House Goose Thread

[EvenLater]

He's got a giant stuffed Moose that fills the entire back of the cage haha! We picked that one because my LGD's name is Moose. When I shut off the light he went straight into that "trilling" mode, I didn't know geese could snore!

Cas has a big stuffed frog that he's loved since Day 1...

But now he's so big, he actually can CARRY it around!

 

[Carrosaur]

Cas has a big stuffed frog that he's loved since Day 1... But now he's so big, he actually can CARRY it around!

LOL I think Moose Jr is a tiny bit bigger than the frog but Pear Jr is six days old!

 

[Skyfire]

So, is it just a goose thing to chew hair? Angel is really bad about it and it really hurts, at times. Our goslings have also taken to obsessive hair chewing. Is there a way to get them to stop?

It took A LOT of consistent training and a variety of techniques to get Jupiter off my long hair. What finally worked was to immediately pull my hair out of her mouth while saying, "that hurts momma", then getting up and ignoring her for a couple of minutes. After a few days of this, she started leaving my hair alone. She was very into my hair from the time we got her. When she was 12 days old, she became psychotic about my hair. It wasn't till she was over 4 weeks that I found the technique that works on her. She ignores my hair now. On the rare occasion she does, all that's needed now is telling her No and re directing her head.

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@Skyfire : WOW! Look at Juppy! Holy crap! She's not a baby anymore! I have been wondering where ya been hiding but my goodness I can see you have your hands FULL! I've been continuously trying to gauge Cas's age based on her, so if she's 7 weeks old and you got her on the 1rst of April, and I got Cas on the 25th...that makes him 4 weeks old, right? He's feathering fast now, and seems to be doing do faster than some other goslings I've seen here, UNTIL I compare him to Jup, and other "house geese".

I've seen some goslings here nearly 6 weeks and barely starting to feather. I can't really figure it out, but I've come to my own conclusion that maybe it's the "couch potato" raising? LOL

He's still primarily on his feed, though he gets outside for at least an hour every day, and I also make him a salad before bed every night. He absolutely LOVES fresh peas! OMG and meal worms...OMG those are like goose crack or something! LOL

Jupiter was born April 1st but we got her on the 3rd. She is almost 8 weeks old. She is noticeably smaller than the Buffs I see in other people's pictures and videos. I wonder if it is diet related. Jupiter eats mostly grass. She only has feed in the morning and at night, about 3 tablespoons per meal with a healthy pinch of nutritional yeast on top. She gets about 1/2 cup on thawed peas split into snacks throughout the day.

His first night in the cage, oh the screaming. Now I remember why I thought they liked outside better.

They do

I wish I had more time to dedicate to this particular post because I know how you feel. It WILL get better, but you have to be a positive person. If you believe this will fail, it will. Any way he could sleep with you for the first week or so? I think that will go a long way in establishing a trust bond with you so that in the future you can put him in his own bed and he will know you will be back for him.

 

[Carrosaur]

Sky I remember when Pear the First was a house goose she was great at night, went right to sleep, or just kind of sat there nibbling at her tub/crate. I wonder why it's so different with Pear Jr. I do let him sleep on my bed if I'm awake but I'm worried if I fall asleep I might crush him or suffocate him. We learned in my AP psych class that you can sense in your sleep when something is in your bed... But still

 

[Skyfire]

maybe a cat bed next to your head could work. your baby will be close to you while being protected from tossing & turning. One technique that really worked with Jupiter was to put a soft light blanket over her. That helped settle her down and stay asleep. She slept like a newborn: up for an hour, down for a half hour. That was a tough time....but it will pass. I understand what you're saying. I started with two and they were night and day personalities. It does sound like your baby just wants to be with you and know you're there for him/her too so don't throw in the towel yet!



Though you guys would get a kick out of this. It's Jupiter my yoga goose. She does this move all the time, lol

 

[Carrosaur]

maybe a cat bed next to your head could work. your baby will be close to you while being protected from tossing & turning. One technique that really worked with Jupiter was to put a soft light blanket over her. That helped settle her down and stay asleep. She slept like a newborn: up for an hour, down for a half hour. That was a tough time....but it will pass. I understand what you're saying. I started with two and they were night and day personalities. It does sound like your baby just wants to be with you and know you're there for him/her too so don't throw in the towel yet! Though you guys would get a kick out of this. It's Jupiter my yoga goose. She does this move all the time, lol

Looking good!! So far Pear Jr doesn't realize I'm his mom but thinks EVERY person is his mom. It's so cute, if someone walks by him he'll run after them and if he sees another person he'll go to them. I love watching him do thar

 

[Carrosaur]

This is how Pear sleeps

 

[EvenLater]

Pear is a cutie pie! With Cas, we roughed it (for us it was rough!) the tough love parent way lol. Yes it was hard, but after 3 nearly sleepless nights, Cas learned to sleep on his own, safe in his dog house with his toys. For us, having him sleep with us wouldn't be an option (with 2 dogs both weighing at least 80 pounds! And 2 not-so-tolerant cats WITH claws) because I would never sleep! I would've been up watching him to be sure he was safe! Only took 3 nights for him to settle down into a wake/sleep routine, although they were loud crying nights (for him and ME!) but we made it through. Now when I say "Bedtime" he goes and stands at the door of his house! You'll get it Carr, don't give up! Just be a strong goose Mama and stick to a routine. They LOVE routine and learn it quickly!

 

[Carrosaur]

Pear is a cutie pie! With Cas, we roughed it (for us it was rough!) the tough love parent way lol. Yes it was hard, but after 3 nearly sleepless nights, Cas learned to sleep on his own, safe in his dog house with his toys. For us, having him sleep with us wouldn't be an option (with 2 dogs both weighing at least 80 pounds! And 2 not-so-tolerant cats WITH claws) because I would never sleep! I would've been up watching him to be sure he was safe! Only took 3 nights for him to settle down into a wake/sleep routine, although they were loud crying nights (for him and ME!) but we made it through. Now when I say "Bedtime" he goes and stands at the door of his house! You'll get it Carr, don't give up! Just be a strong goose Mama and stick to a routine. They LOVE routine and learn it quickly!

I usually fall asleep pretty fast through his peeping because we crate trained my great put in my room who screamed bloody murder for three months, so I learned to sleep through it!

 

[EvenLater]

Well, there ya go! It's pretty much the same thing as crate training a pup. They cry and our hearts break, but it will end as long as we commit to being firm on where their sleeping place is

Now if only I could teach some HUMAN parents the same thing, maybe I wouldn't have to endure hearing conversations about how "tired" they are of their 8 year old HUMAN child sleeping in their bed! Teach them young and they will learn. Let them get away with it young, and they will also learn.