Duck Puberty/Independent?

[QuakieChan]

Hello everyone,
I have 2 ducks, a rouen and a mallard. We got the rouen before the mallard and she was alone with us until the store had more ducklings in store. She was the sweetest little duck and always loved to cuddle with us. With the mallard, he was more easily spooked and hated being picked up but fell right asleep in our arms right after he settled down. The rouen is slowly getting most of her feathers now, her head and back is still a little fuzzy with the baby fur. As they are older, we let them free range in the backyard and stay out all day. We often come to pet them and fill up the kiddie pool to let them swim. But recently the rouen has gotten less and less cuddly, she'll seek out hugs if she's inside the house sometimes and climb into our lap if we nudge her. When before she would readily jump into our arms and sleep for hours. She also doesn't let her pet her when she's outside in the garden and always avoids our touch. I make a point to handfeed them and cuddle them everyday so that I can keep a close relationship with them but I feel they are getting more distant as they get older. Is she just going through puberty, or is she getting more independent, does that mean she doesn't like me as much anymore? My brother is also a baby and sometimes chases them around to terrorize them before I catch him, could that be the reason? Does she not trust us because of my brother? Is this just a phase or is it permanent? Thank you

 

[chickens really]

Hello...Ducks as you mentioned become independent as they grow. Not many actually want cuddles at all. Hand feed them or toss treats at your feet. Sit and visit them. They are growing up now.
Best wishes...

 

[Miss Lydia]

And try and teach your baby brother not to chase them. Ducks legs aren't meant for running and they can get injured. Also they are prey to so much and being chased by a human makes them afraid of all humans. Hopefully this will be a good learning lesson for your brother. Kids need to learn to respect animals not think it's fun to chase them and make them afraid. I doubt your brother realizes he is making them afraid so you can teach him these lessons.

 

[QuakieChan]

Thank you everyone!
I will try to teach my brother not to chase them anymore. He's such a handful sometimes. But I understand that the ducks are growing up, guess I'll just have to be happy with a pet here and there and handfeedings from now on.

 

[chickens really]

Thank you everyone!
I will try to teach my brother not to chase them anymore. He's such a handful sometimes. But I understand that the ducks are growing up, guess I'll just have to be happy with a pet here and there and handfeedings from now on.

Best wishes...They don't forget you they just out grow you like they do with their Mommas..Don't humanize them and you will still enjoy them......

 

[QuakieChan]

Hi everyone,
So I'm starting to have a lot of problems with my younger duck. He's starting to get his feathers now and runs away every time we try to pet him or pick him up. I'm worried about this because he looks completely terrified whenever we get close. I even crouch down and try to look less big to approach him. The only time he comes close is when I have food and even then he won't let me touch him. I was planning to take them out of our backyard for once, on an outing, but I'm afraid we won't be able to catch him back if we do. Also, if people see him afraid of us, they might think we're catching a wild duck instead of our pet. Any suggestions to why he's been acting this way? Our older duck is more independent now but is calm and lets us approach and pet her. She also doesn't run away when we try to pick her up. Then again, she did spend a lot of time alone with us before we got him.

 

[Raenh]

How old is the younger? I'm not sure when it happened but that's how fancy got his name - flight of fancy. He'd see me and start racing around the cage, jumping things, dumping the water and food bowls. I just kept catching him, and would hold him until he calmed down, gave him hugs and when I'd set him down it started all over again, as if he completely forgot i was nice to cuddle with a few minutes ago. At night, I'd position a pillow like a ramp to the couch because he wouldnt let me pick him up, id hold the pillow while he climbed up and he'd settle in right beside me and speedy. But daylight came, and it was AHHHH she's going to kill me, jump off the couch and run as if his tail feathers were on fire.
Then one day, he just kinda stopped, he comes to me to be picked up and hugged/cuddled or i get bit. And he lets me pick him up now without flapping his wing's and basically punching me in the nose. And he seems to trust me more than speedy at times.

 

[QuakieChan]

OMG Thats exactly what he does. He acts like I'm going to kill him when I'm trying to pick him up. Then, when he's settled in my arms, he sleeps like a baby but when I put him down he runs for his life. The only way we can touch him is if we cuddle the other one in our lap and he follows. I try to hold him tight and calm him down but he's getting bigger and stronger and sometimes can jump out of my arms before I can calm him down. I don't really know what else to do. I don't want to take him out and have people thinking that I'm trapping the poor animal when he's actually my pet and I just want to take him home. =(

 

[QuakieChan]

I also have a feeling that we integrated them into the backyard too soon. She was more than a month but he was about 2 weeks when we let them stay outside by themselves in the morning and brought them in at night. I think they are starting to associate us with going inside the house. We bought diapers for them too but don't use it often now that they are outside. They also absolutely hate the diapers and freak out, the older one more than the younger flightier one surprisingly. I guess they are more outdoors ducks then indoors now that they have had a taste of nature.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I believe I'd stay home with them. not only do you risk not being able to get them back, But you also risk disease from other water fowl if you take them where water is.
Just spend as much time as you can hanging out with them, Ducks aren't real picky about having things to do if they have a pool and can forage around in bushes etc they are happy.