PetCare For Those Pets You Cherish

Easter is almost here. It seems that it is almost like Christmas with the entire gift giving that goes on, especially for children. Gifts given at Easter time are much different then Christmas gifts. One of the top choice gifts to give at Easter is “Ducks”. So many families think that Ducks are a cute and sweet gift to give, and they fit the theme. I am an experienced Duck owner who received a Duck as an Easter gift 3 years ago. So, is giving a Duck for an Easter gift a good idea? If you do give a Duck for Easter…You Better Be Serious about the Care!

First of all, many people do not realize what is really involved with Easter Gift Ducks. Ok, Ducks seem like the perfect gift for Easter and Ducks fit the theme. Ducks are definitely fun and enjoyable for the Easter Season. So, what happens next? How long do you anticipate keeping this Duck? Ducks have a life span of about 20 years (depending on their health). For those that receive these precious baby ducklings at Easter, approximately 98% Get Rid of Them with in 1-2 months or less.

If ya get a puppy, ya don’t throw the puppy away. But, when they get a duck…the duck seems to get thrown away. “Throw Away Duck”. I know it sounds rude and crude but, that is exactly what happens. Now, I do not mean that the duck literally gets thrown in the trash. Let me explain exactly what I do mean.

The Dangers of Duck Giving During Easter

When I talk about the dangers, I am not pertaining to the human. I am pertaining to the sweet duck.

When most people give the ducks at Easter, they usually give itzy bitzy ducklings. They are so cute and very much adored. They are precious to hold, cuddle, and play with.

These are the Consequences for the Duck

The duckling starts making messes:

You do not think that ducklings totally stay clean like a stuffed animal do you? Well they have to eat and they have to drink. Oh, and by the way it needs to be a certain type of food. The food that the feed stores give you is not as healthy as they claim. Well, the more they eat and drink the more poop they produce.

How do you control the poop? I guess a box or a cage would control the poop for a while until the little duckling grows. But, you still have to clean the poop and pee. Are you gonna? Are you going to enjoy performing that task 2-3 times a day? Well it gets real old for most people.

Keep the duckling outside:

That is what most people think that they can do. Wrong! That is when some of the ducklings will die.

That duckling just got taken away from its momma, brothers, and sisters. Who is going to keep that baby warm? It is still really cool in the Spring. Baby ducklings are used to being cuddled and swaddled by their mommies and/or siblings.

That is how they all stay warm and feel safe. If kept outside they could die, either by catching an illness or by freezing to death. Not to mention death by other animals that like to prey on ducks. These other animals could be cats, dogs, coyotes, owls, and others as well.

Ducks Love Baths:

True. But, babies should not have baths. Ducks need to be a few weeks old before their bodies can handle a bath or a swim. Their bodies need to adjust to the temperatures and to the changes taking affect. If a duckling is in water to much or at all they cold get ill and possibly die.

Ducks do not always know how to naturally swim either. They have to learn. A lot of the time ducks will drown. Most people do not know that.

Food for the Duckling:

More then likely you will receive food from the feed store where you bought the duckling from. My duck mom and adviser, informed me that the food they provide for the ducklings is not really good for them. The food is a starter formula made for baby chicks. Ducks are not chickens. The food is medicated and can be harmful for the ducklings. That food can sometimes lead to death. Some folks will even start to feed the ducklings and ducks regular dog or cat food. Ducks can not survive on that type of food. Dog and cat food will not hurt them when given as a snack but, they will not survive on that for their daily nutrition.

When raising a duckling it is important that you provide the right food.

Ducklings Grow Rapidly:

With in just a few weeks the itzy bitzy duckling will be pretty big. Once they get big they are also getting messier. There will be more poop, pee, and down or feathers… Everywhere. They will not corporate with being in a box or a cage any longer. They need you more and more. They need more and more love and attention. They will be eating double.

No one realizes that they also get LOUDER. As itty bittys, they sound sort of like a bird. They produce sweet and soft chirps. As they get bigger the sound turns to a QUACK. As they learn that quack more and more…it gets louder, and Louder, and LOUDER!

This is the point where most families decide that it is time to get rid of the duck. Find a better place…or so they think.

Ducks Imprint:

Imprinting is the main factor of raising a duck that people do not take into consideration. This “imprinting factor” is the main severity of the ducks life.

When that duckling got taken away from his/her family, the baby lost its pack. Most people try to keep the duckling for quite a while. They will keep their duck for weeks or months, sometimes shorter, sometimes longer. During this time, that little duck has developed a bond with at least one of the family members. That duckling has discovered who to follow, who will feed her, and who to trust. When learning the family, the duckling will usually develop this bond with the first person who holds and cuddles him/her the most. Sometimes they bond with more then one family member. Our duck bonded with my daughter and me.

This bonding is called Imprinting. Ducklings usually do this imprinting with their whole family or “whole pack”. Ducks live in packs. When they have no family and rely on you as their family then “You and your family become their Pack”.

Your little duck will follow you around wherever you go and will long to be where ever you are All of the Time. This little duck knows no other. This little duck does not know what another duck is. Your imprinted duck will not even know what to do around other ducks.

Most Families Find a Different Home for the Duck:

When the families find it harder and harder to care for their duck they decide that the duck should go somewhere else. The “duck thing” is “getting old” and hard for them to deal with. Well, to put it bluntly, you never should have gotten a duck. Getting a duck in the first place should have been researched before your gave or got one. The consequences should have been considered.

When most families get rid of their duck they think they are doing the best thing for the duck, by taking the duck to live where other ducks live. Families find duck farms, duck ponds, or rivers or lakes where ducks live. They feel that this is where the duck will be better off. It is widely thought that the ducks will just blend in with the other ducks that they have never known before and live…happily ever after. Wrong! This is where the “imprinting factor” comes in.

Remember, the human family is now the pack. The duck has become Domesticated. The duck has imprinted on the human family and does not know anything about other ducks. The Domestic Duck does not have one idea how to act, fit in, behave, and live with other ducks. Guess what? The other ducks feel the same way about the Domestic Duck. The Domestic Duck will be neglected, pushed aside, and eventually killed. The Domestic Duck will by NO Means be accepted amongst the other ducks.

Any one who has any feelings for ducks as well as animals, is this really what you want to happen? More then likely the answer is no. This is exactly what happens about 98% of the time when families receive ducks for Easter. I know that the families do not have any idea about the danger they put their duck in when they take them somewhere else to live.

I know that there are other pets given at Easter as well. These pets include: chickens and bunnies. Now, I do not know about the consequences for them but, I do know about ducks. I do suggest that if you plan on giving ANY pet for Easter, that you first study and research the care involved for that pet.

Please do not give Ducks or other pets for Easter, unless You Are Serious about a Lifetime of Love, Care, and Up Keep for the well being of that particular pet. There are other Gifts to Give at Easter

Easter is a Wonderful Time for Spring Gift Giving, especially for the kiddos. There are plenty of other gifts to give besides animals.

Here are some gift ideas:

Outdoor Fun: Jump Ropes, Hula Hoops, Soccer balls, Bat mitten, Volleyballs, Tennis Rackets and Balls, Pogo Sticks, Sidewalk Chalk, Bubbles, Sprinkler Fun, Water Tables, and much, much more.

Games: Jacks, Board Games, Puzzles, Coloring Books, Markers, Crayons, Play dough, Paint Sets, Art Sets, Crafts, and much, much more.

Clothing: Dresses, Stockings, Shoes, Shorts, Skorts, Slippers, Sleepwear, Blouses, Shirts, Tops, Sneakers, and much, much more.

And then there is Candy, Gum, and Treats.

For more Gift Ideas look at this Lens:  http://www.squidoo.com/easterduck

The Awesomeness of having a Duck as a Family Member:

We have mentioned so many consequences and dangers of having ducks that are really not intended or wanted as family members. Now let’s talk about the JOYS of having Ducks for family members.

Ducks really make great pets. They talk to you, kiss you, and literally hug you. It is so thrilling to watch them waddle around wherever they want to go. They mostly want to be with you. That is what is so neat and adorable in its own.

When you travel to places, and if you are able, take them with you.  They have a great time traveling with you. You will have fun with it too. Just get a dog carrier, like the soft purse kind, that is big enough for your duck and has support for the feet. Put the duck in there and take duckie where ever you go. You might have to make a special hole in the bag so that duckie can stick his/her neck out and see what is goin on. When your duck does go places with you, the reaction from others is hysterical. Seeing a duck in a carrier and with a human is very uncommon and it brings up lots of discussions.

There is a way to control the poop. The poop is controlled by Duck Diaper Harnesses. What a miracle they are. These diaper harnesses make it possible for your duck to be in the house with you. Your duck can go any and everywhere you go…almost.

This is what the diapers look like.

We have had our duck for 3 years now. We had her from itty bitty to now. She gets along great with our dogs and they get along with her. There are times when they get in to a little spat but, not much. The duck will set them straight with a quick peck. Sometimes our duck thinks that she is a dog. She gets out there and runs around the yard and Barks, just like they do. Pretty comical isn’t it?

Ducks love to play and they are quite vocal. When they do get in the bath, they enjoy every minute of it. They splash, swim, jump in, jump out, quack, and flap. To watch them in their bath almost always produces laughter from all who watch.

Our duck (Kuacky) just had her 3^rd Birthday with us. We had so much fun. We celebrated by getting her favorite treats: worms and guppies. My daughter even made her a cute little Birthday hat.

Here is a video of her trying to get those guppies. We put them in her bath water.

If you are Serious about having a duck as part of your family, there are many rewards. There is also a lot to learn about the care. This learning process is really fun and enjoyable.

This is the Very Helpful and Very Needed book that I finally found. What a lifesaver it has been. I still refer back to it often.  If you are interest:  Click the book.

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You can also take a look at the “Duck and Goose Items” while you are there. Great Clothing.

Please leave your comment and opinion. It begins a great discussion.

Thank you for reading my article. I love hearing opinions.

Kami Snoeberger

xpectmorepetcare@gmail.com

Tags: best easter gifts, domestic duck care, domestic ducks, duck diapers, duck harnesses, easter ducks, easter fun, easter gift ideas, easter gifts, fun ideas for easter, gifts at easter, gifts for easter, give a duck for easter, pet duck for easter, pet ducks

This entry was posted on Monday, April 6th, 2009 at 8:58 pm and is filed under Ducks for Pets.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.