orphaned gosling*NEW PICTURES*

[Mom 2em All]

I am a veterinary technician, and yesterday someone brought a gosling to my workplace. He said he had found it all alone running around at a park.
I havent the slightest idea what kind it is- but it is absolutely adorable. I didnt get much sleep last night, because my idea of keeping it in a basket or a brooder with a heat lamp didnt go over at all.
The baby cried all evening while in our hospital incubator- so I held it every chance I got. Once home, it has been either on my lap, or in my hair ever since. Finding it difficult to get my chores done, lol.

I have a few goose questions, if you all could please help.

I have a muscovy-cross duckling in my house and a special-needs black east indie. They are now about four weeks old. They eat and eat and eat- and have since they were hatched. This gosling? Not so much. If my hair was nutritional, he would be stuffed full- but getting it to understand crumbles has been different. It eats a few bites, then its done. I let the gosling watch them eat, but no worries- I wouldnt even attempt to put this little baby in with them. The BEI is very aggressive toward anything except its Muscovy buddy and us humans- and they are a zillion times larger than this baby.

Do goslings not each as much as ducklings?

I know many have raised a gosling up indoors. I am wondering how do you get anything accomplished? I think I need to wear a fanny pack or a sling- just to put the baby in.

Is there anything outstanding away from basic needs that I should know? I have raised up multiple clutches of ducklings, so if goose needs are the same, I should be okay. The little thing cant be very old. No feathers coming in. About the size of a softball, or a large orange. Classic brown and yellow, grey feet, black beak. My husband wanted to return it to the park in the hopes that he could reunite it with its parents. lol. I told them that geese dont print out posters of their kids saying, "Have you seen this gosling?" lol, so he would have no idea where it belonged and it would be killed. So, it is here on my lap, and my little dog had to scoot over.

edit to add some pictures:

I sat her/him on the chair to take a picture, and terrified my little dog..Monster Goose, lol..:

blurry, but "Henry" was trying to get back to me:

telling all about the injustices of being an orphan:

The lighting seems off, I couldnt get the flash proper..the second picture shows dark legs. They are NOT dark.

 

[Balbinka]

Being a wild goose, he/she is probably not used to eating dry crumbles.

I would mash up the crumbles in some lukewarm water and let them soak to an oatmeal-like texture, maybe even more wet.
Chop up some green romaine lettuce (super, super fine & not a whole lot of it yet) and mix it in with the warm mash.

Let me know how it works if you try it!
Worked for me!

 

[Balbinka]

As for raising a house gosling, I am doing that right now!

I ordered a diaper from a kind woman named Tess on this forum.
It's due to arrive soon (hopefully)

Balbinka stays in the warm brooder when I am not holding her (it is important for them to have some time by themselves and learn to self-soothe, otherwise they'll cry and cry and cry for you well into adulthood). Stuffed animals with no "edible" parts work well as companions on the brooder.

To hold her or take a nap with her, I put on a clean robe I don't care about and let her snuggle next to me.

Slings also might work, but baby geese sure can jump! Not to mention they will outgrow it very quickly.

When I take Binka outdoors or need to carry her around the house, she goes in a canvas backpack (that I wear backwards on my chest, it looks stupid I know) lined with a towel and the zipper is just wide enough for her to poke her head through.

 

[pete55]

Post number 2 by Balbinka says it all and I recommend you follow the advice given. Remember the gosling will have been eating wild found food with its family, it doesnt recognise (yet) processed food

Well done for helping this gorgeous little chap

Pete

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
If you can get it eating, within 5 days or so it will be as big as your muscovy and bigger than the BEI duckling and I would make every effort to get them together and shift some of the attention to them away from you. It has already bonded to you (thinks you are its mama) and that can cause trouble for you both. it would be much better off bonded to the other waterfowl it will share its life with. Also the other waterfowl can teach it how/what to eat and drink. Yes it will cry for mama but should learn how to live without you and with the ducks.

 

[Mom 2em All]

Thank you everyone! We went outside for a few minutes- and "Henry" picked at the grass, and ate a bunch of rain-soaked crumbles!
Ever see a goose peep itself sick?
I put it in the brooder long enough to feed the dogs- and it peeped so furiously that it regurgitated up water/food and spent the next couple minutes freaking me out that it was choking!

Can anyone tell what type of goose it is? Canadian makes the most sense around here, but there are a few other kinds I see as well.

 

[Jchantecler]

If it is a wild goose, you may have to either get a permit from your states wildlife agency, or turn it in. I'm not sure if this is true, but I read it somewhere.

 

[Balbinka]

Quote:
Personally, I live in California and you have to have a permit for Canadian Geese here.

And for peeping himself sick... maybe you should find someone with another gosling or duckling he can live with. If he originally bonded to mommy goose and siblings, this transition might be quite difficult for him. And as a wild goose, it is more against his nature to live alone (opposed to a domestic goose who's family has been in captivity for generations).

There is also a chance he might have parasites. Geese are hardy, but you never know with him being born in the wild.

Sure is cute. How's he doing today?

 

[Mom 2em All]

Today has been a bunch of fun!
I vent-sexed him. Henry is male.
I set up a lunch bag- more like a lunch tote with a stuffed animal, his travel bag

- and he and I went to the feed store (the man there loved him much!)and then out to the metro park. He ate grass, and followed me around in the sunshine.He ran down a slight hill, flapping his little wings as hard as he could

We had a great relaxing day- well, lots of exercise for him. He found a depression in the grass that made a puddle and had fun wading in that- the water only came up to his knees. A man came out of the woods in full camo gear, carrying a camera with a super-duper long lens on it. He said he had been out there since daybreak, and Henry was the first waterfowl he had seen all day

He took a couple pictures of him.

Im about to go out to dinner. Think the waitress will notice if I smuggle in my tote, with gosling? He is quite tired out now. Sleeping away in there.

 

[Balbinka]

Quote:
Sounds like a fairy-tale!
Glad you've been able to bond with him.

Definitely check your state laws, I would hate to see him be taken away from you!

Can't wait to see pics.