blind gosling?

[danphne]

I have hatched over twenty goslings in 4 years and this is the first with problems. She seems to not be able to see..the others always follwed me and this one does not seem to be able to see where I am..anyone have any ideas on how to test the eyesight? thanks

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have hatched over twenty goslings in 4 years and this is the first with problems. She seems to not be able to see..the others always follwed me and this one does not seem to be able to see where I am..anyone have any ideas on how to test the eyesight? thanks

Not sure how to test the eye sight other than what you have already noted by her not being able to follow, but does she respond to your voice? if you decided to keep her she would probably do fine in a confined areas with a buddy, Iain Utah has a blind goose, hopefully she'll be on later and can give you some tips. So sorry this has happened. Have you been giving vitamins along with feed for extra support?

And

 

[Going Bhonkers]

Not sure how to test the eye sight other than what you have already noted by her not being able to follow, but does she respond to your voice? if you decided to keep her she would probably do fine in a confined areas with a buddy, Iain Utah has a blind goose, hopefully she'll be on later and can give you some tips. So sorry this has happened. Have you been giving vitamins along with feed for extra support?

And

Welcome, Danphne. Keeps us posted on the lil' guy.

 

[Iain Utah]

Sorry to hear about your gosling having problems. I rescued a blind goose last July when she was about 2 months old. The simple test is to herd the goose very slowly and calmly towards a fence to see if goose recognizes fence and makes turn instead of going into it. Of course, an avian vet or small animal eye specialist can examine the gosling and give you better information.

For what it is worth, my goose is super happy and most people watching her would not realize she is blind, but she relies heavily on her wonderfully protective mate and her yard (which she has memorized every inch of) is safety proofed of things that she could get hurt on (like pot holes, tree stumps, low hanging branches, etc.). It may take a little more work and patience to care for a special needs goose, but she is a very special girl and I feel lucky to have her.

 

[Shoal Creek]

Hi...I'm pretty new here! This is my story: We bought 14 geese and 1 is completely blind. We found out when they started to walk. He (or She) tries very hard to be with the others but when they started to pick on him. He has been a challenge for us because He is very depressed and alone. My dog is his best friend and of course my family. He is now 2 months old, very sweet and lets us pet him. He spends all his day at the pond alone. There he has plenty of water and grass from the water. We are lucky because its summer but I'm already woriedy about the winter. We feed Him two times a day. Every night He sleeps with the chickens (they don't pick on Him much). I was wondering if ANYBODY can give me any tips to make his life better??? Thanks

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hi...I'm pretty new here! This is my story: We bought 14 geese and 1 is completely blind. We found out when they started to walk. He (or She) tries very hard to be with the others but when they started to pick on him. He has been a challenge for us because He is very depressed and alone. My dog is his best friend and of course my family. He is now 2 months old, very sweet and lets us pet him. He spends all his day at the pond alone. There he has plenty of water and grass from the water. We are lucky because its summer but I'm already woriedy about the winter. We feed Him two times a day. Every night He sleeps with the chickens (they don't pick on Him much). I was wondering if ANYBODY can give me any tips to make his life better??? Thanks

I have a very good friend who is a member of BYC and she has a blind goose, I sent her your post so hopefully she'll be on in a bit to talk to you, but I don't think I would let this gosling wander around by itself it needs a buddy to help him navigate around. Another one of your geese that camwe with him would be good. and he is very easy pickings for predators since it can't see,

 

[Shoal Creek]

Thank you for your help... we do apreciate ... unfortunately No other geese want to hang around... We keep our eyes on him... And our dog is a GOOD protector... I'm not worry about predators but I would love to see him happy...the only place he love is the pond... He swim and swim free... It's delightful to see.... But ... No friends...

 

[Iain Utah]

Hi there. I am the person Miss Lydia is talking about. I rescued a blind goose last July when she was about 2 months old. I noticed she got lost in a large area with a large group. So, I moved her into a small separate yard with a few of my quietest, sweetest, similar aged geese to be her companions. They became fast friends and she quickly learned every square inch of her yard. She lives a normal and happy life and can run around almost as well as any seeing goose.

So.... if it were me, I'd take your nicest goose that came with him and completely separate them into a new pen away from the others so they will bond together. Then, depending on the size of your main area and amount of natural potential obstacles for your blind boy, you can decide whether to try to reintegrate the pair with the group. You may find that you prefer to keep the pair in your backyard with your dogs, which is where my blind girl lives.

Best of luck and kudos to you for wanting to improve his quality of life!

 

[Shoal Creek]

Wow thank you!! Thank you very much! The tip sound great!!! I will do this and let you know in a few days!!! Thank you again!!! I'm feel good!!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Wow thank you!! Thank you very much! The tip sound great!!! I will do this and let you know in a few days!!! Thank you again!!! I'm feel good!!!

Look forward to hearing good news.