Do Owls Make Good Pets?

In many movies books and TV shows owls are shown to be incredibly friendly intelligent and affectionate pets. Do owls make good pets like they seem to in the movies and if so what does it take to properly care for one? Can you keep one in a regular parrot cage and feed it seed and other types of commercial bird food?
Owls Need Lots of Space
While its true that pet owls have been popularized in books and movies such as the Harry Potter series the truth is that owls are not a good choice for pets. The hardships caused by properly caring for an owl are a big reason why it is best to leave them in the wild as beautiful and captivating as these creatures may be.

For starters owls cannot be kept inside a standard indoor parrot cage. They must be kept in a large aviary with both indoor and outdoor access as well as access to a bath pan that must be kept clean 1 They bathe regularly in order to keep their feathers meticulously clean. Owls fly silently but their feathers will make noise if they are not kept clean. This noise is detrimental to their hunting 2 They also must be able to fly frequently if they are indeed physically able to fly. 
Owls Are Mostly Independent Creatures
These birds are raptors that live and hunt independently. Unlike other types of large birds like macaws or cockatoos owls do not live in flocks in the wild making them extremely antisocial when it comes to other birds except for their mates and their offspring.

The flock mentality is what allows a parrot to successfully integrate itself into a human family. Since owls lack that sort of mindset they view everyone except for the one person they choose as their
mate as an enemy or prey and will likely attack others on sight 3 This can be a huge problem if you ever become sick or otherwise unable to care for your owl.

Their Diets Are Specialized
Diet is another concern that makes it nearly impossible to successfully keep owls as pets. Since owls are technically a bird of prey they have specialized nutritional needs that cannot be met by feeding them seeds pellets or fresh foods like fruits and vegetables. As a matter of fact if you presented any of these treats to an owl he or she would likely not even recognize