Raptors need to bathe themselves in water to maintain good feather condition. Most people provide a bath bucket in which their birds can bathe themselves as needed. Others, particularly those with more natural or planted aviaries, also mist their birds, or may place a sprinkler system in part of the bird's enclosure that turns on at set intervals each day. In cold weather, birds should be kept reasonably warm until they are dry. Also, birds should not be exposed to sprinkling or misting in the later hours of the day when colder temperatures begin to set in. Usually, raptors will not bathe themselves at night, and some people choose to remove their birds' bath buckets in the afternoon hours. The buckets will be replaced the next morning.

Raptors often use stones or other rough surfaces to hone their beaks to an appropriate length. Many raptor keepers will place an Emory cloth covered surface in their bird's enclosure either on the ground or in a place accessible from a perch. Some people prefer to place a large rock in the enclosure on which the raptor can wear down its beak. The provision of whole prey items can also aid your raptor in maintaining an appropriate beak length. If no such surface is available to your bird, it can develop an overgrown beak. In this case, you may find you need to consult a veterinarian to file down your bird's beak or you may have to file the beak yourself. You should only file a very small amount from the bird's beak and if you unsure about performing such a procedure, you should consult a veterinarian before attempting it. It is a good idea to observe this procedure being done or to have someone show you how to do it before you try. Usually, a rotary tool with a cone shaped grinding attachment is used. An assistant should hold the bird still. The bird's mouth is usually propped open by placing a object in the mouth. Then, the tool is used to gently file small amounts of the beak. After all cracks have been smoothed away and the upper and lower parts of the beak fit together well when closed, you have finished your task. If at any time the beak begins to bleed, you should stop filing immediately and apply pressure with a gauze pad. If this does not stop the bleeding, you should apply styptic powder, using caution not to get any inside the bird's mouth.

Talons may also need to be trimmed from time to time, or they can grow curved under to puncture the bottom of your raptor's foot. Talon trimming can be accomplished with the same rotary tool and attachment used for beak trimming. A clipper - type nail trimmer can also be used. Again, the aid of an assistant can greatly facilitate this process. The tip of the talons should be filed or clipped away little by little to avoid hitting the sensitive quick running down the length of the nail. If the nail begins to bleed, apply styptic powder with a sterile swab. To prevent this from happening again, try to trim away less of the next nail.

Additional Care Information for Owl - Barn

In many areas it is illegal to keep captive Barn Owls. Barn Owls and their nest sites are also protected from harassment or disturbance. In the areas where it is legal to keep captive Barn Owls some falconer's have used them for falconry purposes, but they are not considered nearly as good for this purpose as falcons or hawks. They are not able to pursue large quarry and are not as talented as hunting hawks or falcons. Nevertheless, falconers will use them in lovely flight displays. It is essential Barn Owls have plenty of space to fly in, a proper diet, and access to a veterinarian experienced and knowledgeable in the care of these Owls.

Barn Owls are also susceptible to the dreaded Aspergillosis, and can very quickly die from it although it can be easily treated using a couple of different methods, the first being oral administration of an anti-fungal drug, combined with the use of a nebuliser filled with a solution of a proper disinfectant, these can be obtained through a veterinarian experienced with birds. Time is critical when treating Aspergillosis, and early treatment is advisable, although prevention is better than cure, never supply hay, straw, bark, or wood shavings for nesting or floor coverings as the Aspergillus fungus grows readily on the items.

Part Three - Diet	Part Five - Health
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