Mandarin Drake

[hvnsnt3388]

I have been looking for about 8 months for a pair of Mandarin. The other day, I found ONE! The individual who had him did not have a female for him but I bought him anyway in hopes that his other breeding pair may have a clutch in the next few months. He's been home for 2 days now and he is very depressed. He has not eaten and I havent seen him take water. I have him in a large rabbit cage (4 ft wide by 2.5 ft deep by 2.5 feet tall) in my garden tub in the house. We have an enclosure ready for him but I need to get the small pond put in and dont want to do it while he is in there. So, Im going to dig the pond this weekend and get him in the enclosure then.

1. any suggestions on acclimating this new addition? i.e., leave him alone, black out his holding pen, noise you know, whats best to help him feel comfortable for now.
2. I'm thinking i may go ahead and find a compatible male (he does not have anymore mandarin drakes, but lots of other call type ducks) or a hen of another type ? ? ? I would like to put 4 ducks in this enclosure anyway. I dont think it would be "fair" to go ahead and get another pair of call ducks and he still be left out and I'm not sure how adding another type of female would work out!
3. just put him in the enclosure and wait for a female?

I just want to make sure I give him a really good start....I know he is going to be lonely!!!!

When I went to this individual, I was looking for a pair of lady amherst....took only enough money to buy the pheasants and did not bring extra carriers with the sole purpose of NOT bringing anything home that I wasnt "prepared" for.......but couldnt pass up the mandarin (its a sickness, I tell ya)!!!!!! So, now, thanks to my spur of the moment tendencies, I have a mandarin drake that is lonely and scared!

Please Help!

 

[KansasKid]

Well, If you have a call pair already or other bantam sized pair that you plan on putting in the enclosure anyway you might try going ahead and putting the three of them in. I bought a replacement drake a few weeks ago and he went into the quarantine pen with my bahama pintail pair and they have all gotten along so far.

 

[hvnsnt3388]

Thanks for the reply!!

I called the breeder and he is going to and find me something to put with him in the meantime while im waiting for a hen!

He still is very sad looking and still not touched his food as far as I can tell......how long before they usually start eating? I've never had anything not eat within the first 24 hours.

 

[KansasKid]

Is he in the house where he can here you? What do you have for a waterer?

 

[hvnsnt3388]

Yes, he is in the masterbathroom. He is housed in a large rabbit cage with a towel over half the cage in the day and the towel over the top for night. The cage is in a garden tub. He can hear us. And I have tried to handle him a little. I have a shallow tupperware bowl for water, in case he wants to bathe. I do have fount waterers, if that would be better. I have layer crumbles with 13 way scratch mixed together. I have added a few thawed peas and crumbled a piece of 12 grain bread. Im worried he is going to go too long without eating. I could leave him in the rabbit cage and put him in the enclosure that he will go in, if that will help.

 

[KansasKid]

yes, that probably will help significantly. and i wouldn't handle him anymore. usually unless handled from the day they hatch they are like anyother"wild" bird and will get way too stressed out if you keep handling him. put him somewhere like his enclosure with food water/something to swim in and leave him be for a while. he should have time to settle in and calm down.

Good Luck.

 

[tinychicky]

ducks are social bird just like chickens. the sooner you get him a buddy, the better.

 

[hvnsnt3388]

I still have to dig the small pond so I don't want to have to catch him up saturday and stress him again so I will leave him in the rabbit cage and put it in the enclosure in the morning. Should I add the fount waterer and give him something a little bigger to bathe in?

 

[KansasKid]

He might not know what to do with the fount waterer, if you have something deep enough for him to splash around in tonight, you could try and give him that. Do you remember seeing what the breeder had as a waterer? otherwise just leave him bee and see if he has splashed out any water in the morning.

Good Luck...

O and one last thing, don't forget to upload pic's when you move him into the enclosure, and feel free to post your enclosure in the thread in my signature, the more the merrier

 

[hvnsnt3388]

The breeder had what looked like a cat litter box for them to swim in. I didnt notice any water splashed around this morning but he was wandering out from the wooden nest box this morning. Because its so cold here this morning I didnt put him out into the enclosure. Besides, we had bad storms move through yesterday and I noticed what looks like something fell onto the enclosure and am not comfortable putting him out there without first doing a good inspection to make sure there is no breech in the enclosure. I uncovered his rabbit cage and shut the door to the bathroom while i'm at work for the day and will get him out into the enclosure this afternoon when I get home. Hopefully, he will make it. I am picking up a female mandarin tomorrow from the breeder. He is going to let buy one of his "maybe one extra out there" hens. LOL!

I will try to post pictures asap! We live where even satellite internet service sucks!!!!