Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello everyone I am new here and I just received my first wood ducks and mandarins. I have a pair of each, both 07 hatches and they are just beautiful. I do have quite a bit of questions as the breeder is not getting back to me for some reason.

1. What is their average life span?

2. They are ridiculously scared of me and literally go insane when I go near them. Is there anyway I can help this or is there any way I can calm them?

3. I am currently offering them Blue Seal "Grower-Cal Crumble"is that ok for them? What else should I offer?

4. Their wings are clipped so they cannot fly. I was planning on letting them be free range but they run away so fast I am afraid of losing them for good and even with our yard fenced in it worries me. If I set their nest box in a certain area will they stay there?

5. Will they ever warm up to me or learn to associate me with food or no because they are wild waterfowl?

6. Can they handle winter conditions? We don't normally get much snow but here in New Jersey on some nights we get down to 20F or less in February.

Sorry for all the questions, thanks in advance!
-Chris

Hello, I'm a Wood Duck rehabber in California. In my experience, Wood Ducks are extremely sensitive. When I get a baby in, I need to cover his cage and not let him see me for at least 48 hrs. They can literally die from fright or many just won't eat and die of starvation.

They freak when I clean their cages or give them fresh water. I've only seen one that is a pet. These people actually have this Wood Duck trained and tamed. They said the secret is to talk to them when they are in the egg and be there right when they are hatching.

I don't try to settle mine down because I release them into the wild when they are ready. I would be very surprised if yours become very tame but like I said, I have seen it, once. I'm sorry to be so negative but this is from 5 years of experience in raising Wood Ducks. Good luck to you!

Julie

Hi, sorry to have taken so long to answer.

We've had mandies. They are great little birds, but unless they are socialized to humans from hatching, they will always be skittish, frightened little things.

Grower-cal is fine.

You can't let them free-range unless they are well socialized. They leave. Most people use a large flight pen for them.

It's illegal to let domestics loose in most states.

I'm in western NY and they do fine. A good breeder of them lives near Syracuse, NY where they routinely get snowfalls of a foot or more. Her birds are in good shape.

As long as the birds have a place out of the wind, with lots of fresh water and good food, they do fine. Remember that they come equipped with little down vests, the same kind that we humans spend hundreds of dollars to buy at the sporting goods shops.

Hope that helps.