mommaducksweet
In the Brooder
- Jun 24, 2015
- 16
- 0
- 22
So I have a five/sixish week old duck and we've basically broken all the rules of duck ownership thus far, but he seems to be thriving in the current situation.
He is our only duck, but we never exactly made plans to have a duck. It is more along the lines of a rescue situation, but we've gotten pretty attached and for better or worse, we belong to him now.
He is also an inside duck because we have three dogs (two of them hunting dogs, although the guard/herding dog seems to keep them in line anytime the duck is near and he is never on the ground around them) and we live in the middle of the suburbs. We do have a nice fenced in backyard so he will have a place to get fair exercise and outdoor time when he is old enough, but as a new momma duck, I really just worry too much to have him outside for any length of time without being right there with him. All that aside, those are bridges we will cross if and when we come to them.
My major concern right now is this: He is getting older now and as a result he is loving the water more and more. I would be worried if he didn't! But he is also staying wet the majority of the time. He lives in a large breed dog kennel during the day while we are at work and usually within hours of cleaning up his bedding, half the cage is wet. The kennel will not be his long term housing, but it is what we have for now, until we can come up with a more permanent solution that will keep him safe and healthy.
I am looking for solutions/suggestions to keep his cage (and him) as dry as possible. In the event that he spills his water or steps in it, which happens often, I want the water to stay contained away from his bedding, so that he has a dry place to go if he chooses until I can get home and clean it up. Especially because he is in the house, which can get drafty during the summer months with the air on, I don't want him getting colder than he can handle.
I've also wondered if he maybe plays in his water to occupy himself during the day and if we could potentially reduce the mess he makes by giving him other stuff to do. We've had a mirror in there but he liked it less and less as he got older. We also have a couple of rocks in there with him but he tends only to use those when he wants to sleep. Most everything we have tried to occupy him with (because he is alone and they need to be social and busy) he ends up disinterested with and we take it out of his cage in favor of giving him more space. I haven't exactly seen "duck toys" for sale at Petco, but are there ways to allow him to forage within the confines of his cage or other activities he might take to that would have him spending less time playing in his drinking water?
I understand that ducks will be ducks and I'm completely okay with that but, as this is not an ideal duck raising situation, I just want to make sure we aren't doing anything that is unhealthy or will impede his development in the future. Please, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
He is our only duck, but we never exactly made plans to have a duck. It is more along the lines of a rescue situation, but we've gotten pretty attached and for better or worse, we belong to him now.
He is also an inside duck because we have three dogs (two of them hunting dogs, although the guard/herding dog seems to keep them in line anytime the duck is near and he is never on the ground around them) and we live in the middle of the suburbs. We do have a nice fenced in backyard so he will have a place to get fair exercise and outdoor time when he is old enough, but as a new momma duck, I really just worry too much to have him outside for any length of time without being right there with him. All that aside, those are bridges we will cross if and when we come to them.
My major concern right now is this: He is getting older now and as a result he is loving the water more and more. I would be worried if he didn't! But he is also staying wet the majority of the time. He lives in a large breed dog kennel during the day while we are at work and usually within hours of cleaning up his bedding, half the cage is wet. The kennel will not be his long term housing, but it is what we have for now, until we can come up with a more permanent solution that will keep him safe and healthy.
I am looking for solutions/suggestions to keep his cage (and him) as dry as possible. In the event that he spills his water or steps in it, which happens often, I want the water to stay contained away from his bedding, so that he has a dry place to go if he chooses until I can get home and clean it up. Especially because he is in the house, which can get drafty during the summer months with the air on, I don't want him getting colder than he can handle.
I've also wondered if he maybe plays in his water to occupy himself during the day and if we could potentially reduce the mess he makes by giving him other stuff to do. We've had a mirror in there but he liked it less and less as he got older. We also have a couple of rocks in there with him but he tends only to use those when he wants to sleep. Most everything we have tried to occupy him with (because he is alone and they need to be social and busy) he ends up disinterested with and we take it out of his cage in favor of giving him more space. I haven't exactly seen "duck toys" for sale at Petco, but are there ways to allow him to forage within the confines of his cage or other activities he might take to that would have him spending less time playing in his drinking water?
I understand that ducks will be ducks and I'm completely okay with that but, as this is not an ideal duck raising situation, I just want to make sure we aren't doing anything that is unhealthy or will impede his development in the future. Please, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
