In pursuit of exotic people do not think much about what damage nature can cause. This is not about global disasters, but about the life of individual species of animals. Recently, dwarf owls have become quite popular. But, despite their cute appearance, these little representatives of the scoop are freedom-loving predators.
Those who decide to have such a pet should think about it. Owls need special conditions for a comfortable stay. If there is no way to provide them, is it worth torturing the animal for its own joy?
Appearance
Splyushka got its name because of the characteristic sound that it makes. It sounds like “spitting.”
As can be seen in the photo, the dwarf owl has a gray-brown color with bright spots and a trickle pattern. Her body reaches a size of 15-20 centimeters. Feathered creature weighs up to 130 grams. The iris is yellow, but also orange.
A female is difficult to distinguish from a male. The little girls are a little bigger. How do birds live in their natural environment?
Life in nature
Dwarf owl refers to nocturnal birds. She is a predator, therefore her beak and claws are designed to grab and tear prey. Most of the time she sits on a branch, hiding in anticipation of the victim. She holds her prey in one paw with her head to herself, slowly eating it. The diet in the wild consists of beetles and butterflies, less often the bird preys on mice and lizards.
It is important that owls are monogamous. Therefore, do not start an adult. There is a possibility that she will die of longing. Under normal conditions, the bird lives for more than fifty years. Having decided to tame such a pet, you should be ready to answer for it all your life.
How to keep in captivity
A dwarf owl differs from its counterparts except in size. She is very freedom-loving, therefore she does not tolerate captivity. The best option is to give her a separate room. Although most often they are contained in cells with a volume of one and a half to two cubic meters. In the place where the owl will be located, you can make several poles at different heights.
If the cage will not allow the bird to fly, it must be periodically released. This is important for the health of the pet, because it needs to stretch its wings and disperse blood. The bottom of the cage should be with a pallet, the bird should not walk on its own litter, so that redness and ulcers did not appear on its paws. They are difficult to treat.
Molting period
In a dwarf owl living in apartment conditions, the molting process is delayed. The first molt begins in late January and lasts until mid-March. The following directly depends on the process of reproduction. It is important that the female with the masonry enter the molt with a large supply of subcutaneous fat. Otherwise, the process of feeding the chicks can kill the bird. How to feed an owl in captivity?
Feeding
The nutrition process itself is quite interesting, although not easy. Domestic dwarf owls can eat more varied foods than wild ones. Most often, they readily eat frozen daily chickens, mice, frogs, earthworms. The main thing is that the food is soft and thawed to room temperature, as the bird may refuse hard food.
In rare cases, you can offer an owl chicken stomachs or hearts. But not too often. In the diet of these birds should be not only meat, but also wool with bones. Food should be fresh so that the bird does not poison. In nature, she does not store her reserves, but eats prey, while she has not yet cooled down. But the insides of carcasses and heads should not be given to scoops so that they do not become infected with any infection.
In spring and summer, plant foods can be added to the diet. For example, a young dandelion, which must be finely chopped. Also suitable are flowers of white acacia, strawberries, slices of apples and melons, grapes.
Scoop can be pampered with green grasshoppers, larvae of May beetles, crickets, ant dolls.
As a feed, you can cook a "mash". It includes chopped boiled chicken egg, grated carrots, cottage cheese, buckwheat porridge, ground meat. A similar feed is sold in pet stores. But they cannot constantly feed them with a bird; it does not replace natural food. At least twice a week, it is worth pampering the pet with insects or small rodents.
Water scoop must be changed twice a day. She drinks several times a day, but only clean water.
Dangers of improper feeding
It is important to understand how to care for a dwarf owl. The thematic forums describe cases where a pet could die from a large number of dandelions offered. In the throat of a bird, a riddle formed of a swollen flower, and she could not burp it. Another case is related to the bone of an adult rat, which pierced the scoop of the esophagus. They saved the bird because they noticed the problem on time.
If the scoop is well-fed, does not fade, is healthy, is not in the process of reproduction, it can be arranged fasting days. Once a week, she can drink only water all day.
Health
One of the reasons why you should not keep dwarf owls at home is due to the lack of veterinarians who understand owl ailments. All concerns about the health of the pet fall on the owner.
To determine the condition of the pet, you should pay attention to litter and riddles. A healthy bird leaves a litter that resembles a white puddle interspersed with dark dense patches. It should not have a fetid odor. Health problems can be suspected if the bird left a brown or green puddle after food digestion. The riddle also should not smell bad. The host should be alerted by impurities of blood in it.
If the bird is sick, it loses its appetite, sits for a long time with eyes closed, does not move, has a dirty, sticky plumage. Unfortunately, only a specialist can understand that with a bird, therefore, when signs of the disease are manifested, treatment cannot be selected independently.
How to tame?
If the dwarf owl has nevertheless become a pet, friendships with it can be established. But it will take a lot of time and patience. And it’s important that the scoop is still small.
When a bird first appears in a strange room, it is slaughtered in a corner. You should also prepare for the fact that for several days she will refuse food. Do not bother her. The best option is to wait.
When the pet is active, it should be fed. After a few meals, the scoop will understand that she will not be harmed. From this moment, you can accustom her to her hands.
Gloves made of thin leather should be worn on hands. This will protect them from sharp claws. Scoop should not be picked up by force, let alone shouting at it or swinging it. It is worthwhile to prepare for the fact that the pet does not show friendliness. Signs that he does not want to communicate are hissing and clicking his beak. In such situations, he should be left alone.
Walking with a bird is possible only if it is completely tame, and also accustomed to entanglements. By the way, they should be used from the moment the pet appeared in the house. In other cases, it is likely that the scoop will fly away forever.
A tamed pet can play with a ball. But you need to make sure that he does not have access to small details, for example, beads. Swallowing them will lead to sad consequences.
From the aforementioned, everyone will be able to conclude whether it is worth starting a house in the house. To create minimally comfortable conditions for her is quite burdensome, especially since the pet will live for many decades. Do not take it for yourself at the whim of a whim, so that after release it into the wild, where the pet will quickly die. From poor nutrition and poor conditions, the bird also will not live long. Then the joy of the exotic acquisition will quickly disappear.