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ducks?
I really really want a pet duck. I looked it up and found a few good things but i still have a few questions.
1-i have a pool, but its filled with chlorine, is that okay?
2-can i just get 1 duckling, not many?
3-could i use a kiddie pool (plastic) fill it with sawdust, with a heat lamp, and use that for the first month?
4-where would i get a duck in the ny, li area?
thanks so much!!!
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Want to answer more questions in the Domesticity category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Pets?
I love ducks, too! They're sooo cute! But they require a LOT of care to keep them happy and safe. Unless you live on a farm, or have tons of time to spend with your duck every day, you should probably think very carefully before getting one.
Ducks are easy targets for predators; dogs, cats, raccoons, hawks, etc. Even if you have a fenced yard, a duck won't be safe there on its own. It will need to have a completely enclosed area, secure from predators, to stay in when you're not around. A small pen is okay if he's only in there at night; but if you're at school or work all day, he'll need a much larger area. It would be cruel to keep him caged up in a small space all day long. In the winter, he'll need to stay inside. Remember, wild ducks head south in the winter, and domestic ducks are even less equipped to survive the cold.
Even when you CAN be with your duck, it will require a lot of work. For one thing, ducks poop a LOT, and anywhere they feel like it. If your family spends a lot of time in the backyard, they probably won't appreciate sitting or stepping in duck poop... so you'll be constantly cleaning up after him. That goes for his pen, too... it will have to be cleaned out every day, or it will become a breeding ground for germs that will make him sick.
Another thing to consider: ducks can live up to 20 years. Even if you have the ideal situation for a duck right now, will you still be able to care for it 5 or 10 years from now? And if not, who will?
The truth is, most people who get a pet duck end up realizing that it wasn't such a great idea after all. And then they're stuck with trying to find a new home for it, which is very difficult. You can't release a domestic duck into the wild; they don't know how to find food for themselves, or how to migrate, or how to avoid predators. They almost always end up dying from cold, starvation, or being eaten or hit by a car.
Sorry to sound like a party pooper! But if you truly love ducks, I know you'll want to be sure you can really provide him with a good, safe and long lasting home before you decide to get one.
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1. no
2. yes
3. no
4. you clearly know nothing about ducks, don't get one :)
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