This whole experience has been so hard, I had no idea what I was getting into when I took on this duck that a friend found whose nest was abandoned by it's mother. Rescue duck's ups and downs in regards to progress, made me feel like a momma duck with bipolar. lol Now my friend was suppose to name her, but she hasn't yet and now my other friends like "rescue duck" because it is like "superman" haha!
Well anyway, we just had a huge breakthrough, she is walking now. Now yes, she looks like a drunk dinosaur, but such a huge relief. Now when when she falls over, she can get her self back up about 50% of the time. Her shaking is very minimal now.
About 2 weeks ago, I made an outdoor cage for her, and thought she was protected well. I put rocks in there to help keep her upright, around the border. Well she did great all day, so I decided to leave her in there while we went to my sons baseball game. We were only gone for 2 1/2 hours and when I came home, I found an injured duck who was totally panicked and bleeding from a wound around the neck. I don't know what happened for sure, but I think she fell over and my other 2 mature ducks pecked at her neck through the cage causing a wound.
Now I know what they mean about the strength of a wounded wild animal. I could not get her to calm down, she wanted to be up on 2 feet and keep flinging herself backwards when I tried to hold her. I got her wound cleaned and treated (it wasn't all that bad) but the emotional effects of what happened carried on for over a week. I will never forget the look she gave me when I bandaged her neck, I could tell she felt better and knew I was trying to help her. But she was so startled by everything, she didn't want anyone, even me, touching her. I normally could keep her calm by rubbing her beak and the area around that, but even that wasn't working very well. She would flip over in her cage and when I go to put her upright, she would panic and flip back over again. It was SO frustrating. I don't know if animals can get PTSD like humans can, but if I was a therapist, I could DX with that.
Well one night, after getting very little sleep, I yelled at her because she wouldn't just sit still without flipping on her back. She was so much better before this accident and now had regressed back to the first day when I took her in. Now I am not proud of that fact but I told her that if she didn't straighten up, she was going to be be put down after the weekend. Well she must of listened, or something because she was an angel the next day, and a week later she is a totally different duck.
She is very attached to me, she gets excited when she hears me walking down the stairs in the morning. It is so cute. Sometimes she still needs me to calm her down by rubbing her beak, but not as much now. She is staying seating upright most of the time in her cage, very rarely needs flipping over now. I am still scared to put her outside though, but I know I will have to. I know I have an option of making her a house duck, but that would by like taking care of an infant I think. She is so much happier outside though. But after this breakthrough, I have hope she will keep getting stronger, walk better, and recover.
In my daughter's video, it shows her walking after her bath, she falls down at first, but gets herself up for the first time, and RUNS for the first time without falling over for a long time.
This gives me some hope for the still hard days I have with her still.
Well anyway, we just had a huge breakthrough, she is walking now. Now yes, she looks like a drunk dinosaur, but such a huge relief. Now when when she falls over, she can get her self back up about 50% of the time. Her shaking is very minimal now.
About 2 weeks ago, I made an outdoor cage for her, and thought she was protected well. I put rocks in there to help keep her upright, around the border. Well she did great all day, so I decided to leave her in there while we went to my sons baseball game. We were only gone for 2 1/2 hours and when I came home, I found an injured duck who was totally panicked and bleeding from a wound around the neck. I don't know what happened for sure, but I think she fell over and my other 2 mature ducks pecked at her neck through the cage causing a wound.
Now I know what they mean about the strength of a wounded wild animal. I could not get her to calm down, she wanted to be up on 2 feet and keep flinging herself backwards when I tried to hold her. I got her wound cleaned and treated (it wasn't all that bad) but the emotional effects of what happened carried on for over a week. I will never forget the look she gave me when I bandaged her neck, I could tell she felt better and knew I was trying to help her. But she was so startled by everything, she didn't want anyone, even me, touching her. I normally could keep her calm by rubbing her beak and the area around that, but even that wasn't working very well. She would flip over in her cage and when I go to put her upright, she would panic and flip back over again. It was SO frustrating. I don't know if animals can get PTSD like humans can, but if I was a therapist, I could DX with that.
Well one night, after getting very little sleep, I yelled at her because she wouldn't just sit still without flipping on her back. She was so much better before this accident and now had regressed back to the first day when I took her in. Now I am not proud of that fact but I told her that if she didn't straighten up, she was going to be be put down after the weekend. Well she must of listened, or something because she was an angel the next day, and a week later she is a totally different duck.
She is very attached to me, she gets excited when she hears me walking down the stairs in the morning. It is so cute. Sometimes she still needs me to calm her down by rubbing her beak, but not as much now. She is staying seating upright most of the time in her cage, very rarely needs flipping over now. I am still scared to put her outside though, but I know I will have to. I know I have an option of making her a house duck, but that would by like taking care of an infant I think. She is so much happier outside though. But after this breakthrough, I have hope she will keep getting stronger, walk better, and recover.
In my daughter's video, it shows her walking after her bath, she falls down at first, but gets herself up for the first time, and RUNS for the first time without falling over for a long time.
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