Please help, my poor litle ducks are sad :(

[priss]

We got three of the most beautiful little call ducks about three weeks ago (Two are about 12 weeks old now and one is about 8 weeks). They were adopted because their home was getting too crowded. They are little angels and I love them to pieces but have never had ducks before. For three weeks it has been perfect, they get all excited to come out their hut in the morning, days when I'm off work, they can run round the whole garden, which they LOVE! When me and my husband are both working, they have a huge space sectioned off the garden that they can run about in and be safe from predators. I spend every daylight moment I am at home with them, even when it is raining I put on my waterproofs and wellies and sit out with them.

They were so happy and all my neighbours loved hearing them and watching them splash in their paddling pool.

And then we got them a new paddling pool and it all changed.

Their old pool was small and inflatable and kept needing to be re-inflated so we invested in a fantastic pool. It's deeper and three times the size.

When we first got it they eyed it up suspiciously for four hours and finally we picked them up (they are quite happy being handled) and put them in and they had the BEST time in there. It is deep enough for them to swim underwater. We threw grapes in and they dived down to eat them. Everything was perfect. They made lots of happy noise and soaked everything in a two metre radius.

Next day, ducks won't go near it and they're all quiet. This time when we put them in, they wouldn't swim and they got out asap.

Yesterday they wouldn't come out of the small run attached to their hut because they could see the new pool.

This morning, they won't even come out of their sleeping area cos they can see it from there.

All our neighbours are upset because they have gone from quacky happy little ducks to quiet sad ducks. And I am distraught. I love them SO much.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE NEW POOL?

It is a rigid paddling pool. It has an inflatable red rim just around the top (I paid extra for it because rory liked to sit on the top of the old pool and bounce.) The inside is blue and the outside is yellow with cartoon animals on it.

Their old paddling pool was shallower and bright pink. It had three inflatable rings but the middle one in all of them never worked.

Please please can somebody help? I can't tell you how upset I am. My husband keeps telling me they'll get used to it but it has been five days now and everyday they get sadder and quieter and more scared of the evil pool.
(Sorry this is such a long post, I am so new to ducks, I thought it might be an easier puzzle to solve if I gave you everything about their little lives!)
Thank you for any suggestions any of you can make.
Priss xxx

 

[Squirtchy2009]

how deep it this new pool, as my call ducks absolutly hate to go on my 5 foot koi pand as they aparently hate deep water

i think the inflatable rim might also make them frightened, but im sure someone with more expirience on here an tell you whats wrong

 

[priss]

Thank yoooo for your suggestion. It's not super deep but they can't touch the bottom. Maybe I should try taking some of the water out and see if they like it more?
xxxx

 

[MooseCaboose]

Were you there the whole time? When my birds act like that it's usually after something else scary came by. The first time we had a visit from a coyote the birds acted up for a couple of days, not it happens every once and a while sometimes I don't know why because I wasn't there, othertimes I can see dig marks around the coop or something and know it was a predator visit.

Wait a week and see what happens. (That's my two cents anyhow!)

Natasha

http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~hawke

 

[FenDruadin]

I'm also wondering if something scary happened to them in or near the pool. Is it possible that a turtle or frog got in it and frightened them from below? How about a water snake? Or maybe something just really startled them the first time they went in while you were gone, and now they associate it with the startling thing.

What would happen if you took their swimming water out altogether for a few days, and just put in a pan for them to drink out of? It might cheer them up, and you could introduce the pool later when they've calmed down?

I don't know. My ducks HATE new things and will wander around eyeing it suspiciously for the first day before they get used to it. But it sounds like yours have gotten progressively more frightened, which seems to me to indicate that something happened to them.

I hope you find a good answer soon!

 

[sonew123]

I do not have call ducks but 1 big fat 5 month old crested magpie-We have a huge pond and when he was old enough brought him down a couple times a day to swim-loved it on clear sunny days-dark days the water looks black and deep-but it wasnt. He would jump right out and b-line it for his pen. We got him a baby pool-with little characters in it. 3 Months later he will not step foot in that pond and he is still using his little tiny baby pool-he loves it-not deep enough for him to dive or anything! When it gets even the littlest dirty he wont go in it either! I have never seen a duck so happy and contant with a fresh clean filled baby small pool! He's got to be 10-12lbs! Maybe you babies are deathly afraid of the big pool? Fill up the old one and see how they do? Then leave both pools out and hopefully they wil see there's nothing scary about the big one??

 

[Whispering Winds]

Quote:
Your duck sounds like the old cartoon Baby Huey character. He always was in something way too small for him!! We need pics!

 

[bishopschickens]

I think something scared them and it probably has nothing to do with the pool. They probably saw some form of predator in the yard. They should get over it in a couple days.

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
Your duck sounds like the old cartoon Baby Huey character. He always was in something way too small for him!! We need pics!

ok you asked for it! you need to give me a few minutes to go and take pictures!

 

[sonew123]

I warned you! This is "Chuckie"

He is so sweet! loves the chest rubbed and the top of his head kissed-he bows for you to kiss it and snuggle! Spoiled ....yes!!!!!