Orphaned wild duckling not eating

[Henry&Friends]

Has he eaten anything yet?

 

[Miss Lydia]

This is Argentina might be different there. Just some options for @Juge to think about.

 

[Raenh]

They're fliers, too! We have a couple of flocks that like to hang around my town, they used to land in the yard nearby to where I used to live when I first got speedy and fancy.

 

[Juge]

The approach to wildlife is a bit careless here, I searched for wildlife offices and there's only a couple in natural reserves in other provinces. I don't know if there are bird rehabers in my town, but we know an amateur bird watcher and will see if he knows anybody. And when the vets open tomorrow I will call and see if any of them knows anything about ducks.

He was a bit lethargic this morning but perked up when he saw me at noon (he sleeps in my brother's room). Could it be the imprint?
He ate a bit of egg and water lentils (that's a literal translation, I don't know the name in english) they are very very small leaves and he seemed to enjoy fishing them out of the water. Yesterday we thought he had eaten a bit of starter mash but given the lethargy this morning maybe not. He is still pooping tho, so he must have eaten something haha.

He has a plushie now and loves to cuddle against it when he goes to sleep. Is it normal that he does small chirps when sleeping?

Also he is not growing, like at all, he has me a bit worried. I will try giving him peas for the niacin when he wakes up.

 

[Isaac 0]

Let us know how it goes!

Yes, Keeping him company will definitely help his spirits stuffed animals and mirrors work great, If you have a phone you could put on baby duck noises for him too. I often feed my Ducks duckweed(Water lentils) as its high in protein and Pea's would be great too. Small peep's while sleeping is normal, As long as it doesn't sound like a breathing problem.

 

[MGG]

The approach to wildlife is a bit careless here, I searched for wildlife offices and there's only a couple in natural reserves in other provinces. I don't know if there are bird rehabers in my town, but we know an amateur bird watcher and will see if he knows anybody. And when the vets open tomorrow I will call and see if any of them knows anything about ducks.

He was a bit lethargic this morning but perked up when he saw me at noon (he sleeps in my brother's room). Could it be the imprint?
He ate a bit of egg and water lentils (that's a literal translation, I don't know the name in english) they are very very small leaves and he seemed to enjoy fishing them out of the water. Yesterday we thought he had eaten a bit of starter mash but given the lethargy this morning maybe not. He is still pooping tho, so he must have eaten something haha.

He has a plushie now and loves to cuddle against it when he goes to sleep. Is it normal that he does small chirps when sleeping?

Also he is not growing, like at all, he has me a bit worried. I will try giving him peas for the niacin when he wakes up.

He won't noticeably grow for almost a week. He's still very young. It's normal not to see much growth the first 4-5 days. Yep chirping is normal. Did you get him any electrolytes or anything? That would help. If he's drinking on his own you could mix up some sugar water for him to drink to peek him up a little. His box should be wherever you guys are at the most. Living room or kitchen probably. The poop is him still getting nutrients from the yolk. After that he will get hungrier and start to eat. If he doesn't show any interest in food by tomorrow evening I would be worried. He sounds fine though. Remember, this is a wild duck and it's natural instincts don't recognize crumbles as good yet. You have to override those instincts. Maybe offer him some little insects? No earthworms, but little grasshoppers or moths. With a leg or wing pulled off so they can't escape. They usually entice the pickiest of ducklings.

 

[Juge]

Oh yes! He spends the day in the living room with us, but at night my brother takes the box up to his room because the dogs sleep inside and are very curious about the little guy, and in the morning he spends more time with my mom and brother, that's why he saw me at noon.

I'll try with the moths! Do you think he could eat ant larvae? Like if I open an ant hill and bring him the grubs?

 

[MGG]

Probably. He will need grit if you give him more than several though. Maybe cut up the grub sick) and then coatis in some clean sand/pebbles. They help him digest it. That's good, just wanted to make sure he wasn't alone all the time.

 

[Juge]

Oh that's what grit meant! I had read about it but I didn't know if it was something you bought, thank you!

 

[MGG]

You can buy chick grit, but sandy or gravelly stuff works too. No problem