European Eagle Owls

[Lamby]

I am looking for a European Eagle owl but have been given conflicting advice - some say 'Parent reared' - others say 'Hand reared' would better for the sort of work that I do. The owl will be handled by young children and nervous adults. I am interested in seeking opinions from forum members and suggestions as to where to purchase a bird.

[Cyclone]

i would say hand reared is probley the best for young children but thats my opinion because i have seen some very good owls that have been branchers
cyclone

[Renton]

if your looking for somthing for kids to handel then why not go for a barn owl there a lot more forgiving of the cack handed

And a lot safer than an EEO! A male EEO is going to weigh somewhere around 4lbs and females considerably more; they are large and very powerful birds, not a good prospect for the uninitiated. Hand reared every time, buy one at 6-8 weeks old and keep it in the house for 3-4 weeks to imprint it properly. Stand by for one hell of a lot of mess. :D :D :D

[Tim Laycock]

F*** that! To quote someone else on this list
"Just imagine the talon piercing under your chin, Then coming up through the roof of your mouth to meet the one thats coming down through your eye socket"
Still fancy playing with EEOwls?............Good luck :!:

If you let a child anywhere near one you need your head examined :roll:

[Bubo]

i have to agree with Blackbird i'm afraid an eeo is not for nervous people and not for children. I would reconsider your choice of owl. I dont mean to be rude when i ask this question but have you experience yourself whilst working with owls?

[Lamby]

I have a number of years experience flying and hunting hawks - HH's and RT's but no experience with owls. I think you have convinced me 'Blackbird' to stay away from an EEO

[Dave G]

hi lamby a mate of mine has various owls bengals ,snowys, african spotted, barn owls and says the best temperment are the african spotteds and they are not a bad size bigger than the barn owl which is a great bird too but owls are better hand reared at about 4 weeks other wise they are hard work to train :wink:

[MickeyDredd]

Bengal every time, in my opinion. Similar looking to the EEO but better size and temperament for the type of people you wish to expose it to. As RHH says barn owl is a bit on the small side for the job and not as "robust" as the Bengal. (sorry Bubo).

[Dave G]

as mickey says the bengal are sound birds too , but need to hand rear mates got 2 one he rushed out as couldnt wait was brought at 4 months old and cannot touch it in any shape or form the second bengal hand reared from 4 weeks and as soft as a brush but the female is still a big bird for kids to handle and has big feet

[Tim Laycock]

My work is done :lol: :wink:
Dont get me wrong, Its not that I dislike Eagle owls But they are tempramental in the same way an any eagle and can inflict a great deal of damage if the wish to do so(And they frequently do)
It is a shame that they are so readily available and the price tag does not reflect the respect that is definatly due.
I know a lot of muppets that have bought them in a kind of "Oooh thats big" "what a cute bird" kind of way(Some on this list<btw)
Raised wrongly thay are tantamount to a big pile of death! and raised correctly they can quite easily turn out the same way!!!
Any poor handling technique with an EEOwl will eventualy be visited back upon the handler by way of a savage bloodletting :shock:

[Osiris]

Personnally i have had no problems with the EEOs that i have had and so i would say go for it. But since reading this thread, and seeing that you wanted a EEO for children and nervous adults, maybe its not a good idea. Bengals are gr8 owls, but you need to spend more and more time with them than any other owl i would say. They can be really bad tempered and i would still say that they are still a bit too large/heavy for the younger children. I would say get either a female Tawny, or male Ural. Ural from Strix family but a bit bigger than the Tawny.

[MickeyDredd]

Osiris

I haven't found bengals to be a problem if raised and handled correctly, if they are going to be handled regularly and exposed to lots of people as Lamby seems to suggest then this also helps, its usually when they are not interacting with humans regularly that they go a bit temperamental. RHH's post is testimony to how things go wrong!

A male of course would be the best option due to size for small kids but, depending on Lambys intentions, if it is for educational purposes and not financial reward I do not see the need to have a bird on a kids fist when having it on Lambys glove whilst giving a talk will give them just as much exposure to the bird. Just my opinion, and as I say lamby may have good reason why the bird will be handled e.g. special needs kids and adults, etc

The Ural is probably too hard to come by and too expensive for Lambys requirements, but if he wants to go exotic and has pots of cash I'll sell him a great grey :wink: .

[Osiris]

lol - if my friend was keeping her urals, we could sell one to him :) but they are expensive!!

I totally agree with you about bengals m8. If handled appropriately and well enough then they are gr8 birds! But i prefer the EEO or Mackinder's and the Tawny :D:D

[Bubo]

mickey i totally agree mate! i was actually going to put that about the barnies but thought i had put dampers on enough lately. even though they are a nice size for children they are not the best 'show' birds on the contrary, they much prefer to be kept off the scene. bengals are a good choice they are sound birds when correctly reared and trained. Tawnies are just beautiful oh dear dont get me started haha.

[Lamby]

Both Kids and Adults are special needs and I take the point about the bird remaining on my fist but it is/was my intention to allow my clients to stroke the feathers etc - still manageable I guess

[MickeyDredd]

Lamby, still very manageable - not great for the birds plumage but I do understand the benefits which can be gained by special needs individuals having exposure to and contact with owls so I'm not having a go in any way.

Just be very careful as sometimes special needs people have a tendancy to grab the bird - and I do mean Grab :lol:

[Bubo]

Lamby, still very manageable - not great for the birds plumage but I do understand the benefits which can be gained by special needs individuals having exposure to and contact with owls so I'm not having a go in any way.

Just be very careful as sometimes special needs people have a tendancy to grab the bird - and I do mean Grab :lol:

very good point there! mickey. as you get to train your owl you will also get to understand him and anticipate their reactions so having this thorough understanding of both owl and people you are working with will make it easier on you and you will know what is and what is not possible to do or expect from your owl. do keep us posted on this mate and any doubts just yell out.

bubo

[MickeyDredd]

Lamby

African spotted for sale on another thread if you are interested.

[Lamby]

Thanks MD but i've already have a 2yr old male - not hand reared unfortunately. Thanks to all - good advice

[Holliedale]

2004 youngster, African spotted eagle owl male, HR, easy to handle, sweet little fellow, needs good loving long term home, ideal for breeding/ flying ect. only for sale as related to mine. £175 ono