Taking Care of Pet Crows and Ravens
Caring for Corvids: Keeping Your Pet Happy and Healthy
Corvids are omnivorous meaning that their natural diet includes both meat and plant material. A significant part of a crow or raven's diet in the wild is fresh or previously killed meat. Although in captivity their diet can be supplemented with dog food, it is important that they are also provided with meat. They will eat any kind of meat so check with your butcher to see what he can offer you at a discount. It is good to offer large pieces, giving the birds the opportunity to engage in the natural activity of tearing the meat apart. Dog food and meat should be supplemented with fruits and vegetables as well as eggs and occasionally bird seed. They will usually eat most anything so make sure that your pet has access to a wide variety of food ensuring a varied and healthy diet.
Like all living things, ravens and crows require fresh water. Providing this can be more difficult than it sounds. These are messy birds, and they will dirty their water and drop food in it, and it is best if you change it a couple of times a day. To keep them from bathing in their drinking water, it is best to have a smaller drinking container and a larger round bathing container. You can buy dishes designed for this purpose from falconry and raptor suppliers.
Ravens take a lot of room. To prevent boredom, it is best that they have a home with enough room to hop from perch to perch and to take short flights. In some climates, you may be able to use an outdoor aviary. In colder climates, especially if the bird is one in need of rehabilitation, it is better to have an indoor space. Is there a patio area or a spare bedroom that can be turned into an aviary? Wherever you choose, make sure that the space is safe for the crow and safe from predators.
If you have a raven or crow that you are keeping as a long term pet, socialization is important. Ravens are not as affectionate as some other breeds of birds. They can be temperamental and moody. Even after an adjustment period, a raven may have an off day and just not want to play. To help your raven to get use to you, take the bird into a quiet, safe room with as little stimulation as possible. Sit with the bird talking quietly or singing to it. Let the raven make the first move. It is much easier to form a relationship with a young bird than with an adult, but with either be patient and persevere. It takes time to build trust, and the crow's natural curiosity will work in your favor.
Crows and ravens can live longer than 30 years in captivity so don't take your responsibility lightly when deciding to welcome one into your family. They require lots of mental stimulation, and they are curious and love to get into things. If you have the time and space to devote though, they can grow to be wonderful companions.
Published by Jacqueline Parks
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7 Comments
Post a CommentThank you for sharing a part of your life D. I was just curious in having a crow for a pet and found this page by chance. I made a yahoo account just to post a comment to say thank you =D it was very insightful. I will pray for your loss... it takes strength and a kind heart to share.
Good article. Ive found there is not lot of info on ravens. They seem to repeat the same basic info over and over.
I have a White Necked Raven. Female. I also have a hybrid cross between a brown necked raven and pied crow.
The raven has a beautiful, gental soul and personality. But....they are moody. They also have days with more hyperactivity than normal. Why I do not know. Just is.
By moody I mean that they are allready very very independant, and like to do things with you but by themselves at the same time. Some times she will just come up and start pinching my arm over and over again for no reason that at least I cant figure out. She knows Im sure!, lol. Just crabby. After that she may go nip at the dog and harrass her. Just a general biatch, lol. Thats fine, so am I some days.
Hyperactive days. Oh, let me tell you, you cannot move fast enough to get all your belongings out of the way as she will go from one to the next to the next so fast that after a munite or two its a disaster. You cannot keep up with what they are doing. There isnt any way to do it. These are the days that when your cleaning one side of the room and get to the other, you have to start all over again where you started and thats when I say "uncle" I give up and have no choice but to put her in her aviary untill I can get caught up.
They want and will have, lol, everything you have or use each day. I have alot of makeup in my makeup bag. but she knows which ones I use on a daily basis and wants to pull those items out and take off with them or try to tear them up. My soda. I allways have a 44 oz diet coke styrophome cup with top and straw. I cannot count how many times she races the second I put it down or sneaks real fast when I walk away from that room, and rips the straw out. Then pokes holes in my cup and you come back to soda pouring out the hole onto your counter and floor. You will chase after them to retrieve the item back and they run away and know how to get behind a table and keep going the same direction as you are so you can never catch them. She knows how to do this. When I change directions around the table so does she. Of course Im irritated telling her to give me my straw back! Just gets her more excited and more of a thrill to mess with me even longer. She wants everything I have and wants it to be hers! Allways!. So I have to remember to keep MY, lol, items up in a cabinet to keep them safe at all times. I do forget sometimes and sometimes dangett, I just want to be able to put my stuff on my kitchen counter every once in a while, you know?
They are just like haveing a 2 year old that has a extreme hyperactive disorder. Yep and the world(your home) is all so full of fun stuff to see! They do not stop looking for the next item to grab and tear up or carry off to hide somewhere for later or to just play with and throw off onto the floor.
Food, well they eat alot of raw fresh meat and fish, hearts, bones, and frog legs, and clams, and pinkys, rabbits(cleaned from the grocer of course, chickens(cleaned also). My fridge and freezer is full of all kinds of stuff. Yes they dont just swallow the raw meat when you hand it to them, they like to carry it around first, mabey tear it up on the ground, floor or counter or anywhere raw food really shouldnt be. so You have to watch very closely where its touched to disenfect the areas. Frozen then dethawed pinky mice. NEVER keep your eye off the mouse when they take it! Never! They pretend to swallow it but sometimes they dont and go hide it. That is not a option! So, you have to follow them around untill you know for sure that it was swallowed. Self explanatory on why.
You do not have time to have a crow or a raven as a pet if you have children to take care of. Either the kids or the raven or crow will not get the attention needed. Kids are of course 1st so please dont attempt it untill your kids are grown and on there own.
We havent even gotton to the part of cleaning the aviary room. They poop every 15 munites or more! They really do believe me! I have to clean there aviary floor and toys, bowls plates etc etc every evening. This takes a while to do. You can put the toys inbaskets and by a couple of hours they are all over the room mixed up with shredded paper and food and poop. Sometimes likes to spill the water and mix that in for good measure. I have linoleum on the ground. Poop dries pretty quick. Theres does alot faster than a parrot. If you have carpet throughout your house I wouldnt get one. There is no way you will be able to clean all the poop. I have wood floors throughout and follow her around literally with cleaner and paper towels. You have to have sheets over all your couches and chairs and have many to replace them emed. to wash them and rotate. Lots of sheets!
The work involved with them is enormous. Your two year old takes a nap, they dont. Well not unless you really wear them out at the park. Then mabey they do but its usually over with by the time the car pulls in the driveway, so it really doesnt give you a break at home. You cannot let them run without watching them. You cannot have a chandalier of any kind in your home. Lamps are fair game to jump on top of and knock over and then they are allways broken. No lamps. No nothing anywhere. Now I have taught myn to not go on certain cabinets. BUT, they will when they know you havent been watching them for a while. Or, they just want to test you to see how many times they can do it and get by with it. They LOVE to test you! They will do the BAD thing aprox three times before they listen and stop. You have to then get there attention on another place and item. Not allways easy when they are challenged and zeroed in on a certain place or thing thats off limits. Very stubborn!
You cannot just lay down on your couch after a hard day and let out a big breath of relief that you can finally just lay down, relax and watch you favorite show. NOPE! You learn to listen for certain sounds to indicate when you need to sit up and look to see what shes doing. Its all the time! They start from sunrise to sunset! They learn to be quiet when there on the BAD table. The off limits table or counter.
If you have a dog, you have to never let them alone together and supervise them at all times due to the raven wanting to tease peck and pull there hair! They try to peck them in the face and it hurts them. So you have to watch closley and referee at all times. For the sake of the happiness of your dog. Myn is a shitz-zu. So if you have a bigger dog, you may be ok, but after terrorizing the big dog you may find that hes had enough and bite your raven/crow. Allways monitor them when together closely. So you have no personal time. They want to sit on your lap while on the toilet and try to get the toilet paper to shred. They will run off with the roll very fast if you dont be careful and then your stuck! No paper and its now in the other room. Not pretty.
I havent talked about the hybrid yet and that is due to it being still afraid. Havent had that one long and the breeder didnt take the time to give it attention other than feeding it. If you have read the above and still want to take one on call Larry Head at Cold Springs exotics in arkansaw, USA. Thats where I got my white necked raven and she is the most tame and friendly raven you could ever imagine. He spends time with them, alot of time. Thats important!
Now the part that makes it all worth while. ........Yes they are very very worthwhile (by the way it took me 5 hours to complete this)
My son passed away at 22 years old. My raven has been the one that helps me keep my mind busy. Very busy is good. I couldnt cope before with his loss. I knew the corvids were the ones for the job. Koda, my raven has a beautiful gentle heart and soul, very loving and a very good friend. She is a raven and does what comes natural to a raven, which is ok by me. How could I expect any different? That would be not right. She excepts me as I am, I except her as she is. I love her so much. She gets me out to the outdoors so much more than I would otherwise, and keeps me from going into a mode of just laying on the couch and hiding from the world. She makes me laugh and smile. I try my hardest to make her happy and have fun. I bought the other one mostly for Koda to have a friend to never be alone when I cant be there. They cant be alone. Its hard on them, and you as a human being cant replace another bird of its own kind no matter how hard you try. So its allways good to have two. They love each other and relate to each other in a way I couldnt do for her. It was a good decision.
On a final note, they love baths, outdoors, nature, toys, food, adventure, riding with you in the car, love to be preened, when they let you lol. They are a wonderful friend. They are worth all the trouble they create. Its ok because what they give back is worth all of it.
You must understand though that I did not exagerate anything I wrote. Im not trying to talk anyone out of getting one. You just need to understand and be truthful with yourself if you can handle this for 40 or more years. Its alot, but if you can then it is truly worth it.
Plan for a hour each week after buying there food, processing it in individual baggys, etc.
Half and hour right when the sun comes up soaking dog food and getting there plates of meat and all kinds of different food items ready.
1 hour a day to clean aviary
The rest cleaning and recleaning your home when there running around.
Thats the raw basics. Doesnt add the time going out to play(hours)
watching them and interacting, rest of the day hours.
Ahhhhhhh relief....yeah, they finally went to bed!!!! Thats my time! If Im all caught up. We also cant for get all of our other chores for upkeep on ourselves and our home.
You see, no time left! Its a good thing. You bring them with you by the way 90 percent of the time to family events. The grandkids come over and Koda loves them. Outdoor b-b-q's all good unless a cat or dog attends that will eat them. Otherwise all good. Take care all. Im happy to share some info with others that is so hard to find on the internet.
I inherited a crow that my Mom had rasied from a baby. She has cateracts and her beak needs to be trimmed bacuse it is crooked. I have tried to hold her but she gets very scared. Please I need some help on this beak issue. She can see good enough to eat and drink water.
I too just found a crow with a broken wing. He is eating the hamburger I'm giving and, as expected, has tipped oven the water numerous times. It is in a large carrier for now. It bit the heck out of my finger. Soooooo, binding the the wing to the body for even a long time won't help it to heal? Oh my, oh....my. We are in Las Vegas NV and, as yet, I haven't found a resource. Tomorrow, I will take it to the vet. They are so beautiful. It's a large adult.
with a broken wing its unlikely it will ever fly again. dont fret, if there is a loving person willing to take her in than that would be her best life
i would take it however i am in northern illinois/ southern wisconsin...e-mail me with a town name, and i might be able to contact people in michigan that i know... maybe nearby... k-os_depot@hotmail.com
I found a crow with a broken wing and am having trouble finding a place to take it in michigan. i know how to fix its wing with the help of a source telling me how but i dont want a fine for keeping it and the dnr here said they did not know what to do with it and the people around here that take in birds do not want a crow.
It is very friendly and it possesses the right to live. If there is any help in this please feel free to email me at igoturghettobooty@yahoo.com. Todays date is 04-07-09. My kids and i would really appreciate it.