Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi there..need some info..I work as a volunter rehabber and need some info on baby duck care..looks like a mallard, maybe a couple days old..Ive had him about 20 hours,seems pretty strong, but am worried about not seeeing it eat or drink..am giving it water with a dropper and have chick start and heating pad..please help me to understand this little guy..any help or info would be truely appriciated.. Michelle

you need to have a little bowl of water so the duck can get its bill all the way in to keep its air passages clean. my ducklings dont take to the chick starter at first . i have found that if i wet it into mash with a little sugar they eat it right up and then after a few days you can switch over to dry. when you wet it you have to chage it quite often as it will turn sour. also sugar in the water is good at first as it gives them a boost of energy. not to mauch though.
you can also try colled boiled mashed carrots, boiled noodles chopped up, soft boiled egg, grass.
they should have more access to water than just a dropper.

Hey,

Hope your new lil friend is doing ok.
It's good that you've got a heat mat, although make sure that it has enough space to move away from the heat if it starts to get abit too warm.
Also it does need to have more water than just a dropper, give it fresh water in a shallow dish. Please make sure that the duckling doesn't get too wet - as it could develop a chill and die (ducklings are not waterproof until a couple of weeks old).

I feed any ducklings that come my way on chickcrumb - it's basically crumbs that you can either mix with water or feed it dry. I tend to feed it with water to ducklings, as not only does it make it easier for them to swallow if their throats are abit dry, ducks are aquatic birds and would feed from or near water naturally.

If it's a Mallard, it should start getting it's feathers through at about 4 weeks old.

Mel X