Tips for raising a single duckling?

[marcelineduckie]

I can't remember if it's in the duck thread or the pekin duck thread but there has been a lot of talk about duck diapers. There are even some tips on hand making them

 

[Amykins]

I can't remember if it's in the duck thread or the pekin duck thread but there has been a lot of talk about duck diapers. There are even some tips on hand making them

That's right! Come on over to the house duck thread, we've actually been discussing diaper making all morning

 

[cheese17]

Oh that works perfectly, thanks for the advice I'll check the thread right now

 

[kawabungadude]

I think it all depends on the duck
Each duck is different
And each home environment is different too
I have read all over this site and it seems to me that ducks can be raised in a flock of ducks or raised by themselves
Right now I have a single duck (my very first pet duck as well) and he's just a spunky little thing
I got him from a pet store when he was about 4 weeks old (at least that is what the lady who worked there said)
I've had him for a few days now and he has no problem being in his tank home with his little mirror and bells and two stuffed animals
I'm on summer vacation as well so I can spend lots of time with him now
But I also have my little sister, mom, dad, brother, 3 dogs, and 4 cats to entertain while I'm not there
So when I start working again he will hopefully be bonding with the rest of them as well (my one dog Matty goes right up to him and licks him)
He peeps mostly when he's out of his tank but only because he wants to walk around and explore the house
But when he's in his tank he plays with his bells and is very quiet and he eats and drinks and poops and cuddles with his stuffed animals and takes naps
And now when I give him a bath when he's done he taps the side of the tub and hops into my hand when I put it down for him
He's a very happy duck and he's my only duck
So it just really depends on the duck and the environment he's raised in

 

[Amykins]

I think it all depends on the duck
Each duck is different
And each home environment is different too
I have read all over this site and it seems to me that ducks can be raised in a flock of ducks or raised by themselves
Right now I have a single duck (my very first pet duck as well) and he's just a spunky little thing
I got him from a pet store when he was about 4 weeks old (at least that is what the lady who worked there said)
I've had him for a few days now and he has no problem being in his tank home with his little mirror and bells and two stuffed animals
I'm on summer vacation as well so I can spend lots of time with him now
But I also have my little sister, mom, dad, brother, 3 dogs, and 4 cats to entertain while I'm not there
So when I start working again he will hopefully be bonding with the rest of them as well (my one dog Matty goes right up to him and licks him)
He peeps mostly when he's out of his tank but only because he wants to walk around and explore the house
But when he's in his tank he plays with his bells and is very quiet and he eats and drinks and poops and cuddles with his stuffed animals and takes naps
And now when I give him a bath when he's done he taps the side of the tub and hops into my hand when I put it down for him
He's a very happy duck and he's my only duck
So it just really depends on the duck and the environment he's raised in

Sadly, everything you said is simply not true. Ducks are social creatures, and they have very strong flocking instincts. Frankly, I'm shocked and saddened that a pet store would sell a single duckling and not inform the new owners about their basic care or environmental needs. At 4 weeks he's still a baby, and you have no clue what his behavior or needs will be like when he matures.


Please understand, I am speaking from professional as well as personal experience. I raised my Wobbles all by his lonesome, and for a while, everything was fine. Rather arrogantly, I thought I'd buck the trend and he could be left alone with a mirror, his stuffed toy and my kitties. I was wrong. I couldn't leave the house without him or else he'd have a total meltdown, but I figured it was something I'd have to get used to or else look for a job that would allow me to bring him with me.


But then he hit puberty. At around four months of age I immediately I went from mama to mate, and he just lost his mind. I couldn't even leave the room he was in lest I either get chased down and bitten, or he'd quack and quack and then start self-harming, either by feather-plucking or becoming so worked up he'd become overheated, panting like a dog in Phoenix! A lonely duck is a unhappy duck is an unhealthy duck. When school starts again in the fall and you have to leave him alone for most of the day, it will be an utter disaster. Please consider doing the right thing by him and get a second duck, or else find him a new home.


Also, letting your dog lick him is extremely dangerous as dogs can carry the Pasteurella bacteria. Although not as common in dogs as it is in cats, there's always a risk, and it once infected, it has been known to kill birds as quickly as 24 hours.

 

[casportpony]

X2... I've "imprinted" a few ducks, chickens and peafowl. They seem to do okay until they reach sexual maturity. Have had most problems with the boys, but the girls can become aggressive, too.

-Kathy

 

[cheese17]

Well first off, we found a petting zoo that has other pekins and would be glad to take him once I leave for college. The enclosure there looks pretty clean and the ducks look pretty happy. Once I leave for college this august Peeps will have a new home.
He's doing pretty well at five weeks though. We moved him outside to a nice and spacious enclosure with a hutch for him to stay in at night. (Sorry, parents wouldn't agree to making him an indoor duck) He really only stays in there during meals and at night. Otherwise he's going on walks or playing in his tub or hanging outside with the family. He'll peep for at most ten minutes when I leave him in his enclosure but then he's a content fellow. His straw is changed every other day and we got him a little water feeder and a big food bowl. No plucking or missing feathers as far as I can see, he preens a lot but so far his down and feathers are doing just fine. He's one hell of a fluffy duck.
Ah yes the nipping though, that's always fun. He really only nips if he wants something (like if he wants a water break while we're walking or if he wants me to pet him), or sometimes if I'm cuddling with him (horny duck?). At this point I've compromised and I let him nibble my toes.
What is worrying me though is that I've noticed a patch of his skin is missing on his beak (well more like a flap of his beak skin is missing) It just appeared today when I came out after lunch to play with him. It doesn't look too deep and he's been preening and pecking around in the dirt as usual. The skin underneath the flap is white though which has me worried. Could it become infected? Will it heal on its own? There's a duck clinic not too far from me too.

 

[cheese17]

Here's a picture of his beak (he nudged the skin flap back in place, it's just below the nostrils)

 

[marcelineduckie]

how is your duckies beak doing? has it healed? my marceline had a little cut on her beak about a week ago and it healed with in a day I just made sure the water she drank from was completely clean (I had to change it more often than normal)

 

[StBob]

My momma duck's second brood last summer only one duckling hatched (I suspect the dog but anyway). Unlike previous broods Singlet (it's a quantum mechanics joke) hung around momma duck all the time. Whereas a group of duckling were happy to separate from momma and hang out or sleep together she stayed real close. When she was about 2 months and momma had a third hatch (of 9!) she had been sitting with momma right on the eggs and was happy to take over and play momma duck herself. When I found a home for the 9 (2 months old) ducklings I sent Singlet with them as they used to follow her everywhere anyway.

So my advice is: get her some companions asap. They don't have to be the same age but you will see when she meets them that she takes as naturally to flocking as a duck to water.

[In the photo that is singlet (brown) with her parents and their next brood. She was a great older sister]