# Pet crow/raven



## Juggernaut

Does anyone have one? Does anyone know where to get one? Are they covered by some kind of law? Do they make good pets?

I hear they are the smartest of birds and I love the black plumage, so I'm just putting the feelers out.


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## daikenkai

Well they're smelly and loud for one thing...although my boy was very loving and intelligent you have to be prepared for a hell of a mess. Never seen another bird that can poop like a crow can.


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## Juggernaut

Would you say they made a good pet? I would love a bird of some sort and crows, ravens and magpies are my faves, but if they are truly wild birds I wont dwell on the idea.


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## Ssthisto

Juggernaut said:


> Does anyone have one? Does anyone know where to get one? Are they covered by some kind of law? Do they make good pets?
> 
> I hear they are the smartest of birds and I love the black plumage, so I'm just putting the feelers out.


Yes, native Ravens are covered by laws (which I believe specifically forbid ownership), as are native crows (although the laws regarding carrion crows do seem to indicate you can get a general license to "kill or take" them if they're on your property and causing damage).

If I had the space and time I would be very interested in trying to obtain a hand-reared _exotic_ crow/raven (like a white-necked raven or a pied crow - since my "dream corvid" _Calocitta formosa_ does not seem to be generally available) so that the legal issues around keeping native species are rendered moot - but you'd need to find a breeder.

Conversely, someone on the forum recently posted that they'd obtained two pairs of captive-bred jackdaws... maybe that's something to look into?


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## Juggernaut

Ssthisto said:


> Yes, native Ravens are covered by laws (which I believe specifically forbid ownership), as are native crows (although the laws regarding carrion crows do seem to indicate you can get a general license to "kill or take" them if they're on your property and causing damage).
> 
> If I had the space and time I would be very interested in trying to obtain a hand-reared _exotic_ crow/raven (like a white-necked raven or a pied crow - since my "dream corvid" _Calocitta formosa_ does not seem to be generally available) so that the legal issues around keeping native species are rendered moot - but you'd need to find a breeder.
> 
> Conversely, someone on the forum recently posted that they'd obtained two pairs of captive-bred jackdaws... maybe that's something to look into?


Thank you, some interesting food for thought. I kind of guessed they would be protected or something like that, shame though. Ill have to look into jackdaws, maybe even minah birds


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## eco_tonto

You can own ravens, they need to be captive bred and require A10 papers.

There is a chap in wales who breeds them but you looking to the tune of £600-1000 for one.

They take a lot of hard work to train (due to there levels of intellect) and you would need to get one as a chick to ensure it is well imprinted. (a parent reared bird would be useless as a 'pet'.

My recommendation would be a magpie, they train well and can be very rewarding birds to work with.

Failing that possibly a kookaburra, they are good fun.


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## Rosiemum

daikenkai said:


> Well they're smelly and loud for one thing...although my boy was very loving and intelligent you have to be prepared for a hell of a mess. Never seen another bird that can poop like a crow can.


I'll second that! I looked after a fledgling that was bought into the vets until I could get him to a rescue center. He was very intelligent, very cute, and I would love to have been able to keep him, but it just wouldn't have been fair on him, quite apart from the legality of it all. But poop? I sometimes wondered why I didn't just chuck his food straight onto the floor of his cage and cut out the middleman!

(I called him Elliot because I half-remembered a page of English language notes from my O-levels, and I was sure T. S. Elliot had written a poem about starlings. Turns out it was about thrushes, and it was by Ted Hughes, but never mind, Elliot was a good name anyway... )😊


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## Kare

Rosiemum said:


> (I called him Elliot because I half-remembered a page of English language notes from my O-levels, and I was sure T. S. Elliot had written a poem about starlings. Turns out it was about thrushes, and it was by Ted Hughes, but never mind, Elliot was a good name anyway... 😊 )


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## madsmum

My uncle had one when I was growing up...cant remember which but was definitely one of either a crow or raven. It was so clever used to imitate the phone and flew at a letter coming through the box etc. Was very very smelly and very messy though. It was a kind of kid to my uncle as he couldn't have kids of his own and he used to kiss him good night so guess they do make ace pets. I remember my uncle used to live between a few countries because of his job and the bird did more flight in air cargo then free!


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## Zoo-Man

I didn't think you needed a license or anything to keep a Carrion Crow or Magpie as they are classed as vermin.


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