Crazy the pekin will have a friend once again!

[KaleIAm]

Well done on the rescue!! <3 I'm thrilled Crazy will have friends and that you were able to save someone. I adopted 3 pond rescues almost 6 years ago and I know how challenging and rewarding it can be. My rescues were terrified of me. They ran to the farthest corners of their aviary when they saw me coming. Now they run or, "fly," to my feet quacking with excitement when they see me coming.

I agree that mealworms are your friend. If he won't eat them dry, perhaps try floating them in his water. He may not recognize the dry hollow texture as food. He also may be too anxious to eat when you are watching. If he eats mealworms wet you might be able to get him to eat them dry and crunchy after a couple weeks. Then you can top other foods you want him to eat with mealworms. This might not work for your duck, but it did for mine.

I have also had to tube feed. It can be challenging, but not too bad after you become accustomed to doing it. After a couple weeks I could even do it myself.

You are doing a great job.

 

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

Well done on the rescue!! <3 I'm thrilled Crazy will have friends and that you were able to save someone. I adopted 3 pond rescues almost 6 years ago and I know how challenging and rewarding it can be. My rescues were terrified of me. They ran to the farthest corners of their aviary when they saw me coming. Now they run or, "fly," to my feet quacking with excitement when they see me coming.

I agree that mealworms are your friend. If he won't eat them dry, perhaps try floating them in his water. He may not recognize the dry hollow texture as food. He also may be too anxious to eat when you are watching. If he eats mealworms wet you might be able to get him to eat them dry and crunchy after a couple weeks. Then you can top other foods you want him to eat with mealworms. This might not work for your duck, but it did for mine.

I have also had to tube feed. It can be challenging, but not too bad after you become accustomed to doing it. After a couple weeks I could even do it myself.

You are doing a great job.

Thank you so much for the kind words of encouragement. I finally had success in getting him to eat some mealworms and some food. I put him outside for a while and he saw the grass and immediately started eating it. I don’t think he’s been on grass before. He is already beginning to trust me and even lets me pet him without running away. That is wonderful that you were able to take on some pond rescues. Somebody dumped a pekin drake at our local pond. I reached out to park management asking if I could take him home and rehabilitate him. They have yet to respond to me. I’m hoping they will as I worry about him out there.

 

[SolarDuck]

Thank you so much for the kind words of encouragement. I finally had success in getting him to eat some mealworms and some food. I put him outside for a while and he saw the grass and immediately started eating it. I don’t think he’s been on grass before. He is already beginning to trust me and even lets me pet him without running away. That is wonderful that you were able to take on some pond rescues. Somebody dumped a pekin drake at our local pond. I reached out to park management asking if I could take him home and rehabilitate him. They have yet to respond to me. I’m hoping they will as I worry about him out there.

In my experience most parks could not care less about their dumped domestic ducks. I'm sure if you wanted to you could just grab him and take him home.

 

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

In my experience most parks could not care less about their dumped domestic ducks. I'm sure if you wanted to you could just grab him and take him home.

I was thinking about that but was worried there might be legal issues. I’m not sure if there would since the duck is domestic though. There is this guy that buys the ducks and “places them” on the park pond. He basically dumps them off then replaces them once they get killed or disappear. I was worried that he might try to claim the duck. I have been feeding the duck in hopes that I can catch it one of these days. I agree that park management probably could care less.

 

[KaleIAm]

In my experience most parks could not care less about their dumped domestic ducks. I'm sure if you wanted to you could just grab him and take him home.

This is also my experience in Washington State. I have contacted the state authorities on the matter and have been given permission, as long as it is not on private property.

 

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

This is also my experience in Washington State. I have contacted the state authorities on the matter and have been given permission, as long as it is not on private property.

I’m hoping I will be able to rescue him as well. The park is public and not private property so I think that when I get him to trust me I will just take him. I don’t think I could get in trouble for that. I wish the park authorities would respond to me.

 

[SolarDuck]

I was thinking about that but was worried there might be legal issues. I’m not sure if there would since the duck is domestic though. There is this guy that buys the ducks and “places them” on the park pond. He basically dumps them off then replaces them once they get killed or disappear. I was worried that he might try to claim the duck. I have been feeding the duck in hopes that I can catch it one of these days. I agree that park management probably could care less.

Pssh if that guy tried to claim the duck i would fight him. If he is leaving it at a public pond that is him giving it up period. Shouldn't be any legal issues the only thing that is actually illegal would be dumping him there in the first place.

 

[SolarDuck]

Honestly, if he got dumped pretty recently I would try to get him asap most of the ducks dumped at ponds around me end up disappearing pretty quickly.

 

[KaleIAm]

I was thinking about that but was worried there might be legal issues. I’m not sure if there would since the duck is domestic though. There is this guy that buys the ducks and “places them” on the park pond. He basically dumps them off then replaces them once they get killed or disappear. I was worried that he might try to claim the duck. I have been feeding the duck in hopes that I can catch it one of these days. I agree that park management probably could care less.

My understanding is that it is, "This guy," who would have legal issues, not you. As animal abandonment is unlawful, and rescuing abandoned domestic ducks should be within the law. But I completely understand not wanting to get caught up in any potential legal drama. Even if you are in the right.

 

[SolarDuck]

I've actually grabbed ducks out of the park and carried them back to my car several times one time there was even a cop in the parking lot and there is no way he didn't see me, he just didn't care.