# Owls as pets
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [October 15, 2019, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781 "2019-10-15T11:25:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Squid\_Baby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squid_Baby)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2019, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781/1 "2019-10-15T11:25:00Z")
Just wondering if anyone of you have owls as pets? Or if you know anyone who have them as pets. Lol I just suddenly thought about it while rewatching Harry Potter. Obviously, magical owls or something like that will be different to real life owls but I’ve seen people on ig have unusual pets so I thought I’d ask.
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### Author:  [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2019, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781/2 "2019-10-15T11:39:11Z")
Farley Mowat wrote a book called [Owls in the Family](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owls_in_the_Family) that I read when I was a kid. I remembered it, until I looked it up on Wikipedia, as a true memoir, but it was fiction, according to the specific article on the book, but was autobiographical, according to the main article on Mowat. I remain confused as to whether Mowat actually had two great horned owls as pets.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2019, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781/3 "2019-10-15T11:53:58Z")
At least in the US there’s the whole legal thing . . .
(They are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Under the same law, you cannot even possess one of their feathers without a permit from the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service.)
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### Author:  [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2019, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781/4 "2019-10-15T12:00:46Z")
> [@kayaker](#):
>
> At least in the US there’s the whole legal thing . . .
>
> (They are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Under the same law, you cannot even possess one of their feathers without a permit from the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service.)
Oh yeah, I forgot about that for a minute. I found a barred owl dead on the road once and called a taxidermist buddy to ask how much it would cost to mount it. He told me there wasn’t enough money in the world to get him to take on that job unless a scientist or a university brought him the specimen.
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### Author:  [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2019, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781/5 "2019-10-15T12:16:57Z")
> [@Crotalus](#):
>
> Farley Mowat wrote a book called [Owls in the Family](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owls_in_the_Family) that I read when I was a kid. I remembered it, until I looked it up on Wikipedia, as a true memoir, but it was fiction, according to the specific article on the book, but was autobiographical, according to the main article on Mowat. I remain confused as to whether Mowat actually had two great horned owls as pets.
While Mowat’s books are very readable; I gather from more than one source (seen in passing long ago – can’t cite, I’m afraid), that he tended not to let the truth get in the way of a good story.
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### Author:  [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2019, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781/6 "2019-10-15T12:36:52Z")
A small bit of searching, happened to turn up a 2002 thread on this very subject.
http:boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=130401
General consensus there, seems to be that owls make definitely less-than-wonderful pets.
I am hopeless at doing links – the above attempt at same, does not function. Anyway, the thread is titled “Pet Owls” – from 2002, as said – searching with key word “Mowat” will bring it up.
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### Author:  [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2019, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781/7 "2019-10-15T12:44:55Z")
Here ya go (ya missed the // after http: ):
> **[Pet owls?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=130401)**
>
> Twice I’ve seen dead owls by the side of the road at the intersection of the San Diego and Garden Grove freeways (405 & 22). Both were large-ish and had fluffy white feathers on their undersides. Their tops were very light tan with white spots....
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### Author:  [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2019, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781/8 "2019-10-15T14:03:48Z")
> [@scabpicker](#):
>
> Here ya go (ya missed the // after http: ):
>
> [Pet owls? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=130401)
Thanks ! I’ll learn, one day (maybe about 2030 :o ).
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### Author:  [@Rough\_Draft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rough_Draft)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2019, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781/9 "2019-10-15T17:44:30Z")
Trying to turn wild animals into pets is just a bad idea in general.
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### Author:  [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2019, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781/10 "2019-10-15T18:35:29Z")
I used to work in zoo education, and cared for and handled a non-releasable great horned owl. You couldn’t pay me to keep one in my house. They’re just not good pets.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2019, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781/11 "2019-10-15T20:13:14Z")
[Moderating]
Moving from CS to IMHO.
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### Author:  [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2019, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781/12 "2019-10-15T21:47:38Z")
I live near the International Owl Center ([https://www.internationalowlcenter.org/](https://www.internationalowlcenter.org/)), and the director had an owl with a broken wing that is used for educational purposes. She actually has a few. Though “pets” isn’t the right term IMHO.
[Owls as Pets - International Owl Center - International Owl Center](https://www.internationalowlcenter.org/owlsaspets.html)
Brian
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2019, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781/13 "2019-10-15T22:42:43Z")
> [@Rough\_Draft](#):
>
> Trying to turn wild animals into pets is just a bad idea in general.
Owl say!
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### Author:  [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2019, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781/14 "2019-10-15T23:42:05Z")
> [@Rough\_Draft](#):
>
> Trying to turn wild animals into pets is just a bad idea in general.
> [@panache45](#):
>
> Owl say!
Hoot, mon!
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### Author:  [@Squid\_Baby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squid_Baby)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2019, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781/15 "2019-10-16T09:31:52Z")
> [@kayaker](#):
>
> At least in the US there’s the whole legal thing . . .
>
> (They are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Under the same law, you cannot even possess one of their feathers without a permit from the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service.)
Ah, I did not know that! Thanks for sharing! I looked it up after reading your reply and saw [this](https://thefurrycompanion.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-owning-a-pet-owl/). Apparently if you have an owl even for educational purposes, you will still need permits.
> [@Sangahyando](#):
>
> A small bit of searching, happened to turn up a 2002 thread on this very subject.
>
> http:boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=130401
>
> General consensus there, seems to be that owls make definitely less-than-wonderful pets.
>
> I am hopeless at doing links – the above attempt at same, does not function. Anyway, the thread is titled “Pet Owls” – from 2002, as said – searching with key word “Mowat” will bring it up.
Thanks for the link! I didn’t realize there was already an existing thread about it.
> [@Rough\_Draft](#):
>
> Trying to turn wild animals into pets is just a bad idea in general.
Oh yea, I definitely agree. But it seems like some people like the idea of those pet fads…
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### Author:  [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2019, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781/16 "2019-10-16T09:40:54Z")
If you like to work with birds, I suggest you find a rescue center nearby and volunteer to assist. That way you can enjoy them without the hassle of having a pet. There is a bird sanctuary near me that has eagles, owls, and vultures, and they often take birds to nature shows. They can always use some help and it’s very educational for all.
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### Author:  [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2019, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781/17 "2019-10-16T12:23:15Z")
Owls are occasionally (well, rarely) used in falconry, so you could legally possess one - your state rules permitting - if you first obtained a falconry license. But note that falconers do not consider - or treat - their animals as pets.
Being generally nocturnal animals that hunt by sound rather than sight, they would probably be challenging to work with, and very different from hawks and falcons.
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### Author:  [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2019, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781/18 "2019-10-16T12:49:44Z")
That could be rather startling at first. Imagine taking the owl out at night. It’s out there waiting for your signal to return. You hold up your arm, do whatever the signal is and suddenly -_whushle_- there it is, perched on your arm, appearing nearly completely silently out of the gloom like magic
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### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2019, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781/19 "2019-10-16T14:05:15Z")
> [@Xema](#):
>
> Owls are occasionally (well, rarely) used in falconry, so you could legally possess one - your state rules permitting - if you first obtained a falconry license. But note that falconers do not consider - or treat - their animals as pets…
What word would you use? Work animal? Tool?
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### Author:  [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2019, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owls-as-pets/841781/20 "2019-10-16T15:27:17Z")
I’d think “working animal” is sufficient. Think of all the LGDs (Livestock Guard Dogs) out there. They usually sleep with their flock or herd or whatever, because they consider themselves to be one of them (sheep, usually) and don’t really play with humans much.
Feral barn cats, same thing. They’re rarely given names, or allow themselves to be touched. Not pets, to most people.
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