How to Care for Horned Owls in Captivity

Provide adequate nutrition. Owls are strictly carnivorous, and have been known to attack animals as small as an ant and as large as themselves or even larger. In captivity, horned owls are fed small rodents such as mice, rats, as well as small birds. They swallow their food whole, and later regurgitate the fur, bones and other indigestible fragments in clumps called pellets.

Ensure the horned owl has an appropriate shelter and nesting area. Owls that are imprinted on humans have a tough time living outdoors in a bird pen. They often live indoors with their foster parent or rehabilitator. The home they share will need to be cleaned frequently, since horned owls are constantly shedding feathers and regurgitating pellets. They don't like to make their own nests, so in captivity they should be provided with nesting platforms and plenty of places to perch.

Supervise and assist in reproduction. Female horned owls begin incubating their clutch of eggs earlier than most birds, often before spring has officially begun. After about a month, the baby owls will hatch and be completely dependent on their parents or human caretakers for food for approximately three months until they learn to fend for themselves. Around December, they begin roosting together. Mated pairs call to each other from different branches or perches. If an owl forms a strong attachment to its human handler, it may consider him a mate and call to him.

Limit physical contact with the horned owl. Owls are not fond of human handling. Even imprinted horned owls will most often not react appreciatively to petting. Even though some horned owls might look fluffty and snuggly, they are likely to nip at anyone getting too friendly, even their human foster parents. Horned owls are very vocal, however, using their distinctive hoots to find and communicate with their mates. Because they're nocturnal, a horned owl in mating season will wake up a light-sleeping handler all through the night with their hooting calls.