Show off your house ducks!

[Amiga]

I feel the same as Tevye's Dad. I think they will, in time, get back in the swing. There will just be some period of time before they get it worked out.

 

[kukupecpec]

@Amykins I'm with Tevyes dad on all but one point - I know it's hard, but I would suggest not snuggling them if they don't like it or are running away from you. We have that problem with ChaCha, she does not like to be "grabbed" or "held" so we do it as rarely as possible. I learned to make accommodations like leading her to bed w/ a treat rather than picking her up and carrying her, changing her diaper with her standing on the floor instead of lifting her up on the bathroom counter, we even got her stairs for the couch and bed so she can choose to up or not (only because she doesn't fly, calls might not need this?), and of course not forcing my snuggles on her if she doesn't initiate it, and other humans (like my husband) follow these too. It made a world if difference in her relationship with other humans. ChaCha still thinks I'm her mate so that makes our relationship a bit different and probably doesn't really apply to you, but she's a lot more comfortable with other people now because she's been taught to trust them which could be helpful. Still no snuggling, she'll just sit NEXT to you rather than in your lap, but she'll come to is rather than run away, and she chooses to be near us. She wasn't really a snuggle duck to begin with.
So there IS hope! I think it's just important to remember they are prey animals and we may do more damage to fragile relationships by forcing things on them that their nature says is "scary" or "mean"

*this really only applies if your duck is behaving this way. I know lots of ducks are just fine with snuggles =)

 

[Tevyes Dad]

@Amykins I'm with Tevyes dad on all but one point - I know it's hard, but I would suggest not snuggling them if they don't like it or are running away from you. We have that problem with ChaCha, she does not like to be "grabbed" or "held" so we do it as rarely as possible. I learned to make accommodations like leading her to bed w/ a treat rather than picking her up and carrying her, changing her diaper with her standing on the floor instead of lifting her up on the bathroom counter, we even got her stairs for the couch and bed so she can choose to up or not (only because she doesn't fly, calls might not need this?), and of course not forcing my snuggles on her if she doesn't initiate it, and other humans (like my husband) follow these too. It made a world if difference in her relationship with other humans. ChaCha still thinks I'm her mate so that makes our relationship a bit different and probably doesn't really apply to you, but she's a lot more comfortable with other people now because she's been taught to trust them which could be helpful. Still no snuggling, she'll just sit NEXT to you rather than in your lap, but she'll come to is rather than run away, and she chooses to be near us. She wasn't really a snuggle duck to begin with.
So there IS hope! I think it's just important to remember they are prey animals and we may do more damage to fragile relationships by forcing things on them that their nature says is "scary" or "mean"

*this really only applies if your duck is behaving this way. I know lots of ducks are just fine with snuggles =)

Thank you for making me clarify. My even if they resist comment made sense in my head, but reading it afterward, it was left open to interpretation.

I did not mean that they should be held and petted and stroked while resisting as in a snuggle session of mauling. With my ducks when they were more wild, I would pick them up, give them a single stroke and then set them down again. or pick them up turn them over and let them go. As they got used to it they got handled a little more. My experience is that ducks are scared of almost everything (including cantaloupe) but if it repeatedly causes them no harm, they are emboldened. My logic was despite how they felt, they needed to be comfortable enough with handling to go to the vet without completely freaking out. Once they were no longer scared, they got their own head as far as interaction other than once a week they get a foot inspection and clear iodine on all cuts/scrapes/scabs, get offered a couple worms while still being held then get released. Since all my ducks are outdoor ducks, out of 15, I only have about 3 that could be qualified as "snuggle ducks" plus 2 more that are ever-present , over half of them will come and lay within a foot of me in the summer if I lay down in the middle of the yard. They will nibble at me and take naps by me and generally be sweet. And I have 3 that will never show any interest in me unless I have treats. But none of them are afraid of me.

 

[room onthebroom]

Thank you for making me clarify. My even if they resist comment made sense in my head, but reading it afterward, it was left open to interpretation.

I did not mean that they should be held and petted and stroked while resisting as in a snuggle session of mauling. With my ducks when they were more wild, I would pick them up, give them a single stroke and then set them down again. or pick them up turn them over and let them go. As they got used to it they got handled a little more. My experience is that ducks are scared of almost everything (including cantaloupe) but if it repeatedly causes them no harm, they are emboldened. My logic was despite how they felt, they needed to be comfortable enough with handling to go to the vet without completely freaking out. Once they were no longer scared, they got their own head as far as interaction other than once a week they get a foot inspection and clear iodine on all cuts/scrapes/scabs, get offered a couple worms while still being held then get released. Since all my ducks are outdoor ducks, out of 15, I only have about 3 that could be qualified as "snuggle ducks" plus 2 more that are ever-present , over half of them will come and lay within a foot of me in the summer if I lay down in the middle of the yard. They will nibble at me and take naps by me and generally be sweet. And I have 3 that will never show any interest in me unless I have treats. But none of them are afraid of me.

I thought it was only my duck that was afraid of cantaloupe... That's just the weirdest thing!

 

[Tevyes Dad]

I thought it was only my duck that was afraid of cantaloupe... That's just the weirdest thing!

They loved it once they tried it, but it took half a day before the first bite was taken.

 

[Amykins]

I thought it was only my duck that was afraid of cantaloupe... That's just the weirdest thing!

Nope, Bean is terrified of it, too. Then again, she's terrified of EVERYTHING.

I'm trying to do what I can, they can't get up on the bed so I've been taking naps with them so I'm not doing much movement that'll spook them, and they can still be next to me.

This morning I couldn't sleep, so at 4 I took the duckies out. At 8, I woke up to this:

Bean still keeps her distance, but Wobbles was snuggled up on my shoulder! This NEVER happens anymore! I hope I can get more progress out of him before we move to the UK.

I've also taken advice from some fb houseduck friends and began changing them in a specific location so they stop associating being picked up with unpleasant diaper shenanigans, and instead associate that location with it instead.

I've also been feeding them a metric ton of mealworms. I can even coax Bean into my lap as long as I'm holding one out for her!

I guess I just need to be patient, but it's so hard when their personalities have changed so drastically since I had them last.

 

[BantyChooks]

Nope, Bean is terrified of it, too. Then again, she's terrified of EVERYTHING.

I'm trying to do what I can, they can't get up on the bed so I've been taking naps with them so I'm not doing much movement that'll spook them, and they can still be next to me.

This morning I couldn't sleep, so at 4 I took the duckies out. At 8, I woke up to this:



Bean still keeps her distance, but Wobbles was snuggled up on my shoulder! This NEVER happens anymore! I hope I can get more progress out of him before we move to the UK.

I've also taken advice from some fb houseduck friends and began changing them in a specific location so they stop associating being picked up with unpleasant diaper shenanigans, and instead associate that location with it instead.

I've also been feeding them a metric ton of mealworms. I can even coax Bean into my lap as long as I'm holding one out for her!

I guess I just need to be patient, but it's so hard when their personalities have changed so drastically since I had them last.

Wobwobs!

 

[Julie Birb]

MYKINS!!! Ur moving to the UK!???!!! Spill it. I am obsessed with International House Hunters and I have 3 books I am reading about retiring overseas. Next week I am flying to Cuenca Ecuador to ck it out and I am always on Ireland's version of Zillow.

 

[Julie Birb]

Wobbles is so cute it's sick.

 

[Amykins]

AMYKINS!!! Ur moving to the UK!???!!! Spill it. I am obsessed with International House Hunters and I have 3 books I am reading about retiring overseas. Next week I am flying to Cuenca Ecuador to ck it out and I am always on Ireland's version of Zillow.

Hehe, it's true. My hubby accepted a job there, I had to stay behind while the customs clears on the birbs, then I'll be joining him. I'm super excited and I know the duckies will love it!