When you hear that a bird in a cage lives in one of the house friends, a parrot or canary appears right in front of your eyes. In fact, it can be an ordinary crow.
She is extremely smart and quick-witted, and she looks very elegant, so she could well become a pet and recognize a person as a master. If you are interested in such a bird, you should find out how to care for it and in what conditions to keep it. In this article you can find the information you need.
Crow: photo, description
In appearance, according to its constitution, a home crow is a bit like a rook. Only physique is denser and wings are wider. Its weight does not exceed 650-700 g. The beak is slightly inclined downward.
The wings, tail and head of these birds are completely black, as if they shimmer with a metallic sheen. The body of the bird is gray, therefore it is called the gray crow. Brown plumage is observed only in young individuals. The oral cavity is pink, the eyes are blue.
Bird intelligence
Observing the raven's lifestyle, ornithologists noted that these birds have an extremely developed intelligence. In any circumstances, they are able to turn the situation in their favor. For example, crows living on city streets collect food on the carriageway only when a red light is on at the traffic lights.
On a walk in the forest, you will notice that the crows are not at all afraid of ordinary tourists and completely ignore the mushroom pickers. But, if a hunter with a gun in his hands gets into their field of vision, the birds become restless, feeling danger.
The content of the crow in the house
In a city apartment, it’s quite difficult to keep a crow, and even the bird in the cage feels uncomfortable, it needs room. If you decide on such a pet as a gray crow, it is better that you live in a private country house, then you can equip an aviary for such a restless feathered pet and create the proper conditions for keeping it.
The home crow must have “apartments” with dimensions of at least 1x2 m, the height of the enclosure requires two meters and no less. In a bird house, it is advisable to place a dry tree with horizontally located branches. If this is not possible, adjust the different poles in the aviary.
The floor should have a coating that is easy to clean. Sprinkle it on top with sawdust or spread it with moss. As necessary, cleaning is carried out, during which the old litter is replaced by a new, clean one. Drinking bowls and feeders should not stand without fastening, the bird will quickly overturn them.
If you decide that your pet flies around the house, then it is better to immediately abandon this thought. The fact is that a crow cannot be called a calm and assiduous bird. This creature is overly active and also curious. In just a few minutes of free flight around the room, a home crow can scatter things, tear off wallpapers, knock over small flowerpots with flowers, or mess up in some other way. In a word, harm to your home is guaranteed if you do not equip a restless, active aviary.
How to care for a crow at home?
It’s easy to take care of a domestic crow, the main thing is to know its habits and what it requires for a normal existence in captivity:
• It is necessary to install a birch block for sharpening the claws and beak.
• So that the bird does not get bored in the aviary and does not spoil the interior created by you, give it shiny balls or other toys.
• Place bathing water in the enclosure several times a week. The house crow loves water procedures and can splash in the water at least every day.
As you can see, everything is quite simple, except that you have to clean it quite often behind this bird, it does not differ in accuracy.
How to feed a crow at home?
The indisputable plus of such a pet as the crow is that this creature is omnivorous. The only condition that must be observed when preparing the diet for the crow is the variety of “dishes”. The main feathered menu consists of the following products: chicken offal, cooked or raw meat, various cereals, eggs, fish, vegetables and fruits, bread.
In addition to the above crows, they can gladly eat frogs, insects, chicks and all kinds of plant foods. For wild birds, the main food is food waste.
For the normal growth and development of home crow, it is necessary to give vitamin-mineral supplements. It is not recommended to mix them with food; instead, place them in a separate feeder so that the bird itself chooses what it needs.
The diet of the chicks is not much different from the adult menu. At first, to feed the feathered babies to themselves, they are fed from their hands. Then gradually accustom to eat from a feeding trough independently. Chicks are advised to cook mixers of the following foods: porridge, meat and vegetables. The last two ingredients should be finely chopped.
In accessibility, the feathered pet should always have fresh clean water. In order not to harm the bird, you can not feed it sharp, salty, fried foods and meat of fatty varieties.
Walks
Surprisingly, crows, despite their hectic temper, are easy to learn and get used to the leash. Of course, this is not a dog or cat, therefore, in such walks, some precautions must be observed:
• When training crow, the hand should be in a leather special glove.
• It is necessary to select equipment for walking very carefully so that the bird will not be injured subsequently.
• When walking, make sure that there are no other relatives nearby. Large accumulations of wild crows can make your pet want to join their freestyle lifestyle. There are times when a crow pounces on other people's birds, trying to protect its territory. This can also turn into a tragedy and injuries for her.
If there is no opportunity to walk with a crow in the fresh air, then the owner of this feathered beauty must provide her with a sufficient amount of ultraviolet rays in the house. An ideal option in this situation are sunbathing. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the fact that ultraviolet does not pass through the glass.
To date, scientists have not come to an unequivocal answer to the question of how much the crow lives. It is only known that in captivity, this bird can live up to 18-20 years, subject to proper care. A home crow will require a lot of patience from his master, but in the end he will become a devoted and intelligent feathered friend for him.