Duck ate Plastic Cap, What Do I Do?

[tofukiwi]

I was playing with one of my Pekin Ducks and they ate a plastic cap. I tried pushing the cap out of from their mouths, but I didn't want potentially have him choke on the cap, therefore I let him try to digest it. I read online that you should give them olive oil to hopefully lubricate their digestive system, but my main concern is whether the cap can come out the other end.

Duck Breed: Pekin Duck
Age: around 2 1/2 months (started to develop feathers)
Diet: Lettuce, Duck Feed, water, (now given olive oil),
Feces after ingestion: I checked to make sure he was pooping fine, and he was. The only problem is that it is currently night time and I do not want to disturb their sleeping
Behaviour after ingestion: Chirped, but only seemed to chirp for feed, didn't appear to be in much pain

I don't know if I should visit a pet clinic in the morning (as most pet clinics serve dogs and cats, so I am not sure if they look at Duck cases) and request an x-ray, or if the cap does pass if it is still necessary for me to do that. Please, any advice is highly appreciated!!

 

[JaeG]

You'd be pretty amazed at what a birds gizzard can grind up and dissolve. I wouldn't worry unless your duck starts to act like it isn't feeling well.

 

[Isaac 0]

Welcome to BYC.

Giving oil orally to a bird may result in lipoid pneumonia so I would suggest against, however, you can put some in his feed just to lubricate his system up. Mineral oil would probably work better at doing that compared to olive oil.

If you feel like taking him to a vet go for it, if not, that's fine, you wouldn't believe all the weird things birds eat. For the next few days, I would pay close attention to his feces, if it begins to look watery there may be a blockage, in addition to this, I might start weighing him on a food scale daily to ensure he's maintaining a healthy weight. Grit provided in a separate dish may also be good, just note overconsumption of the grit.