Those are great stories!!! Thanks for sharing. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this guy is a creep at best. I have written to him once, a while back, and he didn't answer my questions--just sent me more of his own, and rudely phrased--so he's now just on my blacklist and gets filtered straight to my archives. I don't want to delete the emails altogether in case he's more than a creep and I ever have to deal with him in some way--I'll want records.
Wow, on the ducks in the trunk. And the "reject" ducks--that's kind of funny. Actually, I can imagine where that one might not have been too bad--maybe he's a do-gooder and read somewhere about some kids rescuing "reject" animals and thought he'd do a good turn in kind. And just doesn't communicate well--or maybe he's eight and a little ahead of his time and doesn't realize he's being rude. Still, I think you were right not to adopt to him!
I do have a policy for buyers, though it's nothing as strict as I would have for dogs or cats. I actually don't mind if they plan to eat them (though I can't imagine someone buying Runners to eat!), as long as they are treated humanely from start to finish. I'm not a vegetarian so I don't have a problem with eating meat and I think raising your own and treating it well is a very humane way to do that.
But I do require that they buy at least two, and I recommend a minimum of three. And when they first contact me, I request basic information about their plans for the ducks when they are adults. Then I play it by ear, and most of the time my feelings about folks turn out about right.
I had a couple come pick up some ducks yesterday and they were so funny. He was from Cuba and told me about how different things were raising animals when he was a kid in Cuba--how spoiled American pets were. But then he was the biggest spoiler ever! I saw him at the feed store yesterday--just coincidence--and he was asking the lady if she had any heat lamp bulbs that didn't emit light (he had seen mine when he picked up his babies), because he thought the ducks might like to sleep in the dark. She didn't have any and I suggested a pet store, but that it would be more expensive than regular bulbs and he laughed and said, "When you're in this deep, you don't even think about cost!" Apparently, each of their five rescued dogs eats a separate expensive diet, plus they have rescued parrots, and their total animal food bill each month: $700!!!! Wow. lol
I feel pretty good about that home. Wish everyone were like that. Well, except I don't really care whether they can afford a $700 a month feed bill, as long as they CARE as much as that guy does.
