paranoid antisocial gooseling...............

[jeabjeab]

We have raised our first 2 pairs of mixed breed gooselings. The first two are fat, friendly and well bonded on each other and us at 2 months old now. Then we got another pair from the same source, same blood lines and at 3 weeks old the larger/week older one started off paranoid and antisocial showing extreme fear of human contact, as if she had been abused or mistreated, but I know the owners never would mistreat him/her. We've had him/her for a couple of weeks and she is still acting the same way and we have shown nothing but love for her/him and it hasn't changed the paranoid behavior. The week younger one seems normal and unafraid of humans.
Any ideas why and what can we do to get him/her to snap out of it??
Has anyone else experienced this??
Send it to a goose psychiatrist??
Thanks in advance for any input>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

[Goosebaby]

We have raised our first 2 pairs of mixed breed gooselings. The first two are fat, friendly and well bonded on each other and us at 2 months old now. Then we got another pair from the same source, same blood lines and at 3 weeks old the larger/week older one started off paranoid and antisocial showing extreme fear of human contact, as if she had been abused or mistreated, but I know the owners never would mistreat him/her. We've had him/her for a couple of weeks and she is still acting the same way and we have shown nothing but love for her/him and it hasn't changed the paranoid behavior. The week younger one seems normal and unafraid of humans.
Any ideas why and what can we do to get him/her to snap out of it??
Has anyone else experienced this??
Send it to a goose psychiatrist??
Thanks in advance for any input>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It could just be personality, some are flightier than others. All you can really do is give it time and plenty of treats and hope they warm up.

 

[jeabjeab]

Our paranoid gooseling is getting the royal treatment with a sea of green grass and 22% protean crumbles as well as attempts to bond with her that so far are falling on deaf ears.
My main worry now is that her younger sibling is starting to show her traits and is acting paranoid as well.
I'm wondering should we separate them?? would be hard on both to be alone, but don't want to risk having 2 paranoid birds.
their month older siblings are fat/happy/social/healthy and lot of fun as well as totally bonded on our family, especially me.
What to do??

 

[The goose girl]

I understand the temptation to separate them. But as they've already bonded with each other I don't think you'll get better adjusted geese out of it.

When goslings act paranoid and antisocial, it's because they don't feel safe. Separating them would make them feel A LOT more unsafe. They may eventually bond with you, but they'd be miserable for a long, long time before that happens, and they may never recover from the trauma.

I don't know your setup and daily routine, but could you try to spend less time with them? Absence could make the heart grow fonder. Every time they get scared of you, you reinforce their suspicion of you. And likewise, every time they're happy to see you, you reinforce them loving you. If they learn to connect you only with food and good things, they'll eventually be thrilled to see you.

Also, you could try to find out what triggers their fear. For example, some goslings are innately terrified of anything that's hovering above them, so if they're on the ground, you walking in on them could be perceived as dangerous. You could then either raise their pen, or you could start crawling when approaching them. Or, they may be scared of your hands. Try handling them as little as possible for a while, and if you have to handle them, wear bright gloves or something so they don't get a chance to reinforce their fear of hands. I'm just guessing here, it could be anything.

The goslings I've had have been very different in behavior. Some were extremely trusting and cuddly from the get-go, others took days to even tolerate my nearby existence. But they all grew up to be more or less companionable; at least towards me.

Finally, as Goosebaby says, personality varies even within the same bloodline.

 

[3xhhheather]

2x all the above, don't separate and give everything time. If you're putting too much attention on the little one, just back off a bit and let them learn to feel comfortable in your presence.

I do want to add that just because they're a cuddly gosling now does not guarantee any behavior down the road. The full level of hormones has not hit them yet and I've seen 360 degrees of personality changes happen with my geese. I keep looking forward to the end of breeding season to see what their final personality will be, but even then it can change.

 

[jeabjeab]

They sound like my teenage children, ouch!!
Maybe I'm just over fretting them too much.
thanks for the replies..............