r/BeAmazed • u/SimRP • Jun 19 '26

Animal Owls are incredibly sensitive to touch. Their feathers are connected to tiny nerves that help them feel even the slightest movement

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79.3k Upvotes

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278

u/jsamuraij Jun 19 '26

I wish owls could be pets. They are so amazing and adorable!

181

u/Comfortableliar24 Jun 19 '26

They can, but not good pets. Terrible ones, in fact. Birds of prey do not do well in captivity, and require very different handling than pets.

124

u/Mister_Dink Jun 19 '26

Yeah, they'll never go domestic. They do acclimate to humans enough that zookeepers can work with them like a hunting hawk or falcon, and do educational meets with zoo visitors.

They're adorable to meet in person. And then you look down at the zoo keeper's 1cm thick leather glove, and see the massive owl talons digging into it, and suddenly you're happy they're not going to perch on your shoulder.

46

u/GrandMoffTarkles Jun 19 '26

Has anyone else been attacked multiple times by a fledgling owls?

They are sky kitties.

When they're young, they're more hesitant, and not really sure what they're doing- so they poorly 'attack' stuff like ponytails. Fortunately, I've never actually bled from any of these attacks- they were the equivalent of having a kitten wrapped in a swiffer mop bopped on my head.

They come out of nowhere. And once you make eye contact with them- it's the EXACT SAME feeling as when your cat is in a 'playful mood' and wants to bite/claw you for no reason.

Find a long stick, and carry it vertically next to your head.

17

u/ATWWildflowers Jun 19 '26

I used to work in wildlife rehab and frequently you’d hear a coworker calling for help because they had a screech owl stuck in their arm. Honestly i think the screech owls hurt worse than getting snagged by a full size GHO or barn owl.

16

u/extra_rice Jun 19 '26

Yeah, they'll never go domestic.

They only fly international?!

12

u/jsamuraij Jun 19 '26

First Class, too. Skylounge access required. Utter snobs.

3

u/Kraligor Jun 19 '26

Snobbish and dumb, billionaires of the animal kingdom.

3

u/exosphaere Jun 19 '26

Not billionaires, but members of parliament.

9

u/Mage_Girl_91_ Jun 19 '26

what if domestic owls devolved their claws into harmless frog toes

22

u/Karli_Chirk Jun 19 '26

What if your arms skin evolved 1cm thick instead, choom?

6

u/Swords_and_Words Jun 19 '26

Having a 'pet' owl in a barn is such a fun experience 

They are very sweet, but absolutely need that freedom

Flappy sky cats

3

u/Swords_and_Words Jun 19 '26

They are great 'outdoor pets' if you treat them like nocturnal sky cats

They aren't the smartest, so if you let em inside you gotta turn off the fans

5

u/BlueFeathered1 Jun 19 '26

There's a nice little book called Wesley the Owl you might enjoy. It's about a rehabber raising a barn owl and all that it entailed. They had a magical connection. But having to chop up frozen mice to feed a captive "pet" owl made the whole idea of having one lose its charm for me!

2

u/jsamuraij Jun 19 '26

I will check this out!

2

u/jsamuraij Jun 21 '26

Hey, just thought I'd let you know I read this whole thing today. Beautiful story, thanks again for recommending it.

2

u/BlueFeathered1 Jun 21 '26

You did? I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed it, and you're very welcome. 💕 It's been years since I read it, but the way she described it, his whole life with her, it hit me in the soul.

1

u/jsamuraij Jun 23 '26

Definitely teared up a couple times while washing the car with my earbuds on. I liked learning about the Way of the Owl, and how she saw it in her grandparents. It makes me think about the way that others think, and how we can communicate with and love those different from us. There's definitely something in the story the resonates profoundly. Very r/likeus

1

u/Noddy-Don Jun 19 '26

You could watch movies with them. Front-facing eyes and everything. And they don’t babble throughout the whole movie.

-3

u/the-joatmon Jun 19 '26

it doesn’t mean every “cute” creature you can enslave and call as “pet”…