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My duckling died 30 minutes ago

mypoorducky

Chirping
Oct 7, 2021
64
80
81
Hello all.

I am here because me and my little brother are panicking and crying.

I bought a duckling from my neighbor's kids who were trying to get rid of it so they could get a cat. We played with and cared for it for multiple weeks. Though we could only keep it indoors most the time (we took it outside for walks from time to time), and it was all alone (at least until we got another duckling we were planning on getting soon), we tried our best to keep it happy. We even noticed it was growing.

Today, we saw our duckling got a little dirty. We decided to bathe it. I put some hot water, and accidentally poured too much Dawn dish soap. I figured it would be fine, as long as we took it out before there were too many bubbles. Then, I left the task of bathing it to my little brother so I could check the pizza we were cooking together. I then heard screams and heard my brother calling, so I immediately went to check. I saw the duck was limp, and he was crying. We hurriedly took it out the soapy water, and washed off the soap.

I felt a few kicks, as if the duck was still alive, but the duck's neck was limp. I tried to perform CPR, but unfortunately I had no clue how to perform it, and it seemed to be in vain. It seemed the duckling had drowned in soapy water, and the soap must have seriously damaged it's insides. I stopped performing CPR when I realized I was moving around its organs. Rigor mortis had set in.

I never expected to get the duck, but it gave me the happiest days of my life. I always slept soundly with it snuggling up against me. Though I always woke up to green messes on me and my bed, I didn't mind it. I thought I would see it grow up into a big duck, maybe eventually see its feathers turn white and learn to fly. I didn't even know its gender, or what to name it, but I will never forget it. Goodbye, Ducky.
 
i’m sorry. but please do not bathe ducks in hot water (it will burn them) or use soap (eating it is toxic + soap hurts their feathers)
You are correct. I used to bathe it in cooler water, but it kept squirming around and trying to escape. Eventually, I realized putting hot, but not burning hot, water helped it calm down during baths. I am normally against bathing ducks in soap, but we noticed a peculiar smell, so I figured a little soap wouldn't hurt. I put too much. My duck didn't seem to preen itself much, it didn't have dense down feathers, and its feathers were always waterlogged, a sign it didn't have much oil. I thought since it didn't have much oil in the first place, the dawn wouldn't strip what wasn't there. Instead, it stripped away its life. I still hear it chirping in my head, a sign of what could have been if I hadn't put the soap in, had I decided to look after it instead, or if I had simply never given it that bath. I miss even the poop marks it left everywhere now.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss. :hugs

Agreed on the hot water. Warm is all that is needed. About the soap... Rescuers use Dawn to strip oil from wild ducks and sea birds when they've been affected by oil spills. Dawn is an amazing de-greaser. I can't think of any reasons one should use any kind of soap on a duckling.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss. :hugs

Agreed on the hot water. Warm is all that is needed. About the soap... Rescuers use Dawn to strip oil from wild ducks and sea birds when they've been affected by oil spills. Dawn is an amazing de-greaser. I can't think of any reasons one should use any kind of soap on a duckling.
I agree. I was very hesitant, but I figured the soap would help it smell better since it wasn't preening. I shouldn't have minded the smell so much, it didn't smell that bad.
 
I'm very sorry for your loss.

It sounds like your little duckling was very loved and happy, snuggling next to you. 💖🦆
Thank you. We just buried it earlier. Took one last good look at the body, before saying goodbye. Originally planned on burying it in the tiny little box we brought it in, but we threw it out earlier, so I put it in a resealable cheese packaging alongside the paper towel I had tried to resuscitate on, and where I assume it had its final breath. I took some pictures, but after lurking here for a bit, it seems people would rather not see ducklings like that. I put a little stick to serve as a sort of gravestone. I will forever miss it. My parents intended to get 2 more ducklings on Sunday, and I feel so bad it wouldn't have been able to see it's other duckling friends. For now, it shall rest in peace in our backyard.
 

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