If you are an individual who gains great pleasure from observing our wild crows and ravens, you may feel the eventual desire to "own" one as a pet. First and foremost, ALL native passerines are prohibited from being kept (North American migratory bird treaty) unless the individual is properly licensed for rehabilitation or as an educator. There are non-native
crows and ravens that are available, but I feel a potential keeper should be aware of a few drawbacks in comparison to keeping other birds, such as parrots. Although,in opposition to the drawbacks, if the above can be incorporated into an individual's life style, corvids become extremely attached and bonded to their keepers and will bring great pleasure to those who have the honor of being a member of their flock.
Feeding corvids is quite easy, because by nature
they are omnivorous opportunists that have evolved
to take advantage of the food sources available. In
captivity, I use a base diet of a good quality dog chow
(soaked) such as Pedigree, upon which I build the following ingredients in an attempt to round out the
diet. The ingredients used are as follows : Thawed
frozen peas and carrots, and corn, parrot seed, mynah
pellets, Pretty Bird large parrot pellets, Cheerios,
pasta, and a dusting of Prime vitamins. As treats I
offer sandwich meat, tunafish, crackers, apples,
blueberries, blackberries, and the occasional thawed
frozen "fuzzy".
Another interesting bit of information for the new
owner of a handfed corvid - 'be careful what you wish for, you just may get it!'. A tame corvid, besides being a huge responsibility, is about the most demanding pet I have ever owned. These birds desire to be the center of your universe and they command tireless attention. Sometimes just cleaning in the bird room reminds me of how the workers on the Panama Canal must have felt with the mosquito infestations. Depending on one's mood, and the quality of one's day, having a bird CONSTANTLY flying onto your shoulder (if atop it's cage) or painfully nipping the back of your leg (if on terra firma) for not receiving your undivided attention can be either cute or extremely irritating!
Also, I don't believe these birds take well to "boarding" while on vacation, with house sitting ALWAYS being the best option. Just a bit to consider before taking the leap..
1)Corvids have an incredibly high energy level and need much distraction and stimulation in their environment -constant creativity is a must. 2)Corvids can and will make an enormous mess - items are ripped, torn, shredded, thrown, flung, smeared, and squished everywhere! 3) Corvids tend to defecate far more frequently than their parrot counterparts.
