Ringed teal

[pheasantfreak]

So I’m looking at buying some ringed teal and I can’t find very much info on care for them. Does anyone know where I can find info on them? And how do they do in winter? It was -25 last week so they will have to be pretty hardy but everything I’ve found they don’t do very good in cold.

 

[ExoticPetOwner]

Ringed Teals are exotic ducks, so there's not a lot of information on them. They're not easy to care for like domestic ducks and you need to do a lot of research before purchasing them. They aren't the best in winter. They prefer warmer climates but can adapt to cooler areas. They do stay in full color all year, which means they don't molt into a winter "coat" like the mandarin duck does. Where are you located? Wood ducks do good in cooler climates. I live in North America. They're native to this area as it gets pretty cold sometimes. I recommend reading how to care for other exotic ducks similar to them like the Wood duck and Mandarin duck. They're usually considered "beginner" exotic ducks and get along well. They also have similar habitats. You do need a permit to possess them and a license to dispose of them in any manner. You can check up with your state regulations and call them to ask more questions about you being able to legally own them.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some articles to read about them:
1. Mallard Lane Farms: Ring Teal
2. Purely Poultry: Ringed Teal Ducks
3. Murray McMurray Hatchery: Ring Teal Ducks
4. Blue Creek Aviaries: Ringed Teal
5. Animalia.bio: Ringed Teal
6. Meyer Hatchery: Guide To Keeping Exotic Ducks
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some other breeds of exotic ducks:
1. Mandarin Ducks
2. Wood Ducks
3. Pintail Ducks
4. Wigeon Ducks
5. Shoveler Ducks
6. Tree Ducks
7. Hooded/Common Merganser Ducks
8. Barrows Goldeneye Ducks
9. Smew Ducks
10. Ruddy Duck
11. Red Head Ducks
12. Rosey Billed Pouchard Ducks
13. Red Crested Pouchard Ducks
14. Gadwal Ducks
15. Canvasback Ducks
16. Ring Billed Ducks
17. Lesser Scaup Ducks
18. Australian Wood Duck
19. Whistling Ducks
20. Shelducks
21. Mallards+Call Ducks ( Some people consider them exotic. It depends on where you live/their availability )

*There are more exotic duck breeds, but these are the one's your most able to find and purchase. There's also different variations of some of these breeds of ducks. For example, there's Cinnamon, Blue-Winged, Blond Ringed, Green-Winged, and Ringed teal are all part of the same Teal duck family, just different kinds.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Places to purchase exotic ducks:
1. Mallard Lane Farms
2. Meyer Hatchery
3. Purely Poultry

*There are more hatcheries and breeders to purchase from, but these are the most popular/ reliable. There is a website called Softbills, but I don't recommend that unless you're able to verify that they are a real licensed, NPIP certified breeder/seller.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I do suggest getting some tips from other exotic duck breeders and owners. Exotic duck Facebook pages are great to get some info on. Watching YT videos of exotic duck owners helps to get an idea of the set up they need and everything else. I don't suggest watching the YouTube channel "White House on the Hill" because some of their set ups and info is not correct and is not good for the duck itself.

 

[pheasantfreak]

Thanks for the info and reply! So I live in Idaho and raise some mandarins right now and I’m just looking to expand my collection a little bit more. I love raising different things and just add to my collection a little at a time. I’ve read everything I could find on the ringed teal but the details are very vague and hard to come by.

 

[Painted Calls]

@MGG

 

[MGG]

Thanks for the info and reply! So I live in Idaho and raise some mandarins right now and I’m just looking to expand my collection a little bit more. I love raising different things and just add to my collection a little at a time. I’ve read everything I could find on the ringed teal but the details are very vague and hard to come by.

I don't think Ringed Teal handle cold temps very well, the hardiest teal species are Greenwing Teal from what I've heard and I usually even put my GWs inside if it gets that cold. If you weren't too concerned about them you could always leave them out and just see how they do, as long as they have food, water, and shelter at all times most ducks can handle cold fine. But my birds are mostly pets and I am not willing to risk it.
Ringed Teal are from South America though so they're really not well adapted for cold temps like that, I would recommend keeping them in a greenhouse type pen or in a heated building during very cold temperatures.

Most everyone is sold out of everything for the year, so you'd probably have to wait until this fall to find some. Fall is usually when people are selling their juveniles. Check on Softbills for Sale, you never know when someone on there still has some.

@The Phantom has Ringed Teal and she's in Wisconsin so maybe she can elaborate more on how well the handle the cold, I've never had them personally so I can't speak from experience. She might also know where you could get some still.
Good luck, I hope you find some! They're very pretty birds.

 

[wilwingswaterfowl]

I have
Ring teal
Mandarins
Wood ducks
Cinnamon teal
Green wing teal
Hooded mergansers
Buffleheads
NA Ruddy ducks
I live in CT so it gets cold here 20s are normal winter temps Although we had a couple days -10 to 0 degrees this year. and they were fine. They need open water and should have a windbreak. But if you could have a heat light that wouldn't hurt.