Injured Canada Goose. What should I do?

[NanaK]

Just beautiful!

 

[Miss Lydia]

It’s a hard one to figure out what's best but without you feeding this goose I don't think it has much of a chance. Wouldn't it be nice to know what happened to the poor baby or do you think it was hatched like this?

 

[HeatherKellyB]

It’s a hard one to figure out what's best but without you feeding this goose I don't think it has much of a chance. Wouldn't it be nice to know what happened to the poor baby or do you think it was hatched like this?

Honestly, I think a snapping turtle got it. The injuries I've seen in many of these geese coincide with snapping turtles. I make sure to keep an eye out for them in my pond, but those lakes across the road are so large that I suspect it's possible there. Plus some of the geese go to other ponds and lakes day to day, so there's no telling where all they go. From what I've learned, wild geese don't spend the day and sleep in the same place. The only geese that I know come here everyday is the 18 "babies" and their parents. I don't know if I ever shared the picture of Buddy. He lost his outside toe and some webbing. It was such a clean cut. I don't know what else would cause these injuries. I guess it's possible that some of the landowners in the gated community could be the culprit, but I certainly hope not. So many people swim in those lakes so I didn't think they had snappers but who knows. There was a couple of sightings of an alligator in the largest lake last summer. We don't have those here, so needless to say, I was seriously freaked out!!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I can imagine wondering when the gator would come across the road to your pond. Being born and raised in North Florida it was amazing to see where a gator or snapping turtle would show up. Thankfully no gators in these NC mountains but we do have huge snapping turtle in our mt river.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

"Billy" was back today and it's really incredible how this goose has already figured it out. He comes to find me and is no longer aggressive. I have 2 buckets (1 blue and 1 red) and the little stinker likes to go back and forth between buckets, making me switch out between the bucket I'm carrying and tossing from and the bucket on the ground, to make sure he's getting the good stuff His hesitancy about eating from a bucket has disappeared I'll post a picture/s from today asap

 

[NanaK]

He's got you in training. He knows good folks when he meets them. Glad he's accepting and sounds like welcoming the help.

 

[Miss Lydia]

That is so precious. He knows you are trying to help him.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Pictures of Billy from Friday This picture isn't zoomed, so you can see how he's starting to trust me a little more

Gotta make sure he's getting the same thing as the others, so he had to go back and forth between buckets

I have to stand guard to keep the other geese from attacking him. Luckily we had the rare moment of everyone being in the water, so his confidence was soaring

 

[Miss Lydia]

Aww bless you both. It has to be so rewarding to earn his trust. He has to know you're helping him. Did CWR respond to the pictures you posted for them?

 

[NanaK]

Gotta make sure he's getting the same thing as the others, so he had to go back and forth between buckets

Who doesn't love a buffet!