How much different will a gander be as a pet than a goose?

[violets812]

I've lucked out and had a Canada goose and now I've found a man with 6 pairs setting who will have day old geese available in May. We bought a ranch in a small town & my husband put up a 6 ft wooden fence. We have 2 Welsh Harlequin ducks but there is nothing like a goose. They are personality plus! I really only want one & I have had one pet goose before. Geese just poop too much to have two of them in a regular backyard. It will be a 50/50 chance as to which sex I get & I'm worried about the breeding season - wouldn't a pet gander become Territorial and jealous of its human/s? I'd hate to have to keep him penned up while his hormones are exploding. How are other people's pet ganders during "that" season? Would love to hear any comments!

 

[rainplace]

I'm not sure what you mean by pet. Do you mean keep the goose inside, or are you talking about about a backyard goose?

If you end up with a gander, and he is with the ducks, he will most likely try to mate with the ducks. The ducks will probably find him desirable as well. Waterfowl aren't picky. If you end up with a gander, confining him through the entire breeding season so he can't act on his nature is cruel. They are flock animals.

There are hatcheries that will send you a female, and she would probably get along with your ducks just fine. Metzers will send out a box of two, you can get another female duck to brood her with.

 

[lovesgliders]

Honestly, I was told to get a female if you want a true pet. Ganders can get nippy/bossy with you during the breeding season... either because they think YOU are their mate, or because they are protecting their mate--duck, goose, whomever she may be--from you.

 

[RHRanch]

I think in general a goose makes a better pet, although a Cotton Patch gander would probably be a good pet, they are so non-agressive, even in the mating season.

 

[violets812]

I was thinking of an indoor goose. My husband was saying ok...but not very enthusiastically! Now that ok is turning into -- no - you've tried that before and it's true - you do have to keep diapers on them and change them all the time. Their real parents would be with them all the time. So when I can't be, I remember feeling guilty. I've also had a problem with Angel Wing in a Canada that I was keeping indoors. She should have been eating grass and other vegetation but was mainly eating chicken mash. The vet said she was getting too much protein and her wings were growing faster than her muscles could keep up with them. All this was on the ranch where I had other geese, chickens and guinea fowl (the birds from hell haha - people should get a flock instead of a guard dog!) She had blue spears sticking straight out from either side. He showed me how to wrap them and she ate grass, grass and more grass. We'd also take her with the other very tame geese to one of the ponds - I think they like underwater grasses the most.

I think I have talked myself out of a pet goose. I'm 58 and having lots of medical problems which is another reason we moved from the ranch into town. The last couple of late afternoons and early evenings I've sat with the ducks, on a folding chair in their pen. I had said I thought it was about 8' x 10' but my husband said more like 10' x 16' so they have a good little area. They are usually loose so they go into our large backyard with their kiddie pool. I've been keeping them in their little area more since she has so many eggs that she only sets on during the night. I thought she might set on them more if they were right there, under her nose. But it was nice sitting out there with them.

I watched a youtube video yesterday. I think there were 7 videos of a man with a pet Canada goose (indoors.) You could see as the videos go on, that he's becoming overwhelmed with the goose wanting to be with him all the time, as he/she would have with goose parents. The next to the last video is taking her "last bath". Even is voice sounds irritated as he/she splashes in the water, where before it was fun for him. The last video is the goose's "release". He takes him/her (I can't remember without watching it again & I don't want to watch them again) to a park lake where there are geese and ducks. His pet didn't even look at the strange creatures on the pond. When he started leaving, the goose tried to walk with a couple of people who were on the park pathway. Then the goose turned back to look at "Dad" and that was it. SO SAD. When I watched he had turned off the option to leave a comment. I'm pretty sure we know why. Even when we would have 6 Canadas on the ranch, when a way-faring stranger would fly down, our geese would jump up like a clown from a jack-in-the-box! It was so funny!! And the wild geese would be puzzled too at these geese with people.

I'm actually so sick when some things that won't go away. I've changed my diet A LOT but I still can hardly breathe just walking to the duck's area door. I have to rest to come inside. I think about those years on the ranch with "real pet" geese who would tug at my long skirt or my jeans to be picked up. Those were the best, most satisfying years of my life. Ducks don't have the Big Obnoxious (sometimes) personalities of geese, but I think all I'll have is ducks and memories now. Thank you all for your responses. This is a good place!

 

[The goose girl]

Having an indoor pet goose is a massive undertaking. Especially when it's a baby, it's there ALL THE TIME. I respect you so much for talking yourself out of it - it's a huge responsibility.

I got my goose when she was 8 days old, and for the next three months she spent every second with me or her goosesitter. It's so cute how they imprint on you, but it does get old after a while. I'm lucky to have a retired neighbor who loved to be the goosesitter when I needed to go someplace. But still, it always involved a lot of planning ahead - rushing a gosling is almost impossible without stressing it.

Even me going to the bathroom required some planning. I couldn't just go if the goose had fallen asleep - she would wake up immediately and panic after me. So I either had to wait for her to wake up or get someone to sit with her and talk to her while I tiptoed away. Same thing if she was eating, drinking, bathing or preening herself. And that's what goslings do 95% of their time. Having an imprinted gosling involves a lot of just sitting around.

The diaper worked most of the time. But when it didn't - yikes. I vividly remember the morning I woke up with the gosling resting in my long hair. It was so adorable - except she had managed to pull her diaper off, and my hair was glued to my pillow with goose poop. And then I couldn't just leave her and go take a shower - had to get a goosesitter first.

She's all grown up now and much more independent. She spends her days outside mostly, although she still likes to come inside for a nap once in a while. She knows where I am and comes running to the door if something scares her. And she still goes to her goosesitter's when I'm away for longer stretches - she loves him so much and even recognizes his voice on the phone.

It was really special and so much fun raising an indoor gosling. But it was also stressful and very hard work, and I really don't miss it. I'm not sure I'll ever want to do it again. I can understand the man in the YouTube videos getting irritated - although I absolutely can't forgive him for dumping the poor goose.

 

[TeamRetic]

I wonder if you can give a link of the video with the man with the indoor Canada goose. I was trying to find it and had no luck.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Having an indoor pet goose is a massive undertaking. Especially when it's a baby, it's there ALL THE TIME. I respect you so much for talking yourself out of it - it's a huge responsibility.

I got my goose when she was 8 days old, and for the next three months she spent every second with me or her goosesitter. It's so cute how they imprint on you, but it does get old after a while. I'm lucky to have a retired neighbor who loved to be the goosesitter when I needed to go someplace. But still, it always involved a lot of planning ahead - rushing a gosling is almost impossible without stressing it.

Even me going to the bathroom required some planning. I couldn't just go if the goose had fallen asleep - she would wake up immediately and panic after me. So I either had to wait for her to wake up or get someone to sit with her and talk to her while I tiptoed away. Same thing if she was eating, drinking, bathing or preening herself. And that's what goslings do 95% of their time. Having an imprinted gosling involves a lot of just sitting around.

The diaper worked most of the time. But when it didn't - yikes. I vividly remember the morning I woke up with the gosling resting in my long hair. It was so adorable - except she had managed to pull her diaper off, and my hair was glued to my pillow with goose poop. And then I couldn't just leave her and go take a shower - had to get a goosesitter first.

She's all grown up now and much more independent. She spends her days outside mostly, although she still likes to come inside for a nap once in a while. She knows where I am and comes running to the door if something scares her. And she still goes to her goosesitter's when I'm away for longer stretches - she loves him so much and even recognizes his voice on the phone.

It was really special and so much fun raising an indoor gosling. But it was also stressful and very hard work, and I really don't miss it. I'm not sure I'll ever want to do it again. I can understand the man in the YouTube videos getting irritated - although I absolutely can't forgive him for dumping the poor goose.

This is so true and I applaud you for being so honest.

 

[lovesgliders]

I wonder if you can give a link of the video with the man with the indoor Canada goose. I was trying to find it and had no luck.

Yeah, I am actually curious to see those videos, too!

 

[violets812]

I'm sorry I haven't been online to get these links. Sick, but better now, thanks! I wanted to say when I read over this thread that I appreciate the people who validated the fact that it is hard to have one house goose. And I should proof-read (I do this on Facebook all the time, ugh) my posts before clicking Submit. My husband has a large ranch - having Canada geese, chickens, guineas. We've only been married 7 years so those were the most fun years of my life. Oh it was fun!

It was hard to look up those videos again. For anyone just joining in here, a man & his wife kept a Canada goose for its first year. I was looking up Canada goose pets but most of this man's videos don't have the words goose or geese in the title. I didn't think he was allowing people to post but that is because no one usually posted - I've left 3 today. It makes me feel like throwing up. Well, maybe I kind of felt like that to start with and then the last video Dash's Release. It's so hard to watch!! Don't they get it? Dash goes right up to a woman and her daughter, who back away, of course! Please, please post on these videos. If you are not registered on youtube, you can still look them up and watch them. You can share without registering by clicking share and copying the URL under the video - or just from your browser's entry. When you're done watching one of their videos, please look up above the video (I'm thinking of people who don't usually use youtube) you can see he has 13 I think total videos. You can click on that - where it says 13 videos to see them. Or you can copy and paste the author's name in the youtube search field and it will show all his videos. I can't go back to them again. I hope everyone who reads this will register with youtube (you can cancel your membership when you're done, if you want) and leave a reply - actually I hope all of you who hurt over this goose, will spread this around and get more people to leave replies/responses. He says "release" as if they are a wild life rehab place and have gone through all the steps of teach Dash about other geese, etc.

Dash's last bath link is

Dash's Release link is

The author's login name is soundq2 You can also go to youtube.com and type Dash's last bath or Dash's Release in the youtube search box. So, so sad. I hope to God that they used food coloring on his/her chest and didn't send Dash out wearing a diaper!!