Buying Ostrich Help

[Ostrich25]

Hi everyone, i really like ostriches, and ostrich-like birds, but can't seem to know of any other ones. If anyone knows of a bird similar to ostriches, but smaller, please tell me.

I have a few questions:

1. What is the lifespan?

2. What is the smallest species?

3. What kind of ostrich is his? Apperantly its a "dwarf" ostrich:

4. I want to keep the ostrich in my house, kinda like a dog... Or in my backyard... How long does it tKe for them to reach a "reasonable" size, like the size i showed in the picture above.

5 any other good-looking flightless/semi-flightless/land/semi-land birds?

Thanks.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The smallest related species is the Rhea from South America. In between is Emu from Australia.
I'm not aware of a dwarf ostrich.
I'm trying to picture a house ostrich. I'd say about 10 minutes before it destroys the entire house.

 

[Ostrich25]

Lol @chickencanoe. Im a beginner so i don't know much about ostrichs or other birds. I've seen rheas, cassowarys, and emus, but they don't appeal to me like ostriches. So, no one keeps ostriches in the house? If not, where could I keep them like what kind of housing do they require? What are some really good-looking land birds/semi or fully flightless birds? They don't even have to be ostrich like.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Please research your chosen species in depth prior to make any plans to acquire such.
Ostriches are 6 feet tall, they spit, they're cantankerous, can kick like a horse and do so regularly.
An ostrich could reasonably be housed similar to a horse - a stall and barnyard/pasture.
Would you keep your horse in the house?

 

[Ostrich25]

Ha! But not all ostriches are 6 feet tall. If i got an ostrich the size of the one in that pic, could I keep it in my house, or is it still too large. And, aviaries are good too, if they're big. Can you keep chickens in the house?

 

[Nicophorus]

The ostrich pic you posted is of an ostrich that is about to sit down or something and just looks a lot shorter then he really is. Or he is deformed and/or the pic is photo shopped. There is no "dwarf" ostrich, they are all big animals.

Second, if you kept it in the house it would quickly hurt itself pecking at everything and destroying the interior, also would spread manure, filth, urine all around the house. If by that point you still kept it in the house you have a high chance of someone calling the police on you for cruelty to animals and we will soon see you on the next episode of Animal Hoarders.

Like someone said, think about horses and talk to friends/neighbors that own horses. What they need for one horse you will need for one Ostrich. Except you will not be able to keep your Ostrich in a stall all day unless you want it to slowly get weaker, sicken, and die.


I think your idea of getting a pet chicken is a good one, get a pet chicken and let it run around your house and let us know how that goes.

 

[Ostrich25]

Nicophorus, in your pic, there is a small white animal, what is that? Also, I like animals that are like chickens, but was never too fond of chickens. I like flightless (or semi flightless) land (or semi land) birds. Also, for an ostrich, from when they are born, how much do they grow per month?

 

[Nicophorus]

Its a young emu.

As for your ostrich question, they grow fast.

If you want a pet flightless bird and have at least 1/2 acre pen to keep it in, a Emu is the best choice. Best personality. Do a lot of reading , get some books on Emu care, before you get one. And no you can never keep a adult emu in the house.

If you do not have at least 1/2 acre of fenced pen to keep the Emu in, then you don't have the resources to keep it humanely and should shoot for a smaller animal like some Turkey or Geese, etc.

Whatever you get, educate yourself on the animal first and make sure you have the facilities set up for it before you get it. Can't emphasize that enough.

 

[casuarius]

With all the information at hand online within the click of a button, it always amazes me at what people come on here and ask as opposed to just googling the information right away haha. Your question is almost so hilarious that I kept wondering if you were joking, because anyone should know better. Im not trying to be rude or make fun, just the idea of a Ostrich being kept in the house is simply not very bright. First of all, no Ostrich is 6 ft, they range from 7-9 ft tall, and 300-480 lbs. They are not intelligent animals at all, and cannot in anyway be potty trained or disciplined. They do not spit, but they can kick with a powerful enough force to break the neck of a grown Lion, and they will. The hoof like claws they have can rip chunks out of your chest and stomach if one decided to attack you. Biggest reasons they attack humans are being cornered, protecting eggs or chicks, and enraged testosterone during breeding season within males. As Nicophorus already mentioned, they will quickly destroy your house, and crap all over it. A birds metabolism is 7 times faster than a humans, and they will crap several times every hour, so how would you keep that cleaned up? You cant put a giant bird that you have no control over in a diaper. Ostriches are plains birds, and live in large open grasslands to run, graze, and keep healthy. If you dont have a large enough area for this, they will cost alot to feed, & their legs will grow crooked to the point that they may have to be killed. This also applies to Emus and Rheas, they are just not as large.

 

[Stynch]

With all the information at hand online within the click of a button, it always amazes me at what people come on here and ask as opposed to just googling the information right away haha. Your question is almost so hilarious that I kept wondering if you were joking, because anyone should know better. Im not trying to be rude or make fun, just the idea of a Ostrich being kept in the house is simply not very bright. First of all, no Ostrich is 6 ft, they range from 7-9 ft tall, and 300-480 lbs. They are not intelligent animals at all, and cannot in anyway be potty trained or disciplined. They do not spit, but they can kick with a powerful enough force to break the neck of a grown Lion, and they will. The hoof like claws they have can rip chunks out of your chest and stomach if one decided to attack you. Biggest reasons they attack humans are being cornered, protecting eggs or chicks, and enraged testosterone during breeding season within males. As Nicophorus already mentioned, they will quickly destroy your house, and crap all over it. A birds metabolism is 7 times faster than a humans, and they will crap several times every hour, so how would you keep that cleaned up? You cant put a giant bird that you have no control over in a diaper. Ostriches are plains birds, and live in large open grasslands to run, graze, and keep healthy. If you dont have a large enough area for this, they will cost alot to feed, & their legs will grow crooked to the point that they may have to be killed. This also applies to Emus and Rheas, they are just not as large.

X2

We raised ostriches for several years. The first thing we did was visit several ostrich ranches and garner as much knowledge as possible before making the commitment. There are different breeds of ostriches, some are larger than others (but even the smallest adult we had stood well over 7 feet) and some are meaner than others. They are very inquisitive and will try to (and frequently succeed) eat anything that is shiny or sparkly. They grow so fast for the first few months that you can literally see the difference from one day to the next. We had birds reach slaughter weight of 250 pounds in under 9 months. We never had a bird other than a weak chick in the house. Each pen was 50 ft by 200 ft so they would have ample room to run. For housing, we built leanto-type shelters using 4x4 framing and plywood siding. I think if you actually go visit a ranch, you will quickly see that there is no way that these creatures are "house pets"!!