Hey Webmasters! New Photo Album Service Launched - Check it out!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Neither of us is really favourable to unnecessary legislation and as far as we know Ravens are not endangered so we're not sure why the law exists. However, it doesn't change the fact that wild Ravens should not be captured and made into house pets. Ravens (and crows, in case you're looking for a substitute) are not domesticated like dogs, cats and parakeets. They are wild and have no desire to be imprisoned no matter how benevolent the master. Ravens will peck at their jessing or any leashing device until their legs are bloody and always try to find ways to escape in captivity. They will not see humans as an integral part of their family group and will experience loneliness in a cage by themselves. Also it needs to be remembered that they will retain their wild instincts. If a person were to rescue wild ravens, the goal is not to keep them as pets, it is to release them back into the wild when it is safe enough to do so.
Ravens are about the size of hawks and need room to fly and light from perch to perch when they are not loose in the open air. They do not like being confined and prefer perches which are high and away from civilization. Obviously a small apartment or a house in the suburbs would not make the Raven very happy and trying to tame a wild raven is futile.
A true corvid lover understands the difficult corvid nature and does not want to adopt one simply because they are unique or cool. With enough time (there are usually long waiting lists) and money (most run over a thousand dollars), foreign varieties of ravens (such as the African White Necked Raven) are available for adoption. At the end of the article you will find links to reputable raven breeders. You may also, if persistent enough, adopt a permanently disabled wild raven from a rescue home. At the end of the article you will find links for each state - as I find them - for raven rescue facilities.
Foreign species bred for captivity are hand fed and trained to wear a jess/leash. Unlike their wild brothers, they will accept humans as part of their family group because they have imprinted humans at birth. If your family adopts your raven as a juvenile, he will be fiercely loyal to the group and will welcome your attention. However, if you plan to keep that raven locked away in a parrot cage and not spend time socializing and exercising him I'd beg you to reconsider as a fellow corvid lover. It would be cruel to him to have him in a small living space like an apartment or townhouse as he would have to stay confined most of the time and would have almost no place to fly when he was out of the cage. If you can not offer what a raven truly needs to be happy please either adopt a smaller pet, or if you insist on a raven, buy a fake one and perch him somewhere on your bookshelf. (The Pyramid Company sells a stuffed fake raven which looks really lifelike named Roderick)
Even though some wild instincts can be trained out of a handfed raven, he will still be a socially hungry, curious, oversized and temperamental creature. He will not thrive if kept isolated in a cage or outside in an aviary alone. He will need time, a lot of it, with his family group. During that time he will insist on being the centre of attention, if he fails he could peck, dive bomb or vocalise until his needs are met. This may not be acceptable for some families.
As innate problem solvers, they need to figure things out or they will become so bored they develop behaviour problems. Your raven will need to explore constantly when not given things to do. Your raven may squish, peck and shred items he finds interesting. During his investigations, he could inadvertently break things. Food items left unattended could end up pilfered for his gastronomic explorations - so keep both eyes on your pizza.
His size could pose a problem in and of itself. Smaller pets, children and nicnacs could easily become intimidated or injured by the actions of an active raven. If he felt angry, threatened or ignored the chances of this increase dramatically. When he is in his cage he will need room to fly, change perches and move around. If it is not wide enough his feathers could become injured and he may develop internal bleeding from them or loose his ability to fly. Because of the size, these cages will need to be built by hand or purchased custom because the large parrot cages are not at all adequate. Obviously he will eat a good deal (a wide variety of foods including meat, bird seed is not sufficient here) and produce more waste than most domestic birds.
Most importantly, even a domesticated raven is still temperamental. Combine that with his size, and well… not everyone will be happy with the results. If angered or threatened (smacked by a toddler perhaps?) he will display (puff out, hiss and squawk) and even bite. A canary or parakeet bite smarts a bit; a raven's bite will most likely draw blood. If protecting his family group from a perceived threat (the meter reader? The UPS dude?) he could injure the face arms or hands of the "intruding" party. Or perhaps there is some sibling rivalry that he misinterprets and tries to stop by protecting one child from the other? An irritated or misguided corvid could put those you love at risk if they responded to him incorrectly.
No, it's not all bad and the world is not overrun with evil, rabid, biting domesticated ravens who consume their master's young. Many people, especially childless people, adopt ravens and are very content with their companions. If you have a lot of time, patience, and don't mind a few damaged or stolen items having a corvid in the family could be very rewarding. However, you must be willing to study ravens, their behaviour and how to train them until you understand them completely. This is not something you do because you are "oh so mysterious" and need a mysterious pet (black cats are mysterious and require very little maintenance, get one of them). You do not do this because you feel the need to collect exotic pets (get a life, not a raven. You are not a zoo keeper). You may love ravens, but that does not mean you have the right temperament to be a companion to one. Ravens can be loved from afar and idealized in art, books or music. Don't bring one home unless you fully understand and appreciate his needs and are competent to meet them.
Cool Raven Stuff
All information and content are the sole copyright and responsibility of the web mistresses Raven Shadowwinds or Corvina Riqizdauhter unless otherwise annotated.
bravenet.com