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Post by Pawsforthought on Jul 27, 2013 18:56:01 GMT
I hope you read the whole post? You only picked up on two teeny details.
Leaving the duckling ALONE is NOT good (young animals can die of loneliness!) But giving him attention is also not good. He needs to have the company of his own species!
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Post by scallywag on Jul 27, 2013 19:10:17 GMT
He is extremely cute. Did you look around for his mother and siblings though? If he's going to be released back into the wild, the best thing for him would be to be taken to a wildlife sanctuary where he can be put in with his own kind and raised as a WILD animal. Getting used to humans and dogs is going to get him killed later on in life, as horrible as it sounds Have to agree with this PP as cute as George may be, he needs to be reared as a wild bird, to be kind to it. Please do not take this as another negative go at you, your heart was / is in the right place
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Post by puppypal on Jul 27, 2013 19:39:23 GMT
He is extremely cute. Did you look around for his mother and siblings though? If he's going to be released back into the wild, the best thing for him would be to be taken to a wildlife sanctuary where he can be put in with his own kind and raised as a WILD animal. Getting used to humans and dogs is going to get him killed later on in life, as horrible as it sounds Have to agree with this PP as cute as George may be, he needs to be reared as a wild bird, to be kind to it. Please do not take this as another negative go at you, your heart was / is in the right place when we picked him up it was too late to take him to any place like rspca as we had the dog with us and it would have been a long journey, today we were busy packing for tommorow and fixing the trailer, and we run out of time, we have told the people who are looking after him/her if he starts to look ill or very lonely or very cold to take him to the rspca. And we are not the first person to hand raise a bird, maybe it will be more friendly with people but it will probably end up getting more food from them
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Post by Avansa on Jul 27, 2013 20:00:20 GMT
And we are not the first person to hand raise a bird, maybe it will be more friendly with people but it will probably end up getting more food from them Sorry to be the one to say it, but I'm afraid that is a very naive attitude towards this situation. I don't mean that as a negative towards you puppypal, because a lot of people would probably think the same. It IS NOT under any circumstances EVER going to benefit him. I feel like I have to be blunt because you don't seem to understand what people are saying - he WILL probably die in the wild if he's raised by humans. It's sad, but it is true. We work with animals like this all the time and see what negative effects people can have on them... PLEASE just listen and trust that we know what we're talking about. He's really cute, and I know you want to care for him to make sure that he's okay, but you cannot possibly give him the proper care that he needs The fact that you were busy preparing for holiday should not have delayed him being sent to somewhere that can care for him properly. He's an animal, a living being, and now he's going to have to just wait and get more and more used to humans. I suggest that you ask your friends, rather than looking after him, if they could take him straight to a wildlife centre. Do not wait until he looks ill because he will DIE then. They go downhill very, very quickly. We've been looking after baby birds that are fine one minute and are dead a couple later. It's really shocking just how quickly they can take a turn for the worst. If you really care for him, and I know that you do, you'll give him the best chance at life and get him to a place that can care for him. You need to be adult about this. There is a living, breathing animal that YOU took responsibility for when you picked it up and took it home. I know that you have the maturity to do the right thing by this poor baby and get him to a sanctuary. I don't know where you live, but I can even help you find somewhere if you are confused about where to take him. The RSPCA will sometimes take them to a wildlife rescue hospital, but will sometimes not care enough about an individual wild animal to bother, so they may not always be the best choice. I beg that you listen to the advice that we're giving you. It's nothing against you personally, but the idea of that poor little baby going off into the wild and starving to death or getting shot, or mauled by a dog really breaks my heart
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Post by AnnaAmber on Jul 27, 2013 20:17:14 GMT
Aww George is so cute
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Post by SarahHound on Jul 27, 2013 21:05:38 GMT
we did have a quick look, but it was on a busy road so we could not get a proper look, if we saw what side he had fallen off of we would have put him back on the verge but we did not, and we don't know of any ponds/rivers near where we found him. he is very feisty at the moment, he was quite last night but i think he was just tired, he is very feisty now, he pecks your hand . we have just given him a hot water bottle in a sock as he was shivering a bit, but he was wet, and placed him upstairs which is warmer than downstairs. He goes to my friends house later this evening, as they have volunteered to look after him when we are on holiday Please please PLEASE get him to a wildlife hospital. Let me tell you why I don't think hand rearing a single duckling is a good idea. You know we both work at a wildlife hospital? We're not allowed to talk to the baby birds, including the ducklings. They're supposed to stay a bit scared of us, or they won't be safe when they're released! A lot of people out there are NOT nice like us and would harm a duck if it wandered happily over to them. Many dogs would love to sink their teeth into a bit of duck too. I'm sure you don't want this? PLEASE don't get him used to Barley! Mallards are a wild breed and it isn't in their nature to be domestic pets, which is a GOOD thing. This is evidence to support this whole idea - there is a Goose in the hospital now who was hand reared and has gotten himself into trouble because of this! He screams when anyone leaves the room - he imprinted on a human and it's ruined his life as a Goose! He doesn't know how to BE a goose, and that's how it will be for George I KNOW you don't want this to happen, but he just won't know how to find food for himself or stay away from predators if he's brought up in someone's home. I know it's hard not to get attached to him and you're doing what you, and a lot of other people would feel is best. But the BEST thing for him is a wildlife hospital that will probably have other ducklings (there are a lot of them right now) he would be happier and you'd know he'd have the best chance of surviving They'd probably let you visit him and would be happy to update you on his progress. When we have to move them into a container to clean out their incubators, if one is left on its own (i.e. the last/first one to be picked up) they HATE it and go crazy, running around and calling out for their siblings. I'd hate to think that this is how George feels all the time. He must be extremely lonely, and human company won't cure that If you really have to keep him...get a heat lamp. Ducklings die of cold all the time at Folly, and that's in incubators..! All of this I agree with. I had to bite my tongue not to comment before.
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Post by tonib on Jul 27, 2013 21:29:33 GMT
PP George looks lovely & cuddly & well done for rescuing him/her.
However I have to agree with the others that, although people do raise ducks these are not usually the wild breeds. The wild ducks need their own kind. The more human contact they have the less chance they have in the wild & can not be released to be the creature they should be.
You've done really well so far and now need to think of the duckling's future. For the immediate care a heat lamp would be ideal but I realise that isn't always to hand, a hot water bottle at least is something. Then could you ask the people, who you have booked to look after him, to take him to a wild life sanctuary or at least the rspca whilst you are away?
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Post by gladys on Jul 28, 2013 0:02:00 GMT
Can I just say that if you are sensible and do it right it can be done. My friends neighbor has wild ducks nesting in her garden most years and she usually ends up looking after at least one left behind duckling until it's old enough to fly. I also looked after a 3 day old duckling until it flew away a couple of years ago. Just treat it like a wild animal, don't pick it up unless you have to and make sure it has everything it needs. I only did it because my local rescue (*which wasn't very local) didn't want to know unless I would pay them to come and get it?? And said that they didn't have anyother ducklings there anyway so it would still be on it's own. The duckling I looked after had 24 hour care inside for 2 weeks with hot water bottle and heat lamp. And then it went out during the day and in at night with hot water bottle. Then it was outside in my empty chicken eglu and a duck proof run until it got it's flying feathers. It still had a hot water bottle at night in half the bed if it got cold. It's a lot of work and i probably wouldn't do it again but it wasn't tame by the end of it and it flew off to be with the other wild ducks at the village pond.
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Post by BorderTerrier on Jul 28, 2013 9:08:32 GMT
He is very cute, and you seem to adore him But he cannot be an addition to your family for ever. You may assume that for the foreseeable future, he is your pet, but he can't be, because he won't have the strength to survive in the wild if he is reared by you. Nothing personal to you, any humans. I agree with all the others... But a big well done for rescuing him because he sounded in need of it. Now you have taken him out of the way of the cars waiting to crush him, he needs to go back to where he belongs, and ASPA.
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Post by migsy on Jul 28, 2013 9:16:53 GMT
Oh,poor little duckling,he must have lost his family and missing his mum.As long as you feed him correct diet he should be o.k.Poor little thing.At least it didn't fall prey to cars or a fox.
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Post by tonib on Jul 28, 2013 10:17:41 GMT
Can I just say that if you are sensible and do it right it can be done. My friends neighbor has wild ducks nesting in her garden most years and she usually ends up looking after at least one left behind duckling until it's old enough to fly. I also looked after a 3 day old duckling until it flew away a couple of years ago. Just treat it like a wild animal, don't pick it up unless you have to and make sure it has everything it needs. I only did it because my local rescue (*which wasn't very local) didn't want to know unless I would pay them to come and get it?? And said that they didn't have anyother ducklings there anyway so it would still be on it's own. The duckling I looked after had 24 hour care inside for 2 weeks with hot water bottle and heat lamp. And then it went out during the day and in at night with hot water bottle. Then it was outside in my empty chicken eglu and a duck proof run until it got it's flying feathers. It still had a hot water bottle at night in half the bed if it got cold. It's a lot of work and i probably wouldn't do it again but it wasn't tame by the end of it and it flew off to be with the other wild ducks at the village pond. Very valid point gladys, that if a rescue can't be found to take George then helping it the only option. It must have been very hard work to keep your duckling wild as well as looked after though. Glad there was a village pond that it could go to gladys, as that must be a little more of a cross-over between 100% wild & slightly used to humans.
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Post by gladys on Jul 28, 2013 16:50:28 GMT
BorderTerrier Do you mean back where it was found?? It can't go back to where it come from now, it will die. It needs caring for till it gets older. But migsy is right it needs the proper food and living conditions. tonib To be honest it wasn't hard keeping it wild, it only got handled when it was very young and only when cleaning the enclosure or when being put in the run. By the time it was out in the chicken house/run 24 hours it never came near me and I never tried to pick it up. Then after the flight feathers came I let him out every day to roam our garden where he would practice flying. At night he would put himself back in the chicken run. On the 3rd day out he flew away. I've met tamer ducks while boating on the Norfolk broads.
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Post by Avansa on Jul 28, 2013 17:18:55 GMT
It sounds like you did a really good job with your duckling gladys and were careful to respect that it's a wild animal and not handle it or talk to it too much, etc. However, as puppypal has pictures of it in her living room, sitting in her hand, I doubt this is the case for George. I don't want to be mean, but I'm just concerned that he/she is being treated as a pet rather than a wild animal and that's just not going to benefit the duck. It can be done well, as gladys has proved, but she was sensible and mature enough to not get too attached and to put the duckling first.
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Post by gladys on Jul 28, 2013 17:32:16 GMT
Thanks you Avansa Although I must admit I do have a couple of photos of the duckling in my hands, it was not held for very long just when being cleaned up or moved etc. And like I said it did spend the first two weeks inside. I never fed by hand, mealworms were drop on the grass so it would 'hunt' them down and when feathers became waterproof the worms were dropped in the water tray so it could dive for them. I also added a mirror in to both it's indoor and outdoor enclosure, along with a fluffy flannel and the duckling would talk to his reflection and snuggle up to sleep. I would add photos but it is PPs thread and also some don't agree with it so don't want to annoy. I understand where people are coming from and you have to think whats best. As I had all the equipment anyway and I've raised chickens I knew what I had to do. But you must remember it is a wild animal and it will want to be free once it's grown.
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toby1
Settling in well!
Posts: 59
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Post by toby1 on Jul 28, 2013 20:08:12 GMT
Well done for rescuing him. I hope hes still doing well.
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