HELP! my baby duck is very weak

[michellerivera]

I had him swimming and left him unattended for a few minutes and I came back saw him struggling and immediately took him out of water but now he can't walk and is just laying. There is no duck vet close to me so I can't take him anywhere. He is almost 2 weeks old. Please what do I do?! I am trying to keep him warm in the sun. I don't have a duck lamp. Please help!!

 

[dotknott]

What temp are you keeping it at?

 

[shannonbaker87]

I think all you can do is give him rest and keep him warm but having him in the sun might be way too warm. Put him in a secure area where he can rest but make sure he has a way to get out of the sun if he's too warm while being protected from drafts and put electrolytes in his water (they can come in different forms like packets or tablets). They are very good for times of stress or dehydration. Hopefully he is just extremely tired. But for future reference if you are going to let them swim always make sure they have a way to get out of the water. Ducks that age do not have functioning oil glands yet so they are very susceptible to becoming waterlogged. Also if you don't like using heat lamps a very good way to keep them warm is to buy a brinsea heater, a little pricey but works wonders for ducklings. They use up hardly any electricity and are way safer.