Also known as the European or Eurasian eagle owl, the eagle owl is one of the largest owls in the world having a size larger than the Great Horned and Snowy. As pets, they are some of the most loyal and kind companions you can ever get as a Hogwarts student. Concerning their quality of work delivering mail, eagle owls are perfect for students who need to deliver small to large letters or packages as they can quickly deliver in time with their large wingspans and can fly both during the day and at night. Fortunately, these loyal hardworking companions are available to all years on WoP in Eeylops Owl Emporium at Diagon Alley.

Fun Fact!

Did you know eagle owls are monogamous meaning that they only have one partner in their lifetime and use the same nesting site for several years like us humans.

How to Take Care of Them

Food:

Being as massive creatures as they are, in the extreme, eagle owls have been known to prey large animals from young deer to hares to other large birds like herons. Occasionally, they also eat reptiles, fish, and insects, so the diet of eagle owls is pretty broad, perfect for anyone who doesn’t want to handle a picky eater. Although I will not condone anyone who feeds their eagle owls large animals(it’s the circle of life), I do not recommend sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest during school to bring back a dead rabbit because somehow I don’t think that will work out. Instead, you can have your owl go hunting on its own or feed it some of the many meats in the Great Hall. If you wish to reward your eagle owl for all the hard work it has done, you can also feed it the owl forage available in Eeylops Owl Emporium.

Shelter:

If you wish to have a shelter for your eagle owl or if you don’t want your eagle owl to go after your smaller pets, I recommend buying a large owl cage for you owl to retreat to after its flight back. A cage would also be a good idea for any travelers out there. You can buy owl cages at Eeylops Owl Emporium.

Danger:

Eagle owls are generally not aggressive which is why first years are able to adopt one as opposed to the other owls available in the WoP shop. However, if you do own any small pets such as mice, rats, or toads, they might become intimidated by the giant owl so be prepared to have a calming mechanism for your small pets.

What is it Like Having One as a Pet?

Dakota, my eagle owl, was my very first owl. I adopted her during my first year because I have always heard from older students how owls made great pets at Hogwarts. Even though I knew that Hogwarts provided school owls to the students, I wanted to be able to have one as a close companion and not only as a mode of message delivery. Dakota is very well mannered and has a very reserved kind personality. Even though eagle owls prey on almost all of my pets, somehow Dakota never seemed to really care about their presence and usually avoid my mice and toad. I can’t say the same for my two mice but I think they are slowly getting used to the presence of owls in the room (It helps to cover up their cage every once in a while). My cats, however, really love Dakota and would sometimes roll balls back and forth between the two. To anyone out there who wants to adopt an eagle owl as their first pet, I say go for it.

Thanks for reading this installment of The Pet Corner! If you wish for me to mention a specific pet, please comment below or owl me and remember to write down the specific species if applicable.

This blog post has been written by:

Hannah Windsor