Hello!
I have 2 Muscovies who are now 12 weeks old. I have hand raised them since they were 3 days old. I believe that they are drakes due to their large size, large feet & deep hissing (with no indication of any pipping). Up until about 2 weeks ago, they were not showing any signs of aggression & would just approach me (they free range) to say hello & get treats. Now they approach me & seem to be challenging me by deep hissing (as opposed to their regular hissing), and a lot of tail wagging and neck extending (in comparison to 2 weeks ago). They will eventually calm down and take treats but if I try to touch them, they will focus intently on the arm petting them & they nip it. Infrequently, they get so worked up that they start vibrating uncontrollably.
There is so much conflicting information online and really not that much comprehensive info on Muscovies. I have been searching for help for these past 2 weeks but nothing seems to help, so I am asking if there is a way for me to nip this blooming aggression in the bud? Since they are not near puberty yet, I do not believe this is hormonal yet? I did mount one of the males today though, just to see if it helped. I have been attempting a zero tolerance policy and as soon as a duck nips me, I pick him up and carry him around for around 5 minutes. The ducks seem scared of me afterward but it doesn't seem to deter them later on.
They still eat politely from my hand and will come to my call and follow me if I try to get them to. They don't seem to be aggressive with each other yet. Some sources I have read said that it is fine to have two males, as long as I don't add in any females. Some sources said to get them some females but add no more males ever and still others have said that no males will ever get along with each other. So there's that.
These are my pets and I will try anything to keep them. I do not and will not eat them.
Is this just part of their maturing? Are they just distancing themselves from their "mother" (it is around this age that the mother Muscovy would stop caring for them)? I totally don't mind just having aloof ducks hanging around the yard (as in, I don't need to pet them) but I'm just worried that they may start attacking or nipping when unprovoked.
Thoughts? Advice? Thanks!
I have 2 Muscovies who are now 12 weeks old. I have hand raised them since they were 3 days old. I believe that they are drakes due to their large size, large feet & deep hissing (with no indication of any pipping). Up until about 2 weeks ago, they were not showing any signs of aggression & would just approach me (they free range) to say hello & get treats. Now they approach me & seem to be challenging me by deep hissing (as opposed to their regular hissing), and a lot of tail wagging and neck extending (in comparison to 2 weeks ago). They will eventually calm down and take treats but if I try to touch them, they will focus intently on the arm petting them & they nip it. Infrequently, they get so worked up that they start vibrating uncontrollably.
There is so much conflicting information online and really not that much comprehensive info on Muscovies. I have been searching for help for these past 2 weeks but nothing seems to help, so I am asking if there is a way for me to nip this blooming aggression in the bud? Since they are not near puberty yet, I do not believe this is hormonal yet? I did mount one of the males today though, just to see if it helped. I have been attempting a zero tolerance policy and as soon as a duck nips me, I pick him up and carry him around for around 5 minutes. The ducks seem scared of me afterward but it doesn't seem to deter them later on.
They still eat politely from my hand and will come to my call and follow me if I try to get them to. They don't seem to be aggressive with each other yet. Some sources I have read said that it is fine to have two males, as long as I don't add in any females. Some sources said to get them some females but add no more males ever and still others have said that no males will ever get along with each other. So there's that.
These are my pets and I will try anything to keep them. I do not and will not eat them.
Is this just part of their maturing? Are they just distancing themselves from their "mother" (it is around this age that the mother Muscovy would stop caring for them)? I totally don't mind just having aloof ducks hanging around the yard (as in, I don't need to pet them) but I'm just worried that they may start attacking or nipping when unprovoked.
Thoughts? Advice? Thanks!