Victor needs Surgery :( His sex-change operation.... (added PIC pg1)

[nettie]

Out little duck Victor, who despite the male name and pronouns, is actually female. And Victor is having egg laying problems... Last night we found yolk in the bedding and inspected everyone's behind to see if anyone was egg bound. We use the syringe full of warm water up the claoca to see if any yellow washes out. Everyone looked fine until we got to Victor, who had a brown ball looking thing sticking out from his behind. We immediately rushed him to the vet at 2am, fearing it was either a prolapse or a weird egg problem. the vet was able to remove the brown ball, which was hanging on by a long 4 inch string of matter. It was a petrified egg. He also laid the jello egg that exploded in the pen, and another little 1 cm egg on the way to the vet. Our vet assumed it was either calcium or vitamin D related, but all of our ducks receive plenty of both. Our vet was asking about the sunlight our ducks get since they are indoors so often, but we let them outside all the time, either in the backyard or for walks/trips to the pet store. Victor also had an egg binding issue when he first started laying. So our vet thinks it's best we spay Victor, to stop egg production and decrease the risk of death by egg binding. then Victor will be not considered "Female" anymore and will probably grow a male's curly feather and become the male duck he always thought he was... The situation is serious, but we can't help but find it funny that our "Male" living duck needs an operation that will in fact leave him essentially male. I took a picture of the petrified egg and the other little one so I'll try to post it later on today...

At least t's comforting to know that our vet assures us that it's nothing we did wrong, it's just the unfortunate dealings with ducks that have been inbred and don't have the wild genes of mallards anymore. It's an inherent problem, nothing we could have done to prevent it.

Here is the 3-6 month old petrified egg next to the 1 cm egg... sorry if it's gross....

 

[priss]

I agree, Doog lives in the garden but had exactly the same issue. It is definitely not a lack of sunshine. I think it just happens. Give Victor all my love and all of Doog's love too. He is the most beautiful little ham I have ever seen xxxxx

 

[katharinad]

Lucky duck! No more "menstrual" ducky cycles.

Just kidding, but I'm sure she will be fine.

 

[Denninmi]

Well, isn't that the same problem Julie Andrews had in that movie, Victor Victoria.

 

[FunnyBunnies12]

Um, I thought ducks couldn't be spayed or neutered? Shoot, that might be something to consider with my girl with the birth defect, if that is actually true, but how in the heck do they do that??

 

[Caprice_Acres]

I just wanted to say it was very odd to read someone saying 'he laid an egg'.

Hope all goes well with 'his' surgery. I haven't heard anything about a spay/neuter for ducks before, though.

 

[love_a_duck]

Nettie,
Please let Victor know I will be thinking of him.
He was the first duck I ever saw with a lead/harness on.
I fell in love.
Sigh......
I fully support his change to make him comfortable/happy.

Beth

 

[Funky Feathers]

I must see this petrified egg! Weird.

 

[nettie]

today Victor laid one jello egg. It was mostly intact, but it had a hole at one end where some yolk was gooshing out of. It was a double yolker too. I squished it to check it and found another yolk. there was a tiny bit of calcium on the yolk, So I'm hoping the next egg will be better.

 

[nettie]

it looked like poop to us, but it was rotted on the inside of it's little shell... kinda snowman shaped, and hanging on by that weird bloody thread. the vet opened it to ensure it was an egg not poop.... so weird....

(Pic is in the first post)