I’m completely lost !

[KathiQuacks]

Correct me if this is a bad idea, but would it be possible to try returning the baby now that they’re all warmed up? Find the mama / a mama with similar sized babies and see if they’ll take the duckling?

Otherwise, I agree. Baby is chirping a bunch because they’re without their mama and siblings. You can give baby a mirror in the mean time to make them more comfortable. I may opt for a rehab since they’re wild / feral. For the food, mix 1 cup of feed with 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast, and give a small dish of water. Keep them toasty with the heater. Good job helping this baby!!

 

[Evadig]

Correct me if this is a bad idea, but would it be possible to try returning the baby now that they’re all warmed up? Find the mama / a mama with similar sized babies and see if they’ll take the duckling?

I don’t think this will work. My mother duck abandoned each of her three clutches (I had taken the babies away right after hatching so they didn’t get crushed). It’s unlikely they will even find the mother duck.

The mirror is a great idea though!

 

[ruthhope]

Where in Florida are you? I am in St Augustine. It is likely you have a muscovy duckling if it was one of many round a pond in Florida. Its perfectly legal to go and get another duckling to keep the one you have company. It urgently needs a ducky friend. You can use a mirror and a stuffed toy initially, but the duckling will realize there is something amiss. The longer it is without duckly companionship, the more accustomed it becomes to humans, the greater the difficulty ever getting the duck back into the duck world. Plus there are strict regulations that prohibit letting muscovy ducks go in the wild. If you are anywhere near St Augustine, I can take the duckling and rehab it to release it at a future date onto private land with the landowners permission. Wild life rehabbers are not permitted by Florida law to take muscovy ducklings, and from 2024 prohibited from taking mallard ducklings. I am not a wildlife rehabber!!