Sickly duck at local produce store...

[Miss Lydia]

He swims almost every morning and sometimes in the afternoon as well. We also try to walk him as much as possible.
I'll have a look into getting some niacin supplement for him though, thanks.

New video of him!

You did a great job on those hobbles. does he mind them much.? He looks so sweet.

 

[TracyLovesDucks]

Hi Sampy,
I just wanted to say that I love your story! Whistles is such a beautiful duck, so glad you rescued him and are giving him a chance to live a happy life!

Supplementing his diet with extra vitamins, particularly niacin (vitamin B3) could slow, stop or reverse the spraddle leg. Here's some good scientific-ish information on leg problems due to niacin deficiency (including spraddle leg):
http://metzerfarms.blogspot.com/2011/03/are-my-ducklings-leg-problems-due-to.html

Here is a good thread with lots of info on niacin supplementation so you can decide what's best for Whistles:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/869091/brewers-yeast-or-niacin-for-duckling/10#post_13164633

I would start a regimen right away.

 

[SampyArctica]

Hey guys! Argh! So freaking sorry that I don't update this thread more! I'll post an update on Facebook and then think that's people updated, forgetting that Facebook isn't the be-all-and-end-all for people, haha. Whoops! So I'm sorry I haven't been on here lately. >_<

So...!

I had managed to get my hands on some multi-vitamins that were high in niacin and had been giving that with his food every other day, but when I told the vet about it at his vet check last week, he just grimaced and said we should only be giving it to him about twice a week, if we felt that we really needed to, as he checked the back of the feed we're now giving to Whistles and said it had everything that he needed and that giving him more nutrients than he needs could potentially be as bad as not having enough nutrients. Either way, we've also been getting Whistles to exercise a bit more, walking him around the yard and such - he generally takes himself swimming at least once a day (although today he put himself in the pool three times before midday) and the vet has said we can take the hobbles off of his legs for two to three hours a day and seeing how he walks around then, and gradually increase the time as we see fit until he doesn't need them on anymore. But he said that, in his opinion, Whistles was roughly 98.5% like a normal, healthy, young duck! And then he said we did a great job and high-fived me. ^_^ But yeah. Whistles is pretty much like a regular duck now! Oh - and no, he never minded the hobbles.

At first he got a bit restless when we started playing around with his legs in order to put on/replace the strapping, but then he got used to it and now stands still for us. He seemed to realise very, very quickly that he could walk a lot better with the tape on his legs, so he never gave us much trouble.

Here are some new photos:











One thing I have been wondering about though, sometimes if I have Whistles in my lap (not often, he's getting a bit big for that, but just occasionally) he'll do this weird head shaking thing, not moving his whole head, but more of a vibrating head/neck thing before nibbling at my arm, shoulder or my hair as if he's trying to groom me. It's as if he's shivering like he's cold only...it's not cold. In the slightest. He could be in direct sunlight and sometimes still do it. I would like to think that it's affectionate just from the grooming action, but I don't want to assume anything in case I'm getting it very wrong - is this Whistles telling me he'd prefer to be on the ground, but in a nice way? Or is it an affectionate gesture? Or is it something else entirely? I've read a comment someone made on another forum about head 'vibrating' being possibly a precursor to mating behaviour, but haven't been able to find anything further on the subject...a couple of others said their muscovy did this before attacking them, only Whistles acts very well-behaved when he does it. He kind of gets 'snuggly'.

 

[Amiga]

I think he's starting to get romantically interested in you.

 

[subhanalah]

I think he's starting to get romantically interested in you.

can this lead to aggression/dominance behavior as it does with imprinted ganders?

 

[Miss Lydia]

can this lead to aggression/dominance behavior as it does with imprinted ganders?

yes until you teach them your off limits.

 

[Amiga]

can this lead to aggression/dominance behavior as it does with imprinted ganders?

yes until you teach them your off limits.

From what I have read, yes it can, and I don't think it always does.

 

[subhanalah]

yes until you teach them your off limits. 

From what I have read, yes it can, and I don't think it always does.

does anyone have any advice for Sampy? Things she can do/look out for so she can prevent any future problems from arising? Like, what things are okay to allow and what things could possibly send him the wrong message?

 

[Amiga]

I defer to Miss Lydia on that. She has experience with a Muscovy drake.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Whistles looks great, and I am thinking getting to the age where his hormones are beginning to surge. How do I know? well I raised a drake from tiny newly hatched he'll be 3 first of June. actually he is laying beside my chair as i type, he still thinks he's one of the dogs. lol But when Opie became around 4-5 months old my cuddly lil boy saw me in a different light, we had gotten him 3 ducks of his very own when he was 3 months old but he was so imprinted on me that he really didn't notice them to much, he became a holy terror almost over night, climbing up my leg, if i turned my back he would leap through the air and land on my back. I had to get hold of this fast so i came here and got some good advise, first to begin to treat Opie like another drake would when he would become aggressive I would hold him to the ground just like i had seen my older drake do to him, This is on his belly he had to stay down and still then i'd let him up, if he came back acting the same way he got to lay down flat again. I did not pet him during this training because that seemed to send the wrong message. I also would take the broom with me when i'd go out in their enclosure and if he became aggressive i'd take the broom and put it between us or sweep him out of the way, Okay i see you thinking i can never do this to whistles, well if you don't your going to have an out of control drake on your hands. this is where people start looking for homes for them or they get dumped or they end up on the dinner table, i had a few people tell me to kill him, I just kept up my work with him and now he is one nice drake, oh he has his moments when he will nip to hard but they pass fast when he knows I don't like it. So what your seeing is the beginning of his desire to make you his mate.

another thing you might want to consider is when his flight feathers are completely grown in is clip one wing to keep him grounded, looks like where you live if he was to get the urge to fly off one day he may meet a car. or get lost, They love to fly which can get them into all kinds of trouble when you live in the burbs.