its head my way and flew off....it was at least 2 ft tall....big owl wingspan was easily over 3ft....

 

[jackflash]

@ two foot tall the owl you seen has to be in the category below.

5 Largest Owls in the World - Largest.org

Most people have heard the deep, powerful hooting of an owl late at night. These impressive birds are generally nocturnal, ... Read more

largest.org

Despite their vicious reputation owls in general make for dedicated pets & bond strongly with humans. They are affectionate like no other bird & very playful...





I had a house owl(short eared owl) meaning he was not caged but free to roam the house as he choose to do 24/7. Let me tell you once one has a pet owl(domesticated) you will never be the same without one.

 

[Canon Shooter]

Here's a picture of me holding an owl in Edinburgh, Scotland last year. The talons on that thing were ridiculous:

I was actually really surprised by how light the bird was. I expected it to weigh a lot more...

 

[Sunni Man]

Very informative 5 minute video about the owl ...