Is my gosling normal?

[Aimeeg1986]

Is my gosling normal and very well behaved or is something wrong?
My gosling is a week old today I never intended to just have one goose but the other egg didn’t make it past day 20, I’ve read everything on the internet (which wasn’t much) about how my life will change forever! I will not be able to leave the gosling alone at all, it will be depressed on its own and it’s a lot of work! Obviously I was a little worried but at the moment due to uk lockdown I’m at home 24/7 so I went ahead, BUT...... my gosling is sooo chill, he eats and drinks and poops, he cuddles with one of my jumpers and a stuffed toy he does peep very quietly on an off but only ever shouts loudly when he sees my face, he’s never loud through the night ( I get my full 8 hours) he sits down to stretch his legs which I think means he’s relaxed? He sleeps in a brooder next to my bed but I can leave the room at anytime and never hear him call out for me, I think as long as he’s got his toy he’s ok, so I’m just checking that this sounds ok or what are the signs of being depressed? I’ve always thought with any animal if they are eating drinking and pooping they are fine, the only thing that has me worried is that he sits down a lot, he can walk fine but I don’t no how much goslings rest, thanks

Ps one of the photos are of his set up

 

[Aimeeg1986]

True, the pet industry is horrible, the farming industry is equally destructive to animals in other ways, factory farming is the reason why knowledge of poultry and livestock care has been disappearing and why farm animal welfare has suffered, small farms have an interest in the welfare of their animals, when an animal got sick it was treated if it was something treatable, now the answer is to cull even for something benign because it isn’t cost effective to treat several hundred hens, turkeys, or whatever for something benign.
I’ve seen veterinary medicine suffer as a result of it. All of the vets I knew growing up were brilliant, but that generation has been retiring and it’s hard to find the old “farm vets” anymore, and every vet was a farm vet, the last several years I’ve had the misfortune to encounter the worst kinds of people that happen to be vets, many of them cons too. most of the vets coming out of the veterinary colleges won’t see poultry or livestock now, only cats and dogs, and on top of that several in my area refuse to even see large dog breeds now.
The latest bizarre thing I’ve seen is vets advertise themselves as “farm vets” for business, but they won’t actually see most farm animals, usually they’ll only see horses but there’s one in my county that only treats goats, but not just any goat, she only works with pygmy goats.

I’ve noticed that too in the uk, luckily I have an avian and exotic specialist vet just up the road from me but the amount of other vets claiming to treat these animals but having no experience is unreal! I’m so lucky also that I stumbled across this group and that so many lovely and experienced people have helped me so much get ready for my little goose, there is next to no information about geese on the internet, when you type in gosling you either get stuff about ducks or interviews with Ryan gosling come up lol it was so frustrating.

 

[Leader Bee]

Its one of the main reasons I spent a good 2 years researching geese before I even got some. I know they're unusual pets and so I expected it would be difficult for me to find a vet (Should I need one) that would actually be able to see them; I live in Leeds and my closest avian vet is in York!

Lots of information for ducks out there than geese, you're right, seems they're the slightly more popular waterfowl to keep as pets (I suspect because people think geese are nasty and not cute like ducks) but my research also said that Geese are also some of the hardiest waterfowl around. I.E they don't suffer from nearly as many diseases like aspergilosis or mites or worms nearly as much as a duck or chicken might, so that was perfect for me.

I could have gotten a dog but it'd have been unfair to keep him shut up in the house all the time while I was at work and at least my boys can just be in the garden being happy....As long as my grumpy neighbour doesn't complain about them!

 

[Goosebaby]

Is my gosling normal and very well behaved or is something wrong?
My gosling is a week old today I never intended to just have one goose but the other egg didn’t make it past day 20, I’ve read everything on the internet (which wasn’t much) about how my life will change forever! I will not be able to leave the gosling alone at all, it will be depressed on its own and it’s a lot of work! Obviously I was a little worried but at the moment due to uk lockdown I’m at home 24/7 so I went ahead, BUT...... my gosling is sooo chill, he eats and drinks and poops, he cuddles with one of my jumpers and a stuffed toy he does peep very quietly on an off but only ever shouts loudly when he sees my face, he’s never loud through the night ( I get my full 8 hours) he sits down to stretch his legs which I think means he’s relaxed? He sleeps in a brooder next to my bed but I can leave the room at anytime and never hear him call out for me, I think as long as he’s got his toy he’s ok, so I’m just checking that this sounds ok or what are the signs of being depressed? I’ve always thought with any animal if they are eating drinking and pooping they are fine, the only thing that has me worried is that he sits down a lot, he can walk fine but I don’t no how much goslings rest, thanks

Ps one of the photos are of his set up

At this age he doesn’t notice anything wrong, as he gets older he’s going to feel lonely if he doesn’t have a friend. Some people do keep a single goose but it isn’t fair to them, they can be paired with a duck or two, sometimes they’ll bond with a dog, but the best friend for a goose is another goose because they have the same needs and behaviors and understand each other better than a duck or dog could.
In the wild geese are never alone, they rely on others for more eyes to spot danger or find food and they rely on each other’s collective knowledge. Any time they’re alone is the most danger they’re in, so when they’re alone they’re under a lot of stress and anxiety.
While he’s with you or other family members this isn’t an issue because you’re his flock, but as he gets older and notices your absence when you need to leave it will become an problem for him. You can teach him to ride along in vehicles, I’ve seen others do that with quite happy geese, but eventually for his best interest you should try to find someone who can get you another single gosling or start looking for rescues in need of a home.

 

[Aimeeg1986]

At this age he doesn’t notice anything wrong, as he gets older he’s going to feel lonely if he doesn’t have a friend. Some people do keep a single goose but it isn’t fair to them, they can be paired with a duck or two, sometimes they’ll bond with a dog, but the best friend for a goose is another goose because they have the same needs and behaviors and understand each other better than a duck or dog could.
In the wild geese are never alone, they rely on others for more eyes to spot danger or find food and they rely on each other’s collective knowledge. Any time they’re alone is the most danger they’re in, so when they’re alone they’re under a lot of stress and anxiety.
While he’s with you or other family members this isn’t an issue because you’re his flock, but as he gets older and notices your absence when you need to leave it will become an problem for him. You can teach him to ride along in vehicles, I’ve seen others do that with quite happy geese, but eventually for his best interest you should try to find someone who can get you another single gosling or start looking for rescues in need of a home.

Thank you, he will never be left alone there is always somebody at home and he’s quiet taken with my dog lol I just wanted to know if he’s normal now and what signs to look out for later on regarding depression, how do they act when depressed?

 

[Goosebaby]

Thank you, he will never be left alone there is always somebody at home and he’s quiet taken with my dog lol I just wanted to know if he’s normal now and what signs to look out for later on regarding depression, how do they act when depressed?

Depression in geese is generally uncommon unless there’s some sort of disfunction in the flock like bullying, if there’s been a loss, or if the goose is kept isolated without any kind of companionship, goose, human, or whatever, so if you see signs of depression it’s usually a sign of illness and not purely emotional. If if a goose is showing signs of depression it’s probably best to play it safe and get them looked at by a vet.

I’ve seen two different ways they can express depression.

#1 is standing up with their head partially tucked under a wing, eyes open.

I’ve seen one of my females “Apricot” do that after being bullied by my dominant gander Leo when she was young, for some reason he wouldn’t allow her to be part of the flock when she was younger, and she’d stand there like that after being bitten or chased away, for some reason these episodes would also be accompanied by a stomach ache for her, she’d splay her feet wide which is a sign of stomach upset.
I’ve seen my gander Parsnip tuck his beak after being bullied as well, or after he lost his brother.
Head tucking can easily be confused with sleepiness though, if they’re tired they’ll sit down, tuck their beak in and fall asleep, with depression they’re fully awake, eyes open and standing up. I have seen them occasionally do this when they’re kinda bored so that’s something to consider if you see your goose doing that.

#2 standing or sitting silent in a corner staring at the wall.
My gander Leo did this for days after both his mates and a gosling were killed by a coyote, he wouldn’t eat for two days, when he started eating again it was hardly anything. The only thing that gradually brought him out of it was his other goslings the girls had hatched a few days before they died. Parsnip would also do this on and off after losing his brother.


Anxiety in geese is different than depression but it’s common for the two to mix, they’re usually a packaged deal.

Anxious geese will pace back and forth incessantly, sometimes they’ll but their head against the walls of their enclosure to the point that they’ll rub the skin off of their beaks, sometimes they wail or scream repeatedly. Geese that do this do so when they’ve been separated from their family or partner. Some will keep it up to the point of exhaustion and then go into a state of depression, only to start it back up again later, others just go back and forth between the two but to less of an extreme.

Leo never suffered from anxiety after losing his mates because he knew they had died and he had his elder daughter Kiwi and the three new goslings to keep him company. It’s important to make sure when a goose passes away that the surviving goose knows that they died otherwise they can go on searching for them and anxiously pinning after them for months, it isn’t healthy.
When Parsnip’s brother Thor passed, though Parsnip saw him pass and knew he was gone Parsnip unfortunately wasn’t bonded with the other geese, he was bonded with me, but he craved what he had with Thor and tried joining Leo’s flock but was rebuffed, so unfortunately he went through horrible bouts of anxiety/depression because he missed that brotherly bond he had.
I had him with his sister Friday for a bit, it hardly helped and they fought quite a lot. When he wasn’t with me he would pace, head but the cage, then head tuck or stare into the corner even with Friday there. Things only got better after Leo decided to accept Parsnip and they’ve been happy since, even Friday and him get along now.

 

[Leader Bee]

he does peep very quietly on an off but only ever shouts loudly when he sees my face, he’s never loud through the night ( I get my full 8 hours)

Wow you're lucky, it was the other way around when I got mine - Perfectly quiet when they could see me but the moment I disappeared from view it was constant screaming and yelling, even when I went to bed on a night (at least it only lasted half an hour before they either got tired of it or worked out they were OK)

Also, I don't know if you're aware Amiee, but there is an AIPZ in force in the UK at the moment (Aivian Influenza Prevention Zone) it might be worth you registering with the APHA (Animal, Plant, Health Authority) so that you can get updates about breakouts in your area; We have to keep our birdies secure from wild birds at the moment.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/animal-and-plant-health-agency

@Goosebaby - I'd assume feather pecking and over preening might be a sign of depression too??? Not really had this problem myself.

 

[Aimeeg1986]

Wow you're lucky, it was the other way around when I got mine - Perfectly quiet when they could see me but the moment I disappeared from view it was constant screaming and yelling, even when I went to bed on a night (at least it only lasted half an hour before they either got tired of it or worked out they were OK)

Also, I don't know if you're aware Amiee, but there is an AIPZ in force in the UK at the moment (Aivian Influenza Prevention Zone) it might be worth you registering with the APHA (Animal, Plant, Health Authority) so that you can get updates about breakouts in your area; We have to keep our birdies secure from wild birds at the moment.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/animal-and-plant-health-agency

@Goosebaby - I'd assume feather pecking and over preening might be a sign of depression too??? Not really had this problem myself.

I’m lucky at the moment but I fully expect an attitude problem soon lol and yea I also have aviary birds so we keep an eye on the avian flu, he won’t be going outside anytime soon anyway he will live in the house with us he’s quite content at the minute with all his toys and the iPad lol

 

[Leader Bee]

Waterfowl don’t emotionally featherpluck to my knowledge, feather plucking in waterfowl is a symptom of mites like those that cause depluming itch. Feather plucking is an obsessive compulsive type behavior in parrots caused by high stress and lack of stimulation or sometimes personal loss or poor diet, on the other hand waterfowl aren’t generally kept like many poor parrots are, locked up alone in tiny cages for most of their lives with few toys and activities to interest them, so it’s possible that waterfowl could develop it but that it just hasn’t been observed yet because their lives are so different.

I wish people who kept birds like parrots just let them fly around the house and have the space to be happy

 

[Aimeeg1986]

I wish people who kept birds like parrots just let them fly around the house and have the space to be happy

Unfortunately you see it all the time! It doesn’t help that most pet shops sell inappropriate cages, I have 16 cockatiels, 15 of them are in an 12ft aviary in the garden so when you see them flying around in there it’s hard to see them in a cage, the only one we have inside is blind so he doesn’t fly but he’s still in a bug enough cage for two birds.