Is it possible to keep a crow as a pet? You can, but you need to understand what difficulties you will encounter: you need to master basic information about the behavior and needs of the bird, to know what the crow eats, how it can be raised, and much more.
Raven and crow
The crow is a vivid representative of the corvidae family, which belong to the order of passerines. So her pretty close relatives are sparrows and tits, despite the difference in size. But the closest relatives of the gray crow are magpies, jackdaws and Vorons. The latter is often considered a male of a black crow, although these are two different species. This happened because of similar names in the Russian language, in the English version there is no such confusion - there the names of the species are not in tune.
In appearance, these birds are easy to distinguish: the crow is gray-black, the Voron is black, because of this color they are often confused with rooks.
Nesting
In our country, this species is very widespread. Crows settle in forests, near ponds, and also near farmland. In addition, a significant part of the settled populations lives near people, in large settlements.
When crows make nests, they separate from the pack and try to protect the borders of their site. In cities, the widespread pairing and marriage games can be observed in February. The earliest chicks appear no earlier than April, in one clutch of 3-6 eggs, less often up to 7-8. Old nests, birds, as a rule, do not use, they make new ones, but not far from the old ones. In the wild, birds breed offspring at a distance of 1-2 km from another pair, in the city this gap is much smaller.
How much does a crow live in nature and at home
Mysterious properties are often attributed to black warlocks, including an incredibly long life of 300 years. In fact, the bird will live 20-30 years, although there are statements about long-livers - 75 years.
How long does the hoodie live? It is believed that the same amount as in Oron, or slightly less. In the wild, healthy strong specimens live up to 20 years, in captivity, in good conditions, the bird will be able to live a little longer due to the fact that she does not have to get food herself. It is important for the owner to know what the crows eat in order to choose the right food - this way the pet will be healthy and will live longer.
How to choose a pet
The biggest mistake is to take an adult wild bird. She will never get used to the cell, will have an evil temper and run away at the slightest opportunity. Many try to take a young individual who does not yet know how to fly, and get the same behavior. The chick needs to be raised from 2-3 months of age, if he is already more than 6 months old, then he will not get used to you. But even this does not guarantee a meek disposition - ravens are vicious, noisy, biting, and with age, these qualities increase.
Yes, they are often funny, birds of this species are very smart, but they are not very friendly and are not suitable for anyone as a pet because of their behavior.
A place
It’s best not to keep the raven — the bird is noisy and dirty. Even when kept in a cell, the dirt will spread far beyond its limits. Her litter is liquid, which also adds to the problems, and the smell is not the most pleasant. But if you are often ready to clean and ventilate the room and you are not afraid of difficulties, then here are some tips:
- If possible, build an aviary - this is the best housing for captive birds;
- you can keep a crow in a cage and even in a box, if it is sufficiently socialized, and it can be released into the room;
- Place a place of residence with a thick stick-perch;
- during free flights around the premises, do not forget that the crow eats almost everything and often likes to stash - they can be not only from food, but also from various trifles you like, such as keys, coins, pens, and more.
What do crows eat?
In wild nature
This bird does not disdain anything - it quietly eats any food waste, even carrion. She loves to steal bird eggs, and because of this, she has a bad reputation. Often in the field of vision of a raven a farm bird is caught - its eggs and young animals, which she also does not mind eating.
At home
What does a crow eat if kept at home? In general, such a pet will be omnivorous, and only the owner depends on how full and varied his diet will be. You can give any cereals, food for cats and dogs, homemade cottage cheese, all kinds of nuts, sprouted acorns, fruits and dried fruits, any vegetables, eggs in shells, sprouted grains, raw meat of birds and animals (be careful with chicken, which often contains antibiotics ), offal, seafood, rodents and insects (flour worm, grasshoppers, larvae of the May chafer).
The pet should have round-the-clock access to water, mineral fertilizing is also necessary. You can buy it in specialized stores or cook it yourself - give a mixture of calcined shells, crushed bricks, charcoal and sand. Separately, clay should be given - it is very important for birds, and they use it in almost any form, dry, wet or as a thick water suspension.
With a varied diet, the crow almost does not need additional vitamins, but for prevention, you can carry out fortnight fortification once every six months.
Harmful products
What the crow eats is understandable, but it is still useful to know that it is not worth giving it. When you read the forbidden list, you get the impression that you are visiting a therapist: ravens cannot be sweet, fatty, salty, all alcohol-containing, smoked, sausages, raw fish (due to the risk of infection with parasites) and citrus fruits (due to frequent allergic reactions )
Feeding tips
Actually, it’s not so important what exactly a crow eats, how it does it is important. The birds of this species have high intelligence, and therefore even the nutrition process should be used in order to make the pet's life more eventful and interesting. Simply put, he has to work hard to get food. To do this, you need to process food as little as possible, for example, give chickens and mice uncut, give vegetables, fruits and nuts whole, without preliminary cleaning and slicing. Such food will take the bird for a long time, make it break its head and work with its claws and beak, which will serve as a kind of exercise for the muscles.
You can make caps - these are toys in which feed is hidden. For example, wrap food pieces in paper or small plastic bottles, so that for the crow it was a difficult and interesting task.
Well, in general, do not forget about playing with a pet, experts recommend giving the crow at least 2-3 hours a day.