help! duck wont eat

[stumble_n_mumble]

hey nettie. thank you so much for that long response! i really do appreciate it. late last night i took her out and just inspected everything in the pen. (the pen by the way is inside) i looked but there is nothing she could have eaten unless shes swallowing the bedding or straw... i think it might be the bowl actually which is funny because if i had food in my hand, shed eat it, if it was in the bowl shed pretend it wasnt there. she still is only taking from my hand but a very very small amount. i just need to have patients with her thats all i guess. she is still drinking ALOT lol. so im just hoping its no parasites because i was feeding her nightcrawlers and crickets that i bought from the pet store... she loved the live food. but anyway. i will keep updated if she eats more or less. THANKS FOR ALL YOU HELP!

 

[Fudgie]

Stumble,

First of all she is beautiful, looks like mine same age about. Try this for a change. I do this with my duckies for 2 reasons, one to feed, two to let them bathe.

Put some tap water in the tub and let your duck get in make it deep enough to let her get her whole head under water. Put a handful of feed in the water and see if she eats it up. Ducks HAVE to have water when they eat and prefer a water deep enough to get their whole beak in. If we feed ours in a bowl and they have water nearby, they take a scoop and run to the water and dump it in anyway. They also need to clear out their flares(nostrils) ....If they don't have water they can choke on their food. Anyway, let her clean up her food and drain the water. Fill up the tub again with lukewarm water and put your hand over the nozzle so it sprays on her but allow her to get away if she does not like it. Mine dive right into it like a kid in the sprayer outside. Fill it up deep enough so she can dive under and get all clean. Have the shower curtain handy so you can keep the splashing to a minimum. I have linoleum so I don't care. Gives me an excuse to have to mop the bathroom floor! LOL

Like momma says, everyone feels better after a nice warm bath!!!!

 

[stumble_n_mumble]

lol i will try thanks for the help...

 

[Fudgie]

I know it sounds goofey, but the ducks really like being in the tub....hence being a duck! Go figure! Let me know how it works. I let them "play" for like 30 minutes or longer if they are having a good time playing. when they quit diving in and such, i figure it is time to get out. Put them in a warm spot to dry off.

 

[nettie]

minw love to do that too! they were scared of the sprayer at first, but now they like to "eat" the water. That is a very good idea! I give mine floating Koi food (from the pet store) for extra protein. plus they love chasing after it when you throw it in.

 

[stumble_n_mumble]

the duck didnt like the tub

its very strange.. she cried and cried until i took her out and once she was in my arms she was ok.... its not a duck lol

 

[Fudgie]

LOL Was the water too cold? make it warm enough that you can barely feel it on your wrist Maybe your chicken, i mean duckie is getting something!

For it to scream, It must have been cold for him....ours like the nice warm rain water but hate it when it is cold.

 

[nettie]

she was probably just scared of the new surroundings, poor thing. If you are brave enough to try again, you can try to stay in her sight or maybe even sit on the side of the tub and put your feet in there with her. Mine ducks were very scared of the shower curtain, anything floating in their water, and whenever they couldn't see me when they were little

 

[Fudgie]

Hey maybe try putting a towel down and let her stand on it. Might make her feel more secure......also, I dangled my arm over the tub edge so she could snuggle in until she felt like wandering around and checking out the new digs.

 

[stumble_n_mumble]

haha ok i will try again. i think it is a chicken because shes been raised with 4 other chickens lol. she might think she is! hahah. uh oh.. im in trouble lol