Found baby duckling 4 or 5 days old not eating or drinking please help

[Novoalydia]

found a baby duckling 3 or 4 days old not eating or drinking please help

 

[Pato Pointe Farm]

Are they active or lethargic? Any external sign of injury and are they warm? If active and OK, try dipping bills in water mixed with starter feed. You can also scramble an egg, chop up well and offer by dipping bill. Go slow, be gentle.

They might be in state of shock as they probably have imprinted on ducks or each other. Seeing a human is scary- huge predator. Keep them in quiet space, leave food and water. Keep eye from a distance to see how they act.

Keep posting up dates. <3

 

[Miss Lydia]

Is this just one duckling? is it wild? Mallard or Muscovy or another? If wild best thing to do is contact your DNR and they can get you in touch with a wildlife rehabber. They will know how to care for the duckling so it can be released back into the wild. Knowing the breed can help us help you with care and feeding.

 

[Novoalydia]

Are they active or lethargic? Any external sign of injury and are they warm? If active and OK, try dipping bills in water mixed with starter feed. You can also scramble an egg, chop up well and offer by dipping bill. Go slow, be gentle.

They might be in state of shock as they probably have imprinted on ducks or each other. Seeing a human is scary- huge predator. Keep them in quiet space, leave food and water. Keep eye from a distance to see how they act.

Keep posting up dates. <3

Thank you so much. Extremely alert and actually already spoiled sleeping on my lap right now. I have been dipping in water and oatmeal. Eats and sips little little bit only because I see little beak move a little. Tomorrow I am getting some small warms. Should I place heat lamp? Thank you s much for helping me out

 

[ruthhope]

Thank you so much. Extremely alert and actually already spoiled sleeping on my lap right now. I have been dipping in water and oatmeal. Eats and sips little little bit only because I see little beak move a little. Tomorrow I am getting some small warms. Should I place heat lamp? Thank you s much for helping me out

We need more information from you>

What type of duck is it and where are you situated?

Any duckling that is only 3 or 4 days old needs keeping at 85F- 90F until it is eating drinking and behaving normally. That needs a heat pad or lamp and a thermometer to monitor its environment temperature.

At such a few days old, you need to get hold of starter crumbles, quickly. Preferably duckling starter crumbles but chick starter crumbles will do if you can get brewer's years to add as ducks need more niacin than chicks. Add 1 tablespoon brewer's yeast per cup of crumbles.

You need a drinking water container that the duckling can gets its head in but not get in and drown or throw all over its environment. I use a heavy earthenware dog bowl; many or most folks use variations on Tupperware containers with holes cut in the lid.

The priority with such a tiny duckling is getting it warm if it is cold, keeping it hydrated by getting it to drink water, and getting it eating so that it doesn't go hypoglycemic. Some people add electrolyte solution to the drinking water.

You get a duckling to drink by dunking its bill in the water; you encourage a duckling to eat by wetting your little finger in water and dipping it in crumbles that then stick to your finger and hold the little finger right by the bill. Depending on how reluctant to eat, you might have to do that every 10-15 minutes for several hours, until the duckling is eating and drinking on its own. I have stayed up all night resuscitating cold, dehydrated 1-2 day old ducklings.

If you have a muscovy duckling and are in Florida, many wild life rehabbers will not help [some do, so do contact them for help in the hopes that your nearby rehabber will help].

 

[Novoalydia]

We need more information from you>

What type of duck is it and where are you situated?

Any duckling that is only 3 or 4 days old needs keeping at 85F- 90F until it is eating drinking and behaving normally. That needs a heat pad or lamp and a thermometer to monitor its environment temperature.

At such a few days old, you need to get hold of starter crumbles, quickly. Preferably duckling starter crumbles but chick starter crumbles will do if you can get brewer's years to add as ducks need more niacin than chicks. Add 1 tablespoon brewer's yeast per cup of crumbles.

You need a drinking water container that the duckling can gets its head in but not get in and drown or throw all over its environment. I use a heavy earthenware dog bowl; many or most folks use variations on Tupperware containers with holes cut in the lid.

The priority with such a tiny duckling is getting it warm if it is cold, keeping it hydrated by getting it to drink water, and getting it eating so that it doesn't go hypoglycemic. Some people add electrolyte solution to the drinking water.

You get a duckling to drink by dunking its bill in the water; you encourage a duckling to eat by wetting your little finger in water and dipping it in crumbles that then stick to your finger and hold the little finger right by the bill. Depending on how reluctant to eat, you might have to do that every 10-15 minutes for several hours, until the duckling is eating and drinking on its own. I have stayed up all night resuscitating cold, dehydrated 1-2 day old ducklings.

If you have a muscovy duckling and are in Florida, many wild life rehabbers will not help [some do, so do contact them for help in the hopes that your nearby rehabber will help].

Thank you.