Owls belong to the Animalia kingdom.
There are above 200 different species of owls. They love to live alone and they are very introverted in nature.
Owl are mostly seen at night, so they are known as night birds. An owl has a broad and large head with binocular vision, binaural hearing, an upright stance, and sharp claws.
For silent flight, they have adapted feathers. Owls are seen in almost all the areas on Earth, but not at some isolated islands and polar ice caps. Tytonidae ( the barn-owl family ) and Strigidae ( true/typical family ) are the two families of owls.
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How much does an owl cost?
Not all species of owls could be kept as pets. A few species of owls are used to being captivated and the Eurasian Eagle-owl is one of them.
These have cost around $3,000 to $3,500 and more. The Snowy, Bengal, or Barn owl costs you around $500 to $1500 according to the ads of BirdTrades.co.UK.
According to gender, quality, age, and breeder, the cost of owls may differ. If you adopt an owl from the harbor, then it would be a pocket-friendly deal.
An owl from the harbor or sanctuary costs you around $800. You have to complete all the documentation work to keep the owl from the sanctuary.
How much do owls cost to keep?
Food cost
In wildlife, owls are carnivorous, which means they kill other animals and eat to survive, depending on their species.
The smaller species owl (screech owl) eats insects. On another side, the bigger owl (barn owl) loves to eat rats, reptiles, amphibians, smaller birds, and other small mammals.
Young foxes, ducks, and rabbits are eaten by the biggest species of owl, like the Eurasian Eagle-owl.
The fishing owl has a natural talent to hunt fish from the water. When owls are hungry, they hunt any animal that they can hunt and eat.
If you think about buying some food that is appropriate for the omnivorous bird for your owl, then it would not be working.
You can buy hamsters, mice, and some other reptiles from the pet store as a live feed and it costs you around $10 to $25 depending upon the breed and size.
How much food does an owl eat in a day
An owl eats up to 4 ounces of food in a day approximately, and the weight of an average mouse is around one ounce.
So per one day, you have to spend $20 to $80 on their food. If you can’t do this, then you can buy frozen feeder rodents for your owl.
The packaging rodents are cleaned and slaughtered already and ready to serve.
Like frozen rodents, frozen rats are also available in bulk. First estimate the size of rat that your owl can eat, then buy that particular size of rat from the pet store or online.
A hundred rats cost $75 online but it costs $9 for two XXL rats. Compared to living rodents and defrosting rats, this is more practical to feed frozen rodents. You have to spend $3 each day if you provide small rats to your owl.
Veterinary and health check-up cost For owl
In general, your owl can develop some diseases like metabolic bone disease, bumblefoot, avian tuberculosis, pox, candidiasis, aspergillosis, West Nile virus, hemoparasites, etc.
In some cases, the disease disappears on its own but in some difficult cases, you may need a veterinarian.
For regular pets like cats and dogs, the vet visit may cost around $60 per visit.
But for a vet visit an owl may cost around $250 per visit and in an emergency case, the cost would be even more.
Only the specialized vet can check up on the owl. This is the cause of high veterinary costs. To ensure a healthy owl, you have to visit the vet regularly and estimate the price.
Owls are high attention demanding birds. So you have to give them a luxurious life and take care of them, otherwise, they become sick.
For their good health, you have to do their health check-up yearly. The specialized vet charges you around $40 to $60 for testing and laboratory fees. You have to prepare for 10 to 30 vet visits according to your pet’s lifespan.
Cage owl cost
Owls have their own habitats. It is illegal to take out the owl from their comfort zone and keep them captive which does not match their habitats.
Most owls don’t like to live in enclosed areas or in cages. A custom-made cage costs around $300 to $1000 and more.
The owls can’t live in small cages. They need a free space to roam around and fly. The cage size depends upon the size of your owl.
To keep an owl as a pet is very expensive. To keep your pet owl healthy and happy, you have to research properly about them and make yourself ready to spend a heavy amount of money to raise the owl.
Caretaker cost
Owls are known as messy birds. They toss up their body continuously, so their feathers are all around. If you keep them in the cage, their poop spreads all around the cage.
The water they drink should be fresh. It is not possible for you to take care of all these things. So you have to hire a caretaker for your owls, who could clean the room and cage, provide them food at their required time, change the water, etc.
The caretaker may charge you around $30 to $40 per month. The charge may vary according to the size and number of owls you have. You have to confirm that the caretaker has proper training on owls.
Owl box cost
Generally, an owl box is made for the Barn owl. The typical nest box has an entrance hole of six-inch, which is suitable for the barn owls.
But this is too small for a great horned owl. The barn owl box should be kept four inches above the ground level. The box should contain a drainage hole also.
You have to confirm that the nest must have provided enough ventilation holes and the ventilations are shaded from wind and sun.
Generally, to protect the owl from raccoons, cats, and other animals, the box is placed on a pole. You have to ensure that the lightning around the nest at night must be minimized. So that no disturbance occurs for the owl. The owl box costs around $80 to $200 per box according to the size of the owl you have.
Permission for buying owl and renewal cost
If your state allows buying owls, there might be a need for permission to keep them as pets. In some regions, you have to renew your permission for exotic pets like owls every year.
In some states you have to pay between $20 to $70 for renewal of the permission and pay various fees between $30 to $40, on other hand, some states don’t charge.
Some states like Maine, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Indiana require licenses before buying an owl.
For educational purposes and exhibitions, you can get owls in Vermont. In Texas, you can get only one owl as per their rule. The licensing rule is known as ‘Article 10 certificate’ and it is issued by DEFRA ( Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs ).
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Other ways to have an experience with owl, without buying one
As you probably saw during the article, buy and raise an owl is so hard as well as expensive. So there are other options available for getting an experience with owls without buying it.
You can symbolically adopt an owl. The owls’ trust academy in the UK, allows you free entrance to meet the owl that you adopt.
For their regular maintenance, you can donate some money. In this way, you can provide support to your loved animal.
Another way is to volunteer at an owl sanctuary, which we discussed above. Another way is, become a docent. As a docent, you can lead tours at zoos and museums to teach people about animals and birds. In this way, you can spend time and hang out with owls.
Conclusion
From the most popular series Harry Potter, the idea of keeping an owl as a pet comes from. Harry Potter had a snowy owl but you can’t own a snowy owl as a pet in the United States as per their Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Only for falconer purposes ( see Falcon Cost) and educational purposes, you can get permits.
The native owl owner should be an animal educator professionally. This is complicated to become a legal falconer and you have to become a good trainer.
After becoming an owl owner, you may face some challenges as
- 1. You have to keep an eye on your owl. So it might be difficult to take vacations.
- 2. Naturally owls are aggressive in nature. They can ruin your house.
- 3. From their food cost, vet cost, and cage cost, we come to know that owls need high maintenance. 4. Owls are not social birds. So, unfortunately, they don’t love to cuddle or snuggle like other pets.
- 5. Finding a vet for a pet owl is not so easy and it is very expensive also.
- 6. As nocturnal birds, owls are active in the nighttime.
So they might disturb you and your neighbors while sleeping. Hope you get some information about owls. It might help you to decide whether to buy an owl or not.
