I had a great Aunt that had a pet duck which she kept in the house. " Duckie" lived to the ripe old age of 17 or so years old. Auntie was a farm wife and Duckie came into her life shortly before or after she and her husband moved off the farm and into a near by town after retirement. Her husband became ill and died. That duck became a huge part of her life. She also had a little mixed breed dog named "Puppy". She took that duck and dog everywhere, for rides in cars, on neighborhood walks, everywhere.
She was totaly devoted to those two creatures. She the duck and the dog would visit her deceased husband's grave - almost daily. The duck wore a diaper and had the run of the house. I remember going there as a teenager and the duck was sitting on a cushion on the living room floor next to my Aunt's feet - while my Auntie watched game shows. The duck was a mixed breed and I think had at least a little Pekin in it. The duck ended up outliving the dog by several years.
Auntie was a farm wife and grew up with poultry and understood the needs of the duck so it had excellent care and lived a very long and pampered life. I'm hoping against hope that maybe the woman who purchased the gosling, who's story started this thread, has learned something from her experience with the gosling. I hope she gives it the correct nutrition and supportive care along with exercise and sunshine it needs.
This story really struck a cord with me - maybe because of my Aunt or maybe because I love Geese and Ducks like I do. If I had her address, I'd almost like to send her a sweet note (unsigned) about her new baby duckling, a gift certificate for a bag of duck starter and care instructions. Then again, this particular woman sounds pretty unstable so it may be best to leave it all alone. I hope the ducking fares better than the OP's little gosling did.
OP - keep us posted - I hope it gets easier for you both- real soon!
Joni
