How to Live with a Pheasant
Pheasants are not traditional pets and are not recommended for those looking for a highly interactive or affectionate pet. They can make stunning and rewarding pets for bird enthusiasts, but they are ornamental and skittish rather than cuddly. They require large, predator-proof outdoor aviaries, a highly nutritious diet, and thrive best when given plenty of natural space to roam rather than being kept indoors.
The enclosure should be a minimum of 6 x 12 feet per pair (though larger is better) to stay physically and mentally healthy. Aviaries should feature natural ground like grass, dirt, and hidden shrubs for dust bathing and foraging. Raccoons, skunks, dogs and feral cats are the primary predators.
Pheasants are ground foragers and need a diet high in protein and essential minerals. Their diet consists of commercial game bird feed, supplemented with insects, berries, and seeds and possibly mixed corn as a treat. Layer pellets may be too fatty and rich, particularly for the males. Most pheasants will happily eat bugs — either ones you find in your garden, or mealworms, grubs from a pet store. Supplementary greens and fruit are also welcomed.
Potential adopters should also be prepared for the bird’s long lifespan and potential health needs.
What to Know About Your Pheasant
If you are new to keeping pheasants, it is highly recommended to start with docile and stunning exotic species rather than traditional game birds, as they are significantly easier to tame and manage.
- Golden pheasants are known as the best starter breed. They are extremely beautiful, with both the red golden and yellow golden varieties being calm and resilient. They also become very friendly relatively quickly — chirping for food, coming up to the dishes and even eating from your hand.
- Lady Amherst pheasants are known for their striking colors and capes. They are fairly hardy and adapt quickly to aviary living; however, they may be illusive and scatty, running away and flying into the netting when approached.
- Silver pheasants are one of the few breeds that can be successfully free-ranged on an acre or two of property if hand-raised. Male silver pheasants can become friendly, often even displaying when the caretaker refills their bowls or walks by. The hens, however, can be rather flighty.
- Reeves pheasants are available and cheap, but hens are scatty and males can become extremely aggressive. They grow super long spurs and will actively try to fly at you and scratch you. They are beautiful to look at but never turn your back on a reeves!
Is My Pheasant a Boy or Girl?
Male and female pheasants display striking physical differences. Males are larger, brilliantly colored with iridescent feathers and a bright red face wattle; they have very long, pointed tail feathers. Females are smaller, muted brown for camouflage, and have much shorter tails.
How to Keep Your Pheasant Happy
Pheasants are not domesticated and prefer safety and space over human affection. They will not cuddle or sit on your shoulder like parrots. While skittish by nature, if you hand-raise them from chicks or spend lots of time socializing them, they can easily learn to eat treats right from your hand. When frightened, pheasants are known to take off vertically at high speeds. To prevent them from injuring their heads, the roof of their enclosure should be made of soft netting rather than rigid wire mesh.
