Anyone know how to take care of a Duck?

**Phil** · #1 07-03-2003, 03:41 PM

Does anyone here know how to take care of one? We had a little duckling a few days old fall into our window well and the rest of his family is already gone. We got it out of the well and put it in a box with two bowls of water and a plate on bread. Any other suggestions on how to keep it alive.:confused:

The animal control and the nature preserves in the area aren't helping at all. Not only will they not take it, they won't even help us with how to care for it.:mad:

TooTired · #2 07-03-2003, 03:43 PM

Do you have an non-for-profit Animal Welfare organazation around you? They would probably take it off your hands.

**Phil** · #3 07-03-2003, 03:45 PM

I don't think so, my mom ran all the traps for those types of places. She called about 6 different places.

papercut937 · #4 07-03-2003, 03:46 PM

ummm i work @ a summer camp, one of the camps is a farm camp and they have ducklings, if its a baby it probley won't eat bread. You can feed it duck feed OR chicken feed it eats both.(you can probley get this @ a pet store) You have to change the water daily. Also make sure its a big box and maybe put some old stuff animal or something in there that it can "cuddle" with for warmth. They have to keep warm, if you have a light you should shine it into a corner of the box. They usually get tehre warth from the motehr ducka nd it siblings but since you don't ahve that a stuff animal would probley be the best bet. That all i can think of now. If you have anymore questions i can ask people @ the camp so just send me a private message w/ them in it.

Drewbie · #5 07-03-2003, 03:51 PM

I used to have baby ducklings when I was younger. Like Papercut said, the main thing is make sure it's getting enough heat. If you have a desk lamp, hang it over the box. The stuffed animal is a great idea as well. As far as feeding it, the feed papercut is talking about is basically dried and milled corn. If you can get your hands on some corn on the cob and strip the husks off, then hang it for a couple days, that'd work about as well, if you ground it up a bit. In the mean time, I'd see about getting some feed for it from a pet store.

**Phil** · #6 07-03-2003, 03:52 PM

Thanks for the help. I put a little stuffed animal in it, and it is outside so it should be pretty warm for now. At night there will be a light on the box so it should stay warm enoung.

**Phil** · #7 07-03-2003, 06:28 PM

The stuffed animal idea is working perfectly. He has been cuddled on top of it since I put it in there. Thanks for the idea.

Matt M · #8 07-03-2003, 08:30 PM

i wanna see it. Ducks kick ass. Make sure you put a lid on it because predators do live glenview that's a sitting duck.

**Phil** · #9 07-03-2003, 09:03 PM

I know about the predators, so I think we might bring it inside tonight. If not we have a lid to put on top of it. I'm not too wooried though, because all we get by us is skunks.

Leeloo, I got the PM, and I'll have my mom call them. She has free long distance calls at night.

BimmerZ3 · #10 07-03-2003, 11:17 PM

Good job saving this guy. We saved one once from a near by park (it was actually injured by rotten kids) and after a day or two we gave it to animal control. I think they took it only because it was injured. I'm surprised that your animal control place didn't at least tell you how to take care of it. They really should have. Anyways, good luck to both your family and the duckling.

BTW, if you have a digital camera you should post some pictures of him. They might be cool.

**Phil** · #11 07-04-2003, 07:56 AM

I don't a digital camera or a scanner, so I can't post any pics. I really would like to show your guys how cute he is.

jimmycoasterman · #12 07-04-2003, 03:29 PM

Maybe after he gets a little older and can defend himself you can just eventually let him go at a local duck pond at a park where there are lots of other ducks. Or you could keep it. Either way, ducks are cool animals.

GeorgiaSchorcherfreak · #13 07-04-2003, 07:59 PM

I used to have a bunch of ducks and the best thing to get it is starter grower another tip is to get a special kind of water dish where the water is in a bottle but comes out in a little dish the reason I recomend this is because small ducks can drown. If you can not find this use a small bowl that is big enough to not allow the duck's head to get under water.

Kraken · #14 07-04-2003, 08:05 PM

You know who could probably help you with this? TITANium Alloy. He's a rural dude, and he knows a bit about animals and such. I suggest you try to contact him if he doesn't reply here.

**Phil** · #15 07-06-2003, 10:02 PM

As of this moment, no one has taken the duck yet. We still have a few more places to call, but it doesn't look too good. He seems healthy and is growing. We will propbaly let him go to a pond when he gets a little bigger and fly. He is still afraid of me though. Any time I try and get him out to run around a little bit he runs away from my hands. I don't know why he is so scared.