Dorian and the crows

[prince dorian the bun]

I have a small deck/balcony which Dorian can scamper about on. The balcony also has a bird feeder and I have a couple of crows that have been hanging out since they were babies and though they aren’t tame, they know who I am and will come say hi and demand snacks. I was a bit worried about Dorian and the crows, but figured after watching them initially that they would just ignore each other. The crows did spend a while trying to figure out what he was, while he initially ignored them. However lately I am noticing they actually seem to interact. Dorian will run out if certain crows call and get all wiggly (baby binkies). I have seen him on his hind legs looking up at the crow who was bent down looking at him, and the crows have dropped food near him (it’s usually peanuts so I have to go pick it up so he doesn’t actually eat them). Today I looked over and the crow had dropped to the floor ( they never do that as it’s harder for them to escape) and they were just sort of chilling next to each other. I don’t want to read too much into it, but it’s almost like they were hanging out.

Has anyone heard or noticed anything similar? Or do I just have a strange little bun?

[Hazel]

I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable with that. Crows will attack/eat a rabbit. Dorian isn’t a small baby so they might be more cautious and trying to “make nice” to get closer and wait for an opportunity. Dropping food for him reminds me of how some seagulls will drop food in the water to lure fish closer to them. They are pretty cunning.

I’m sure their interactions are fascinating to watch though! 🙂

[prince dorian the bun]

yeah, they are pretty smart! He doesn’t go out unsupervised so do keep an eye out.

I should add it’s only a certain couple of crows who pretty much grew up on the deck. Dorian also only seems to like those crows, he will dash inside if the others come by and are noisy, but run out for these two. It is possible they associate him with food in the sense he comes out with me if I fill up the feeder or leave them snacks. They are very curious about what I do and follow me about sometimes. It is fascinating to watch the behavior.

[Wick & Fable]

I agree it can be fascinating, but yes, be weary. Crows can be cunning and they are of course, animals. At the end of the day, a rabbit and crow companionship is not natural, so what may seem like friendship (from one or both of their perspectives) can change. Dorian may really like them while the crows are just observing the best approach to potentially test the waters on getting him vulnerable.

I have a similar experience with Wick when I was bonding him and Fable on the balcony. A specific crow would often perch on a tree branch nearby, and every day, he’d get closer until finally he landed on the balcony fence right where Wick and Fable were. The crow was definitely watching Wick intently, and I think, had Fable not been there (who is 3 times larger than Wick and the crow), the crow probably would have come to the floor and did whatever it intended with Wick. Since we cannot know their intentions, supervision is important. Also, it only takes a second for a beak to do damage, even if it is too small to pick up the rabbit. It happened to become colder over time, so balcony dates were discontinued, but the crow did stick around at the same time each day for a few days to see if Wick would be there.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[prince dorian the bun]

We have owls, eagles and other raptors so I am actually happy the crows are about as they are a quick alarm system. But it also means I don’t let him out alone. So though personally I don’t think the crow is looking at Dorian as food, don’t worry I am still keeping an eye out on their interactions.

Dorian tends to like everyone and every creature. He loves watching the neighbors dogs walking by and oddly doesn’t care about the barking. He’s a little social happy weirdo, he snuggles more than most cats I have had. He was found in the wild so I have no idea how he survived even a day.

 

[DanaNM]

I wouldn’t be so sure they aren’t considering Dorian as a possible snack. Crows are omnivores and will eat just about anything. They have been observed to using bread to catch fish, so I don’t think it’s a big jump to think maybe they are using nuts to lure Dorian out.

Found this tid bit online “Crows may not be labelled as birds of prey, but they opportunistically feed on small birds, small rodents and other small creatures. In some cases, crows actively hunt their prey. This is where rabbits come into their diet. According to the Virtual Nature Trail at Penn State New Kensington, crows have driven rabbits from fields onto roads where they were subsequently hit by cars and then devoured by the hungry crows.”

The fact that there is more than one would make me even more wary. They are very intelligent creatures, so they could be plotting for sure.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Bam]

I wouldn’t trust crows either. They are highly intelligent. They’re very interesting to watch, they really have problem-solving skills.

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