Corvids?

[Ryiinn]

Has anyone here had any experience with caring for any type of corvids? I have a friend who has a crow that he rehabbed and successfuly keeps as a pet, and I've been looking into the possibility of purchasing a legal African White Necked Raven.

I've been reading up on general corvid behaviour and care for quite some time now, and the general consensus is that due to their extremely high intelligence and mannerisms, any corvid kept as a pet requires attention and stimulation beyond most other types of birds.

Does anyone have any experiences with any kind of corvid (especially ravens)? This is something that I would most likely not do immediately (as ravens are extremely expensive and I want to research them more), but its something that I am looking into for the future.

Thanks

[mr squeaks]

There ARE members who are familiar with Ravens and Crows....stay tuned...

[TAWhatley]

Hi Ryiinn,

Welcome to Pigeon-Talk! It's great to see you here! We "know" each other from the crows list. We do have a couple of members here who are especially "into" corvids .. one is sort of on a vacation from the board right now and the other is a very busy young lady .. hopefully one or both will be here soon to reply to you.

I sometimes have crows or ravens (wild ones) here for a few days awaiting transport to my rehabber friend who holds the necessary permits for rehabbing them. They truly are interesting birds and quite, quite intelligent. I, too, have been sorely tempted to save my pennies (lots of them) with the idea of having an exotic raven at some point.

Having two parrots (a hybrid Moluccan/Umbrella and an African Grey), I can tell you that birds that are very intelligent do bring some very interesting challenges to their caretakers. Both Lucas (the Mobrella) and Junebug (the CAG) have absolutely astonished me at times.

Terry

[Ryiinn]

I've hear that a raven's wingspan can peak over 5 feet. With the ravens you acquired at the shelter, how much space did they require?

[maryjane]

Not an expert on either, but I had a friend who had an unreleasable crow growing up (he had one wing amputated). He was quite tame and kind of like having a two-year-old with feathers. They are along the lines of large parrots, which need a lot (a lot!!) of attention and time to keep them from being bored. At my last job I had a flock over the space of a few years who came every day to eat at my window. The dad would come into my office and sit on the desk or windowsill while his "wife" and kids would sit on the slanted roof outside, every day (several times a day). They are fascinating and so intelligent! I would say care-wise, they're up above a dog or cat and at least up there with parrots and two-year-olds. They become bonded with their human, as parrots do, but also like other members of the family and friends. If I think of anything else I'll add it. Good luck!