CuddleNest
Songster
I might be dealing with two issues here, so please bear with me! Our 10 week old muscovy drake (he just got named Bubba) is far less active than his lady duck (we also just named her, Naida) and doesn't like to bathe as much or at all (despite a new pond that allows them to fully immerse and dive). He sits a lot and I rarely see him foraging, though he will go into mud for worms and insects. I've started dumping water into the grass and mud to get him a bit more active and interested. I throw some live meal worms in there or collect earth worms which he really likes. Based on this behavior and what appears to be irritation and infection on his feet, I'm going to add a niacin supplement in addition to the brewer's yeast that I put on their 20% protein pellets. I ordered some supplements (not flush free or time release) from amazon and plan to add it such that he gets 70 mg for 1 kg of pellet mix. I didn't expect him to have any foot problems because I never really see him doing anything. However, I considered he might have foot problems if it is niacin deficiency. And, I considered that maybe he is also inactive because his feet or legs hurt. It almost looks cumbersome when he waddles around. Then again, he's big, and I just don't know how to best interpret this. So, I decided to cuddle with him for a while and inspect his feet.
I took some pictures. I dont know if duck feet are made up of claws or toes or whatever, but the middle "one" on each foot appears irritated and possibly/likely infected near the nail. The skin/scales is splitting and raised. The first one was very difficult to photograph. Here are closeups of the spots I'm worried about near the toenail on each foot.
The rest of the bottom of the feet is relatively soft, though I wonder a little bit about the hardness of the center of one of the feet, where, if you look closely, you can also see the skin getting very rough and raised like at the toe nail.
The foot seems ok other than the toe issue, but these are my first duck feet so feel free to give me your opinion!
His feet were a bit dirty, and frankly, he started pooping on me (which was shockingly a LOT of poop), so I didnt want to get up and rinse his feet off at that point and have him start scratching me (there are already duck toe-nail holes in that shirt from the cuddle time), though I would do it if it would help clarify the situation. Just let me know.
I want to start treating the feet before it might develop into something else/worse. I dont have epsom salt but will dissolve some Himalayan salt that I have and try to soak his feet in it. With chickens, to prevent infections, I would soak them and wrap a toe with gauze, maybe with honey, and let them hang out in the kitchen for a while. It seemed to prevent cuts from developing into infections. Here, the skin appears open, maybe already infected. Despite him not foraging a lot, maybe it is related to a niacin deficiency? I'm considering an antibiotic ointment. I have some triple antibiotic/pain reliever stuff I brought from the states, bepanthen (dexpanthenol) from germany, and a beta iodine cream (which might sting). Any advice (including if you think it might be the beginnings of bumble foot) would be greatly appreciated! And, how do you wrap a toe that is webbed?? Should I keep him inside in for a bit? He also likes to hang out in the shower (where he grew up).
He is a big cuddle duck...but while I was cuddling, his neck was vibrating a lot. I dont know if he was nervous or if it's a duck thing...does vibrating duck neck mean anything? Thank you so much for your help!
I took some pictures. I dont know if duck feet are made up of claws or toes or whatever, but the middle "one" on each foot appears irritated and possibly/likely infected near the nail. The skin/scales is splitting and raised. The first one was very difficult to photograph. Here are closeups of the spots I'm worried about near the toenail on each foot.
The rest of the bottom of the feet is relatively soft, though I wonder a little bit about the hardness of the center of one of the feet, where, if you look closely, you can also see the skin getting very rough and raised like at the toe nail.
The foot seems ok other than the toe issue, but these are my first duck feet so feel free to give me your opinion!
His feet were a bit dirty, and frankly, he started pooping on me (which was shockingly a LOT of poop), so I didnt want to get up and rinse his feet off at that point and have him start scratching me (there are already duck toe-nail holes in that shirt from the cuddle time), though I would do it if it would help clarify the situation. Just let me know.
I want to start treating the feet before it might develop into something else/worse. I dont have epsom salt but will dissolve some Himalayan salt that I have and try to soak his feet in it. With chickens, to prevent infections, I would soak them and wrap a toe with gauze, maybe with honey, and let them hang out in the kitchen for a while. It seemed to prevent cuts from developing into infections. Here, the skin appears open, maybe already infected. Despite him not foraging a lot, maybe it is related to a niacin deficiency? I'm considering an antibiotic ointment. I have some triple antibiotic/pain reliever stuff I brought from the states, bepanthen (dexpanthenol) from germany, and a beta iodine cream (which might sting). Any advice (including if you think it might be the beginnings of bumble foot) would be greatly appreciated! And, how do you wrap a toe that is webbed?? Should I keep him inside in for a bit? He also likes to hang out in the shower (where he grew up).
He is a big cuddle duck...but while I was cuddling, his neck was vibrating a lot. I dont know if he was nervous or if it's a duck thing...does vibrating duck neck mean anything? Thank you so much for your help!
