Emus as Pets

The Dromaius novaehollandiae, popularly known as the emu, is the second largest bird in the world, second only to the ostrich. Its native land is the continent of Australia, and it is the largest bird found there. These birds are commonly found all over Australia, but have a tendency to avoid areas that are heavily populated or densely forested. The average height of an emu is around 2 meters. Like ostriches, these birds too cannot fly (due to their immense body weight), but make up for their flightlessness by running extremely fast. Emus can reach a top speed of 50 km/hour if required and can maintain this speed for a stretched period of time. Emus are highly nomadic by nature, and feed mostly on different varieties of insects and plants.

Emus As Pets
Since the last 20 years or so, many farmers across the United States have begun breeding emus in a big way. As a result of this, their popularity as pets has risen. Their exotic appearance and their gentle nature, makes keeping emu as a pet a very feasible option. Though keeping emus as pets may have aroused your curiosity and interest, be warned that taking care of them and living with them is not an easy task.

When an emu bird is small, they may seem very cute and cuddly. But as they begin to grow, keeping track of their movements and coping with their needs and requirements becomes harder and harder. Also, they have very sharp claws which can deeply injure a human being, if it feels threatened. If you approach or try to catch an emu that is sick, or an emu that is unfriendly, be wary of its claws.

What Do Emus Eat?
When you keep emus as pets, you need to know what to feed them. As is the case, with any other pets that you may have seen, emus require food that they like and food that provides nourishment to their strong bodies. Emus are extremely curious by nature and will try to eat anything that they get their long beaks on. The most common foods to feed emus can range from small plants to homemade recipes. Here is a list of what you can feed your pet emu.

• Insects, caterpillars and other invertebrates.
• Seeds and nuts.
• Flowers, leaves and other plant parts.
• Lizards and other small animals.
• Various salads like potato salad and macaroni salad.
• Different recipes of eggs.

Ensure that you feed your emu regularly, because if they find that they are not receiving enough food they tend to move on in search of other food sources. This could be harmful and very dangerous for your pet emus.

Do Emu's Make Good Pets?
This is the next question that comes to mind as we try to understand if emus as pets is a good idea. There are many complications involved in keeping emu as a pet, and once you've understood the hassles involved you must make a call about whether you will be able to deal with a pet emu or not. If you are searching for an emu to take home as a pet, ensure that it is a small chick. To take home a grown up emu, that has never been someone's pet before, is not advisable. If the emu has seen you and your family since its hatchling days, it will be more comfortable being your pet.

When your emu is young, touch it and pet it very often, in order to get it accustomed to human touch. If the emu has not gotten used to the touch of a human being, it may react angrily to being touched once it grows up into a full-fledged adult. A huge pen and pet shelter will also be required for the emu. It will need some space to loiter around, and you need to provide your pet emu with that space. Emus as pets may not show any wild tendencies or instincts, but you must be prepared for such tendencies to crop up at any given time.

Tips and Reminders for Keeping Emus As Pets
Remember the following pointers to ensure that you and your pet emu have a comfortable life together.

• Emus are attracted to shiny and dangling objects. So remove any jewelry you're wearing before approaching your emu.
• The pen or the shelter of the emu will stink a lot. So be prepared for that.
• Buy an emu from a reliable and reputable farmer, who will ensure that health and sanitary procedures are carried out perfectly.
• Emus can kick very hard, and they kick in front. So be wary when you stand in front of them or next to them.
• Be extremely cautious about the emus claws and talons. These are very sharp, and can seriously injure a human being.

Emus as pets can be very affectionate and gentle, but at the same time can be very aggressive and moody too. Learn to understand your pet emus moods and act accordingly. Do not make it feel threatened or under threat in any way, as this will provoke a violent reaction from them. If you treat it right, your pet emu will be a source of great joy in your life.