Can Ducks be Potty Trained??

[Chicken7777]

Hello everyone, I was wondering after actually keeping some ducklings from my pair and actually being attached to them and wanting to have them as pets as many do Indoors.I was wondering if anyone has ever potty trained their ducks?
Has anyone heard or seen a duck learn how to go potty in "a" certain area?

Well i appreciate the help and any refferences you guys can give me. Thanks again!

 

[Wifezilla]

Ducks can't "hold it". When it's time to go it's time to go. Nettie keeps indoor ducks and she uses duck diapers.

 

[Chicken7777]

LOL I think I know how that is when I see them just "go"
I think I am going to just buy myself some diapers...By the way I know Ducks arent Dogs but has anyone been able to actually teach their ducks some tricks? I am trying to teach mine to always come when called and it looks like its on good progress.

Please let me know your experiences guys.

Thanks again!

 

[Wifezilla]

I am trying to teach mine "Up".

Right now "up" means panic and run around like an idiot until mom catches us...

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:

I got some of them type of ducks!!!



I have a donkey who plays Fetch...

 

[nettie]

They will not come when called, ever, unless they feel like it or you got treats.... lol. They actually won't listen to anything you say, unless you have treats, at which they might listen but will usually just bombard you until they get the treats.

Ducks can be trained some things, like i trained mine not to bite... but it's not 100%. From the time of day old, we disiplined them endlessly for biting (by tapping beaks, or holding a beak shut and saying no biting... On extreme cases a duck must be held lightly around the neck and forced to look at you whie you scold it telling it what it did wrong... I assoiciate a word or phrase with what they did wrong like, "No BITING!".

And you have to be relentless... You can spend three hours telling a duck not to do something, constantly didiplining it, and it will keep doing whatever it wants... if you're lucky, eventually you just notice one day it isnt doing the "Bad" behavior. And occasionally they will still do it and need to be disiplined.

MY ducks learned two other commands, but they are treat oriented. My ducks will jump up to my hand if i am holding a treat. It's fun to watch but they won't do it unless i got a treat. They also learned the word "Wait", which was supposed to teach them not to attack me when i have treats in my hand, but really, all it did was teach them to put their heads down for a second, THEN attack me. lol

THIS NEXT PART IS VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!

Ducks are not like dogs at all. Keeping a duck inside is not like keeping a pet, it is like having a baby. It needs to be cared for to an extra amount than anything you will read online. They require constant conpanionship (with their humans), being diapered and changed as often if not more than a human baby, a daily bath of at least an hour length, and a lot more chores. Daily, multiply times a day cleanings, are required. poop is very hard to control in a house as it smells and accumulates quickly.

I tell anyone thinking about an indoor duck these same things:
* A duck is not a dog, will not act like a dog, will not learn tricks, will not do anything to please you.....
* Once a duck is imprinted on a human and lives inside (after about 8 weeks) it can NOT ever become an outdoor duck. If dumped on a pond or put on a farm, it will die due to the stress (and predators, as an indoor duck doesn't know how to be a
"Duck")
* Ducks live a long time, usually around 10 years, but up to 20.
* Female ducks are the only gender that should be indoor pets, as male fight, can get aggresive, and they will mount other females if around.
* You can NEVER ever have only 1 pet duck, having only one will make it get depressed.
* Having a Duck as a pet is exactly like having a 2 year old human... They need to be watched/babysat/fed/bathed/changed etc. On top of being loved... But ducks have big sharp nails that leave scars, and not all duck appreciate being picked up or petted.
* If you think you are up to the challange, RESEARCH!!!! I researched indoor ducks for over a YEAR and was still not prepared for the amount of work it takes. You have to read every website you can, learn about every disease or possible injury (Trust me with them living inside you get very attached, and paying over 700 dollars worth of medical bills is not unheard of). There is one book you can read (in fact the only book about keeping a duck indoors) is called "DUCK, THERE'S A DUCK IN THE HOUSE" by Nancy Townsend. Read it, four times over.... and then once more...


Of course i offer any one interested in indoor ducks to ask me any questions you have, just PM me! I happily answer them... The worst possible outcome is that you get in over your head and can't take care of your duck. Dumping it anywhere outside is NOT an option and is a sure death for your duck and is cruel. Finding an indoor duck a home is next to impossible! I'm probably the only person who has indoor ducks on BYC right now, and there are a LOT of people on BYC.

 

[nettie]

oh, and as for potty training..... Scientifically and anotomocally IMPOSSIBLE for a duck. On a very very very rare occassion, a duck will poop in a similar spot each time, but again VERY RARE. Out of the 100's of ducks i've known, i only saw one that did this. It was a wood duck who lived in a very small enclosure at a zoo. It can NOT be taught, it's just a personality quirk (Or maybe a necessity because of the small insufficent enclosure, i'm sure if allowed a bigger pen, he'd poop where ever he'd like).

Diapers are the only way to keep them from pooping on the floor... But this does not prevent 100% of poop. poop will fall out, or the duck will shake it out or pull it out. The diapers fall off and you won't notcied (ugh! lol). You WILL get poop on your floor. My ducks are usually very good about their diapers and i pick up poop from my floor daily. Then it dried and gets stuck to feet (your's or the ducks) and ends up everywhere. If it gets on the couch, you will sit in it (dried poop pieces) and it will follow you where ever else you sit, like the car or your bed... I have found poop in every conceivable part of my house.... lol. Hence the daily in depth cleanings...

 

[Chicken7777]

LOL I think I have experienced some of the things you have already..LOL
Like the poop all over the place, stepping on poop, seeing poop....did i say cleaning poop? Anyway I have one that is very attached to me an honestly i have never had ducks indoors(there parents were from another owner, are tame but not as tame as they should be) but so far they do make great pets.
They are not dogs, cats or hamsters..but they are soft, cuddly, sweet and so far the same messiness only that you have to be a little watchfull I guess.

The one that i have is a female and I taught here since she was a baby to sleep on my hand and hold her and she actually always does that when I hold her...Right now i am trying to see if i can teach her some tricks if possible...Maybe there is a way to do it.

Thanks for the help Nettie and lets keep in touch with our indoor ducks!
I hope to continue talking of pet ducks in this thread as many people learn the facets on keeping them indoors, and other peoples experience like Nettie's.

 

[cici_p]

You might also try searching yahoo groups for pet ducks. I can't remember exactly the name of the group, but when I first got ducks Ij oined a yahoo group about ducks and geese. The people on the list had ducks and geeseas pets (as opposed for food or eggs) and many people on that list had them inside.
I didn't let my ducks inside (already have 4 dogs--husband would kill me), but did learn a lot from the group, and always think "maybe someday. . ."

 

[lorraine1121]

I disagree with some of netties statements tho parts are true. They can not be potty trained, there is no control but our duck howard came when he was called, (we never did the treats) learned when we said no (he kept going to the neighbor's home) so we would say no come here, he would come back...played chase with my daughters and loved when someone would pet him. He would come running if i was blow drying my hair to have me blow dry his feathers