Sickly duck at local produce store...

[SampyArctica]

I'll definitely get some tomorrow to have on hand in future, just in case! Oh, I really hope you're right about just being out of whack from not eating half the day...he seriously poops *SO* much normally, every five - ten minutes or so, and I thought he was sleeping so I left him alone until my partner commented on how clean his towel was and then I freaked out! He's a super light sleeper, so he wakes up to the slightest noise or movement and poops then, but...nothing! For nearly four hours? And then he did poop those two times and it looked different to his normal ones. Would there be any other possible causes for a duck not to poop regularly...? He seems to be acting normally...though he didn't seem to be fond of me touching his chest earlier. I think I may have been pushing him off balance though and he didn't like that, maybe...

 

[TracyLovesDucks]

I think if it was some kind of blockage (crop or intestinal) he wouldn't be eating much.

 

[SampyArctica]

I have never been so happy to wake up to poo, haha! I guess it was just because he didn't eat enough during the day, ah, I feel terrible! Was so worried and it turns out to have been my fault...but I'm glad it seems to have just been that and nothing more serious. Tracy, good, 'cause he definitely had no loss of appetite when I took him out to feed this morning! Was as enthusiastic about food as ever. Thanks for the advice, Amiga!

 

[TracyLovesDucks]

I have never been so happy to wake up to poo, haha! I guess it was just because he didn't eat enough during the day, ah, I feel terrible!

Was so worried and it turns out to have been my fault...but I'm glad it seems to have just been that and nothing more serious. Tracy, good, 'cause he definitely had no loss of appetite when I took him out to feed this morning! Was as enthusiastic about food as ever.

Thanks for the advice, Amiga!

Yay! Haha, I also get emotional about poo! Right now, someone in my flock has little tiny poops which causes me worry. So I'm just observing their behavior and will be absolutely delighted at the sight of big healthy poos!

(Gross? Probably. Weird? Definitely.)

 

[satay]

I finally had the time to read about your beautiful drake. What a wonderful job you have done by rescuing him. I am guessing you have taken him to the Gatton uni for your tests etc. Just a little note from someone that lives out this way. The esk vets charge half the price of Gatton uni and they do have an avian vet. I hope whistles continues to do well. So glad you saved him. Are you moving more this way?

 

[SampyArctica]

I don't think it's weird for animal owners, we all want to make sure our animals are healthy. Might be weird to the non-animal person though, haha. I think we can take the healthy poo for granted though, until suddenly there's something wrong...

Satay - thanks! And yep, Gatton uni vets. It was easier for me since I could take him and have him on campus when I had class and could just pick him up before heading home. Students of UQ Gatton get a 5% discount too, which isn't much, but it's something. I'll keep that in mind about the Esk vets though, if he needs to go again. How much is a consult with their avian vet? And yeah, kinda. Pine Mountain! It's halfway from where we live now anyway, since we have people in the family who still need to travel to the city daily.

 

[Mashallaharabia]

David Holderread:
People often ask if they should "put down" a bird that has suffered major injuries. In my experience, birds appreciate the opportunity to recover. Ducks have an amazing ability to heal, even from injuries that appear to be catastrophic.





I would ALWAYS put down a duck with major injuries, dress it out and have it for dinner. Much less trouble than trying to "save" it, and they are, after all, very good eating!

 

[SampyArctica]

Maybe that would be a homesteader's view that actually has a lot of poultry on hand and is not looking for a duck as a pet but rather prioritising the production of an animal. I may choose one day to raise my own animals for the table, but in this instance - that was never an option for Whistles. Indeed, he is as much a pet as my cat is and it will stay that way for as long as possible. Regardless, I doubt a duck with a bacterial infection, that had endured breathing and therefore oxygen supply difficulties for an extended period of time and with a lowered immune system would have been a viable dinner choice.

 

[Mashallaharabia]

"Major Injuries", as quoted. NOT "diseased". A duck that's obviously diseased, as opposed to Injured, will be killed immediately and thrown away, not eaten. I wouldn't take the risk of it infecting the flock.

 

[SampyArctica]

...but then why go to mention it in a thread where the title explicitly states that the duck was sick, and not injured?