What in Ducky Heck is this!?

[Miss Lydia]

I 3rd the surgical option to get what ever that is out and stitched up. I wonder if something in the pond could be biting on her? I know sounds crazy but turtles, fish will eat on other animals. We know snapping turtles will kill and eat ducks. Just throwing this out there.

 

[biophiliac]

I 3rd the surgical option to get what ever that is out and stitched up. I wonder if something in the pond could be biting on her? I know sounds crazy but turtles, fish will eat on other animals. We know snapping turtles will kill and eat ducks. Just throwing this out there.

I was wondering about snapping turtles. But I didn't think that would keep them from going in the pond?

 

[Miss Lydia]

If they have had an encounter with a snapper it will def keep them out of the pond.

 

[biophiliac]

If they have had an encounter with a snapper it will def keep them out of the pond.

Are they protected? or can they be removed?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Not sure depends on state I think. But some suggest turtle soup others have had to wait till certain times of year to remove them. I think if I knew there were snappers in my pond my ducks would not go near it. Look up snapping turtles killing ducks on you tube. It's awful some years back someone posted a link I couldn't watch, and this was a full grown duck. They are notorious for eating ducklings and goslings.

 

[biophiliac]

Not sure depends on state I think. But some suggest turtle soup others have had to wait till certain times of year to remove them. I think if I knew there were snappers in my pond my ducks would not go near it. Look up snapping turtles killing ducks on you tube. It's awful some years back someone posted a link I couldn't watch, and this was a full grown duck. They are notorious for eating ducklings and goslings.

Yes, I know how dangerous they are. I would definitely want to know if there were snappers in there... and take what legal measures were available, if necessary keep the ducks out.

 

[DuckyDoodles]

Thanks guys! (As always) excellent insight.

Any stress I’m Having over it is directly correlated with the fact that I know I’m stressing her out. Because then (good ol’ ridiculous anxious me) I think “I’m gonna stress her out, it’ll cause her to hold her egg and get egg bound. I’m stressing her out and having to wrangle her... it could break an egg inside her.” You know, so on and so forth. It sucks having to try and do it myself but if I knew it wasn’t stressing her out, I’d just suck it up and do it no matter how difficult she makes it. But as it is, trying to keep it as low key for her as possible, I’m having someone else help me hold her so I can do the stuff as quickly as possible.

As for the pond; they’ve gotten in it but it was stupid brief. Like I figured a duck would totally prefer a big beautiful pond over a bunch of mud puddles. But watching them... they freakin LOOOOOOVE their mud puddles. And in Indiana, we’re having flooding issues so there’s puh-lenty of water standing mud around here.

I too suggested snappers to my husband and momma (hubs helping me hold her while I assess the new baby demon den of doom and my mom because I wanted my momma LOL) they said the same thing I said: it’s 100% possible that a snapper could’ve done it but we seem a little intrigued by the fact that the holes are just so perfectly rounded. Plus (and not that this would necessarily prevent anything) the wounds’ locations would’ve meant the snapper would’ve come up near/through/past the legs and duck tootsies. I’ve heard (back in my BYC stalking) that snappers will grab hold of a ducks appendage and then swim straight down, drowning the duck and/or causing pretty bad damage to the surviving duckies.

A relative and I are doing snapper recon for good measure (oddly, that started before this whole hole problem) because I hate snappers, I’ve got a 9 year old daughter and that I intend to have my ducks in the pond and want extra safety. To be blunt; I didn’t even bother looking at ordinances/laws on “peaceful termination” of the snappers because I was just being ... well, a bully.

And yes I too would quite frankly prefer a little surgery to get in there, see wth that blackness is, know the extent of internal blackness’ location as well as making sure she’s just suitably healed.

Just sortve sucks that I have no idea how much something like that will cost; basically whether it’s in my budget. But! I just received the fruits of my labor of filing taxes so I have a pinch of extra money and I can use that to pay for it.

I, like you guys, am just stupid eager/anxious/excited, etc., about finding out what in the supernatural, intergalactic heck is this stuff!?

But I am 1000000% a nosy person (and have zero qualms admitting same) and just won’t be able to ‘rest’ in the matter until I know what it was (the black hardness... the cause of the holes may never be confirmed).

In summation: snapper turtles are buttholes, I told my stepdad that he had full, uninhibited authorization to make snapper soup (lol but it was also made expressively clear that there’s zero frog giggin or duck hunting going on at property )

I’ll be calling Monday for appt. I will try and do a full once over and report back on (heavens forbid) any additional findings.

 

[DuckyDoodles]

..... if you didn't get The stain out already look for this stuff at Wal-Mart or dollar general. I swear it's the best I've ever used. I have a cat that frequently pukes orange cat food on carpet
Works every time. I've also used it on set in stains with good results

I let the mud poop dry overnight, and I know that’s gross, but I know when I knock a plant over or soil/mud gets on carpet that it’s best to let it dry to prevent smearage. It didn’t fully dry like soil (surprising no one, it’s yucky ducky poopy) but it was definitely less water muddy the next day. Then I used peroxide to lift it and scrubbed with shout stain remover. Not a single iota of leftovers so I’m happy about that. That same poopy removing day, kiddo spilt some sort of red drink on the floor when I wasn’t home.She doused it with peroxide (which I do with most anything wet on carpets) and it helped but there’s a faint pink spot. So I might try some of these suggested cleaners to see if I can get the dye out.

Oh and @New2DuckyDoodles . . .I have call duckies too ......

Are y’all in cahoots to make me pouty jealous!? I’m just so in love with their cute little damned selves. Happen to live near indiana where I can come kidnap (ducknap?) some youngins sometime? I know @Ravynscroft has them too
But she’s like 6 hours away. Totally willing to make that drive though :: devious grin ::

My two love to be hugged, even fancy though he tries to act like he doesn't, but when its his turn hes right up there snuggling in.....

I’m assuming you raised them from
Ducklings? Was there any particular thing you did that made them pro-hugs? Like I imagine imprinting makes a huge difference but I want to say I’ve seen posts that reference ducks’ general persona to be hands-off, irrespective of imprint. If I have to sing lullabies and bribe with peas, I completely will. I’m never too proud to beg ;p

God I want duck hugs. Well, I mean I sneak little hugs in on my two but they’re absolutely not a fan. No eyeballs being booped or skin dabbled but they’re abundantly obvious in their disproval.

 

[DuckyDoodles]

Okay I found some DNR links regarding the snapping turtle in Indiana. By my understanding, I should be able to handle any potential snappers without an issue (while my career was in law/law enforcement/courts, Ive never had to deal with wildlife regs before so I could be completely wrong).

http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3328.htm

http://codes.findlaw.com/in/title-14-natural-and-cultural-resources/in-code-sect-14-22-11-1.html

http://www.in.gov/legislative/iac/title312.html

If anyone is super bored and wants to read the reptile section to disprove me or confirm me, by all means. Otherwise I *think* I’m feeling okay with it.

 

[Raenh]

I don't really know what i did, to be honest - speedy is imprinted and fancy... it took a long time for him to trust me after i got him. He was already 3 weeks old and scared of humans. But i just kept at it and i guess proved to him he could. I sleep out.on the couch with them at night and when the lights would go off, speedg would snuggle.in and call fancy to us because he wouldn't let me pick him.up and bring him. I'd put a pillow down for him to use as a ramp, he'd climb up and snuggle in so long as i didn't try to help him. Then one day i could pick him up like i do speedy and he didn't freak out and flap his wings to try to balance or escape. He finally knew i wouldn't hurt him or.drop him. Even when i get upset that he bites me, but I'm figuring that out too.