Plastic is better than nothing

Post by **Sally** » Sun Jul 20, 2008 12:53 am

One night, at finch bedtime, I couldn't find my young Owls. Searched the cage, and they had bedded down deep inside a plastic plant. Doing what comes naturally, but they had to make do with plastic!

poohbear · Post by **poohbear** » Sun Jul 20, 2008 3:28 am

Looks like a porcelain ornament..

FeatherHarp · Post by **FeatherHarp** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 12:08 pm

How cute Sally!

jamezyboo21 · Post by **jamezyboo21** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 12:51 pm

That's cute. It makes me want owls that much more.

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 7:40 pm

Priceless Sally!!

hfentj · Post by **hfentj** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 10:55 pm

What a lovely picture. Do you have any advice you can give me on these little and fast birds. I have five now. one sexed pair is 9 month and 12 months of age that I got Sunday and three young ones are just three months. I'm ready for any info and tips I can get.

Post by **Sally** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 12:40 am

Congrats on getting your Owls! They are fascinating little birds. Mine are still very flighty, don't know if they will ever settle down. They LOVE to bathe, every day. Mine also like eggfood and greens. I have given them a few mealworms once in a while, for a treat, but I really hate to get any of my birds dependent on mealworms, except for the ones that just have to have them to raise babies. It is just such a pain to deal with the mealworms, life is simpler without them!

I bred mine in a cage 34x18x18. They need LOTS of privacy, will come off their nest at the least noise or movement, but mine were good about going back to their nest. If you can hang or drape fake plants around the nest to hide it, that will help. I never heard the babies begging in the nest, very quiet, but they get loud with their begging once they fledge.

The breeder I bought mine from told me not to breed them till they were at least 10 months, so your pair will soon be old enough, though it is so blasted hot right now. Mine built their own nests out of coco fiber, but they kept falling down, so they finally used a tunnel-type thing I got at PetSmart, I think it is called a coco tunnel. It is open at both ends, so I stuffed one end with bermuda hay, and they used that, with additional coco fiber to line the nest.

I had only so-so success with this pair, but they are young, first-time parents, so I hope for better next breeding season. You may have the same thing happen, since yours are young as well. I have the one pair, 3 of their babies (I think all males), plus I recently picked up another single male and another pair. I am doing a huge population shift, as I need to separate juvies from parents, brothers from sisters, etc., so I am going to try all 8 Owls in one flight cage. They live in colonies in the wild, so I am thinking they might all get along, at least till breeding time.

Once you get yours breeding, if you are interested in swapping out bloodlines to get unrelated pairs, we can work on that.

hfentj · Post by **hfentj** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:22 am

The three young ones I have are related, so once they show signs of who is what we might start there. That gives me time to watch the older ones so I can figure out who is what, maybe. It is easy to tell which is the female of the two right now, besides the double band she has a white feather on her head. I'm sure after a molt that might change.

williep · Post by **williep** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 7:57 am

Very nice pic sally, can't help but love those little owls.

hilljack13 · Post by **hilljack13** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 5:00 pm

Sally, great pic!! Cute little buggers!!

Pierce130 · Post by **Pierce130** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 9:11 am

Very pretty birds. I was reading about them, but as a real Newbie, I had no idea what an "Owl" was.
Nancy