# Strange bird behavior **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 17, 2019, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-bird-behavior/832682 "2019-04-17T17:22:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2019, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-bird-behavior/832682/41 "2019-04-25T19:27:27Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I want a pet crow. Anyone know how to catch one? Salt on the tail doesn’t work. I put salt on my dogs tail and they just run(fly) from her. Just, just…out of reach. Damn. For a pet crow, you need to acquire a nestling when it has pinfeathers, then raise it by hand. Technically, you need a federal permit. I don’t know how you get one. Here is a link with a discussion about owning pet crows. > **[How can I acquire a pet crow?](https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-acquire-a-pet-crow)** > > Answer (1 of 7): All these people answering here say complete BS because they never owned a crow like I did. Infact I owned two. I'm not saying these are easy animals to take care of as they require space, care and attention but they are the most... It is a good discussion about what owning a crow is all about. It also says > [@](#): > > Do not attempt to capture and train a native wild crow, especially in the US, where a bizarre set of loopholes in the Migratory Bird Act in several states will do things like allow you to kill as many wild crows as you like between October to May as long as you’re using a shotgun _because crows are considered vermin_, but will also give you huge fines and even a prison sentence if you find a baby crow and raise it because… they’re protected by the Migratory Birds Act. Here is another article on why not to have pet crows. [https://pethelpful.com/wildlife/Crows-as-Pets-Is-it-Legal-to-Have-a-Pet-Crow](https://pethelpful.com/wildlife/Crows-as-Pets-Is-it-Legal-to-Have-a-Pet-Crow) > [@](#): > > In the US, all migratory birds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Although crows don’t always migrate (only the ones who live in the coldest places do), every type of crow you might find is listed on the Department of the Interior’s Federal Register of Migratory Birds. So this means that it is indeed illegal to take/possess, export/import, transport, sell/purchase, or trade any crow or any part of a crow (including its feathers) or their eggs or nests, without a permit. It’s also usually illegal to hunt, kill, capture, or take them without a permit. > > **But what if I find the crow injured and nurse it back to health?** > You are never supposed to take a crow in, no matter what. Even if it’s wounded. Even if the crow approaches you, first! If you find a crow that needs help, call your local Wildlife Protective Services. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2019, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-bird-behavior/832682/42 "2019-04-25T19:30:16Z")
Also from that first link > [@](#): > > You be prepared for your chosen companion to be a monumental jackass for his entire life, because virtually all corvids are a$$holes to the genetic level. > > Trained or not, their personality is some flavor of ‘jerk’. > > Where other creatures have amino acids in their DNA, crows have buttholes. > > They’re made of buttholes, spite, sadism, and pure, unadulterated hilarity. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2019, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-bird-behavior/832682/43 "2019-04-25T19:37:13Z")
See? Sounds like just the pet for me. I’ve heard all the no-nos. Mr.Wrekker has ask his game warden friend about it, they told him it’s not a good idea. Hard to get permit. Hard to raise. Hard to keep. So, its not likely to ever really happen. Just a wild-ass wish. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-bird-behavior/832682.md?page=2)