Types of Owls Legal in Ireland?

xNightOwlx

What type of Owls are legal in Ireland?
Because im planning on adopting one after i obtain my Licence to own one.
Thanks for taking your time to view this.

Irishchick

Why exactly do you want to adopt one? Owl's are birds of prey, not pets and they will never make good pets.

Most falconers will tell you that if they have owl's they don't use them for much as they have the attention span of a fly and its very hard to hunt with them.

xNightOwlx

Irishchick wrote: »

Why exactly do you want to adopt one? Owl's are birds of prey, not pets and they will never make good pets.

Most falconers will tell you that if they have owl's they don't use them for much as they have the attention span of a fly and its very hard to hunt with them.

I see alot of people that have owls as pets such as barn owls, and im very interested in owls. Since there my favorite bird, Id love to adopt one and take care of one, ive seen baby owls being sold online.

él statutorio

I smell a wum!

xNightOwlx

él statutorio wrote: »

I smell a wum!

Whats that? lol

Ailishcrehan

If you don't know which owls are legal to own in Ireland, then you shouldn't have one.

Irishchick

xNightOwlx wrote: »

I see alot of people that have owls as pets such as barn owls, and im very interested in owls. Since there my favorite bird, Id love to adopt one and take care of one, ive seen baby owls being sold online.

I don't know anyone who keeps them as pets. They are dangerous animals with sharp talons and a sharp beak.

Do you know what involved when taking care of a bird of prey. You cant just stick it in a cage. You need a large aviary with falconry supply's and a regular supply of meat/chicks to feed it.

Shenshen

xNightOwlx wrote: »

I see alot of people that have owls as pets such as barn owls, and im very interested in owls. Since there my favorite bird, Id love to adopt one and take care of one, ive seen baby owls being sold online.

I've been to two falconers this year, and both were cursing Harry Potter for having popularised owls as pets...
They are not pets. You need to have training and skill to handle them, you need a lot of space to allow them to fly, they're difficult to train and can get aggressive.
And once the private owl-lover has traumatised the bird by keeping it in a cage all day long (in one case apparently in the cupboard under the stairs, assuming that owls love the dark after all), there are very few charities with the facilities of taking the birds.
In the case of some species (the ones not protected in Ireland, but non-native) they may need to be put down as they cannot be released into the wild.

Seriously, don't. If you like owls, do them a favour and don't buy one.

xNightOwlx

Ailishcrehan wrote: »

If you don't know which owls are legal to own in Ireland, then you shouldn't have one.

Now hold on what does that have to do with anything that's rude. Thats like me saying to you if you dont know what kind of dog or cat you like then your not getting one!.

zef

"Like' and 'legal' are two different things altogether.

xNightOwlx

Irishchick wrote: »

I don't know anyone who keeps them as pets. They are dangerous animals with sharp talons and a sharp beak.

Do you know what involved when taking care of a bird of prey. You cant just stick it in a cage. You need a large aviary with falconry supply's and a regular supply of meat/chicks to feed it.

Ive seen alot of video's showing people owning owls. Shown here.

xNightOwlx

Shenshen wrote: »

I've been to two falconers this year, and both were cursing Harry Potter for having popularised owls as pets...
They are not pets. You need to have training and skill to handle them, you need a lot of space to allow them to fly, they're difficult to train and can get aggressive.
And once the private owl-lover has traumatised the bird by keeping it in a cage all day long (in one case apparently in the cupboard under the stairs, assuming that owls love the dark after all), there are very few charities with the facilities of taking the birds.
In the case of some species (the ones not protected in Ireland, but non-native) they may need to be put down as they cannot be released into the wild.

Seriously, don't. If you like owls, do them a favour and don't buy one.

And yes i understand the amount of training required and i really want to do it all because im willing to learn everything. Ive always admired and adored owls

xNightOwlx

zef wrote: »

"Like' and 'legal' are two different things altogether.

Well i understand that, But im pretty sure there are owls such as barn owls legal in ireland. there was no reason for Ailishcrehan to go over board saying
"If you don't know which owls are legal to own in Ireland, then you shouldn't have one."

loveisdivine

Just because some people have them as pets doesnt mean they are actually suitable as pets. Sure some people keep monkeys and all kinds of endangered animals, doesnt mean they should.

The owl doesnt need to be domesticated, it lives perfectly well in the wild. Of what benefit is it to anyone, to start breeding them so people can have them as pets.

An owls natural habitat, like any bird, includes the vastness of the sky. Flying wherever it wants too, whenever it wants too. That cannot be replicated by us.

xNightOwlx

loveisdivine wrote: »

Just because some people have them as pets doesnt mean they are actually suitable as pets. Sure some people keep monkeys and all kinds of endangered animals, doesnt mean they should.

The owl doesnt need to be domesticated, it lives perfectly well in the wild. Of what benefit is it to anyone, to start breeding them so people can have them as pets.

An owls natural habitat, like any bird, includes the vastness of the sky. Flying wherever it wants too, whenever it wants too. That cannot be replicated by us.

That's like saying that to people which have pet foxes and pet racoons which is insane.. very exotic animals for pets even such as eagle hawks and Fennec Foxes. As i said im willing to participate in all the training, im keen on doing this, its pretty much a goal for me. i even have a friend over in America that keeps a Owl in his home and takes care after it, i believe he adopted one.

magicbastarder

Barn Owls as pets
We do not consider that Barn Owls make good pets.
Feathers are not designed for stroking - it reduces their
natural waterproofing. Barn Owls have sharp talons
and strong feet which can inflict deep puncture wounds
and scratches. It is not a good idea to keep fully grown
healthy Barn Owls indoors unless you want your
curtains and furniture upholstery streaked with long
white droppings and your ornaments knocked over.
If you want a pet that can be stroked and cuddled then
you are far better off keeping a cat, dog, rabbit or
guinea-pig which are by nature sociable animals.

from:
http://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/content_images/pdf/Considering_a_Captive_Barn_Owl_30.pdf

loveisdivine

Yes and I dont think people should keep foxes or racoons either.

We domesticated the dog and look whats happened, thousands sat unwanted in rescues. Same as cats and virtually every other animal we have domesticated. Do we really need to domesticate any mroe species?

I dont think anyone can really provide an adequate home for an owl. It might look like they can, because the owl looks "happy enough". But in no way can you recreate the natural habitat and behaviours of an owl. Unless you own a very large sanctuary or something.

Where do you think breeders of said owls are getting their originals owls to breed from, from? Taken form the wild most likely, like a lot of other exotic species.

Shenshen

xNightOwlx wrote: »

And yes i understand the amount of training required and i really want to do it all because im willing to learn everything. Ive always admired and adored owls

In that case, I would suggest spending a lot of time in a falconry first. I'm sure most would be happy enough to have someone helping with the birds and learning about them.

If after a few months you feel that the farm you live on is big and remote enough, that you will have the money for the equipment and food, that you don't plan on going on holidays for the next few decades, that you have adequate shelter for the bird and a vet who knows about birds of prey living within reasonable distance, that may be a good moment to decide about getting a bird for yourself.


Do not, and I cannot stress this enough, do not ask for this sort of advise online and then go buy an owl on the basis that you'll learn as you go along.

norrie rugger

Ailishcrehan wrote: »

If you don't know which owls are legal to own in Ireland, then you shouldn't have one.

Ahh wait now. Not that I am condoning the owning of owls, as pets, but people do not automatically know these things and need to research to get information.

I did not know anything about keeping tropical fish or what fish went well together, until I researched fish keeping.

Shenshen

norrie rugger wrote: »

Ahh wait now. Not that I am condoning the owning of owls, as pets, but people do not automatically know these things and need to research to get information.

I did not know anything about keeping tropical fish or what fish went well together, until I researched fish keeping.

Did you do your research on an online forum, and purchased the fish based on that advise?

norrie rugger

Shenshen wrote: »

Did you do your research on an online forum, and purchased the fish based on that advise?

I began my research on the ITFS website tbh. Based around their experiences and replies I then decided that this was something that I would like to pursue further. I then started researching the particular fish and cycling tanks etc, between that site and others, finally then decided on the fish to start with. I ran this selection by the LFS to confirm compatibility and then had my aquarium.

Everyone has to start somewhere.
Again keeping owls = bad; but that is just my opinion.

Ailishcrehan

xNightOwlx wrote: »

Now hold on what does that have to do with anything that's rude. Thats like me saying to you if you dont know what kind of dog or cat you like then your not getting one!.

actually, that is not a very good comparison now is it?

An animal that is doing a great job all by itself in the wild, helping the eco system, keeping nature balanced, serving its purpose, living its life, soaring the skies etc, should NOT be domesticated just because you like owls. Go buy a stuffed owl, read a book about owls, volunteer in a wildlife sanctuary that has owls, dress up as an owl...don't GET one.

Indricotherium

Ailishcrehan wrote: »

xNightOwlx wrote: »

Now hold on what does that have to do with anything that's rude. Thats like me saying to you if you dont know what kind of dog or cat you like then your not getting one!.

actually, that is not a very good comparison now is it?

An animal that is doing a great job all by itself in the wild, helping the eco system, keeping nature balanced, serving its purpose, living its life, soaring the skies etc, should NOT be domesticated just because you like owls. Go buy a stuffed owl, read a book about owls, volunteer in a wildlife sanctuary that has owls, dress up as an owl...don't GET one.

You could probably extend that argument to dogs and cats and other animals that people keep as pets.

I don't see why it only applies to owls.

Your assuming an owl enjoys flying around more than dogs and cats enjoy running around.

dbrock

there are a couple of guys in the hunting forum who have birds of prey, maybe try over there you might get a response from someone who has kept owls before,

xNightOwlx

dbrock wrote: »

there are a couple of guys in the hunting forum who have birds of prey, maybe try over there you might get a response from someone who has kept owls before,

Thank you dbrock,
ill do more research into it and head over to the forums.

Ailishcrehan

Indricotherium wrote: »

You could probably extend that argument to dogs and cats and other animals that people keep as pets.

I don't see why it only applies to owls.

Your assuming an owl enjoys flying around more than dogs and cats enjoy running around.

Cats and dogs are domesticated so it is completely different. Also, most cats have free run of gardens to explore the natural instinctive habits, dogs are in the most part exercised by their owners.

I am not assuming an owl enjoys flying around more than dogs and cats enjoy running around...flying is a huge part of life for a bird with WINGS and removing that priviledge by keeping the bird in captivity is in my opinion, insanity!

jellybaby21

Hi all I wasn't going to post on this thread but here goes.
It seams to me there are people posting and not really knowing what they are talking about.Lets just take owls soaring the sky for an example.When do you see owls soar?Lets just take a barn owl for an example.It mainly fly's at dusk and dawn.So my question is what does it do all day?And lets just take birds of prey as a whole.A bird of prey is happy to sit in a tree for most of the day and then just fly to hunt and this is one of the big reasons why myself as falconer can keep and hunt with a hawk.

Now to the op,there are alot of questions you have to ask yourself.
1 do i have the time to look after an owl?
2Do I know enough about keeping an owl to go and get one?
3what do I want to do with my owl when I get it?
4am I going to fly my owl every day?
5do I know avian vet near me if anything goes wrong?
Now that is just 5 questions and there are alot more.If you cant answer yes honestly to all the yes or no questions I have posted then you should put off getting an owl for now and do alot of research.A good book to start with is understanding owls by jemima parry-jones.

This is Buddy my daughters barn owl.He is in mid moult now so not looking he best.

mockler007

xNightOwlx wrote: »

What type of Owls are legal in Ireland?
Because im planning on adopting one after i obtain my Licence to own one.
Thanks for taking your time to view this.

give trevor a ring, at a price of course he will train you. he is from Dublin but based in north co.dublin.
google dublinfalconry, he has 10 owls, aswel as eagles and falcons but to be honest you need space, and a huge outdoor aviary
ive flown owls before, an eagle owl and barn owl
most people on here haven't a clue what they are talking about,
also as you use a leather glove to handle them, to prevent you getting punctured,
barn owls need a lot of attention as they are very loving, if their mate dies they die of a broken heart a few months later,
you need to be very vigulant when feeding, weighing them,
you can import feed from holland ie baby chickens and mice, they can eat a lot.

Karl Stein

I've always thought the desire to keep any bird as a pet bizarre. The things are designed to fly and be free and along comes a dumb human and puts them in a ****ty little cage.

Weird. Truly weird.

dodderangler

Cathal Cloch wrote: »

I've always thought the desire to keep any bird as a pet bizarre. The things are designed to fly and be free and along comes a dumb human and puts them in a ****ty little cage.

Weird. Truly weird.

As opposed to what?
A snake not being let roam free and hunt?
A fish in a small tank?
A dog in a back garden?

Some animals out there are just not suited to being free anymore.
My Harris hawk would survive in the wild.
More than likely thrive in the wild. But she is happy in her mews and is nearly ready to be flown again as she's been moulting for past 5 months nearly.
She enjoys been out and comes back when I call.
I developed a bond with her when I got her and I wouldn't have it any other way.
The enjoyment of being out with her is something most people will never get to experience. It's nt always about her getting a kill. Somedays she gets a kill other days nothing is about but even seeing her flying about using the air currents to glide 40-50 feet over my head or into the sun wings fully stretched is sometimes more enjoyable to see them doing what they naturally do.

Capercaille

dodderangler wrote: »

As opposed to what?
A snake not being let roam free and hunt?
A fish in a small tank?
A dog in a back garden?

Some animals out there are just not suited to being free anymore.
My Harris hawk would survive in the wild.
More than likely thrive in the wild. But she is happy in her mews and is nearly ready to be flown again as she's been moulting for past 5 months nearly.
She enjoys been out and comes back when I call.
I developed a bond with her when I got her and I wouldn't have it any other way.
The enjoyment of being out with her is something most people will never get to experience. It's nt always about her getting a kill. Somedays she gets a kill other days nothing is about but even seeing her flying about using the air currents to glide 40-50 feet over my head or into the sun wings fully stretched is sometimes more enjoyable to see them doing what they naturally do.

I'd like to see a Harris Hawk(Bay winged hawk) in the wild, seeing one in captivity is like seeing a shadow of the real thing.