Why do they nibble so much?

[Tia Z.]

I have a new duckling 3-4 weeks old and it nibbles on everything! Is this normal? Why does it do it? It doesn't hurt or anything (yet), I'm just curious.

 

[Hennyhandler]

It is normal. Mine do it all the time. They are just curious and exploring their world.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

They don't have fingers and have to check out the world some how.

 

[suburbanduckmom]

Just like toddlers...they put everything in their mouth!

It doesn't hurt now but it will when they get bigger!

 

[Amiga]

Ducks are foragers - they find much of their food by nibbling around leaves, twigs and rocks, and in the mud - so it is an instinct they have that has served them well for thousands of years.

I have often thought, too, "just like a toddler - everything in the mouth!"