HELP! WHY DOES MY DUCK GO 'STIFF'????

[daffyduck69]

Can someone please help & shed some light on this, it's really starting to freak me out...
I have a 4 month old female Khaki Campbell & just the last two weeks she has started to go 'stiff' like she's paralysed or something...
at first I thought the water was too cold for her, so started making it warmer, but she is doing it in & out of the water & in the last couple of days, it just happens out of the blue when she hasn't even been in the water.
It's really starting to frighten me...do I need to take her to the vet? is she lacking in something? or could I be feeding her something I shouldn't be???
Her diet consists of : pellets / mixed grain / peas / bok choy / sometimes green grapes / garden worms / odd snail
PLEASE HELP.... I'd hate to think I'm doing something wrong with her.
Thank you in advance, I am a first-time duck owner & still have so much to learn!

 

[shannong139]

My rouen does something similar to what you've described but it's usually when she gets caught doing something she's not supposed to, like trying to eat garbage and also does it in the bath. It's like she's submitting, she'll half way lay down, put her wings to the side and slowly quack. She also does it every time I rub her from the neck to her tail. Just a little info.

 

[Amiga]

If you have a wood stove and only only only burn clean hardwood (not construction leftovers and treated or painted wood), you could find some charcoal chunks and grind them up real fine. I use that.

 

[Amiga]

So pretty!

 

[Orca5094]

She's beautiful! Hope it's just the pre-copulatory position after all. That would be great! My youngest female does it for me sometimes when I put her in her tub to swim.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yes, it's sounding more and more like normal breeding behavior after all. What a relief, eh? If you could get a video of the behavior we could confirm for sure, but I know that might be difficult to have the camera ready when she decides to do it.

Sorry I didn't think of this earlier! You've been through so much trying to figure out what was wrong with her. >.<

Wouldn't that be a relief.

 

[Amiga]

I recall some years ago someone convinced her duck was having seizures, when she was just acting broody. It took a while to sort that out.

 

[Amiga]

 

[Miss Lydia]

And now a proud moment...she lay her first egg last night!!! Was so happy when I saw it! She's 5mths old now

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Aww she's lovely and good looking egg too. Looks to me that what your seeing is just her mating stance so nothing at all to worry about.

 

[Orca5094]

I'm no expert, but it kind of sounds like she's possibly having seizures? How long do these "stiff" behaviors last? It sounds like you're feeding her all the right things, so it might not be something you have any control over. Looks like you're in Australia, so I really don't think it's getting too cold for her there this time of year. Hopefully someone else will chime in with some more insight!

Edit: I'm assuming you know for sure she is eating well and is acting normally otherwise?