Should I have a pet duck?

Question

I want a pet duck but I don't know and websites to look at to see if a duck is the right pet for me

Answer 1

tbh, allot of stuff said is alot os nonsense except fopr what perfect poms has said she is completley right =)

I have 12 ducks and I must say They are a complete Joy to watch with their funny antics and make such funny an cute noises!

Also ducks are Not smelly,theywill only smell if they are kept in squalid and un-hygenic conditions so they need a bit of space to roam around in, so if you live in a town with no garden ducks are not a good idea =(

also ducks do NOT need to be grromed for heavens sake like!

duck are atcually clean creatures and preen their feather very often throughout the day . .  That's why they are in the wayer  kepping themselves  CLEAN.

But i must say that during the messy and winter months ducks will sit in the puddles creating a bit of a muddy mess . . hence why my ducks are kept in their run (VERY large) during the wettest months =)

ducks are not even that time consuming they pretty much look after themselves . .  all my  ducks need everyday is their food and for me to let thm out in the morning and shut them back in for the night. .  =)

also you CANNOT just get one duck

YOU MUST GET AT LEAST TWO =)

otherwise one on its own will be lonley and just literally pine away. .  and they will not like human company 24/7 and hate living in a house with humans. .

Overall Ducks are very clean and robust little critters and with the right owner and enviroment and a bit of space and water . . they are a joy to have and are well worthit also you will get fresh eggs everyday just like me =)

Answer 2

They are VERY messy and high maitence. Here is what I can tell you from my experience raising them:

1. They must have kiddie pools if you don't have a pond. For a group of 4, you should get 2 pools. They have to be changed every other day in the summer.

2. You should never have less that 3-4. They are flock animals and get very lonley and lound when they don't have flock mates.

3. They don't like to be pet or held. I have raised over 50 ducks in the past 6 years and only one of those will let you pet him, and he is mentally and physically handicapped. They will come close to you for treats and things, but forget holding them and petting them, they don't like that.

4. They like to lay in flowers and gardens. They will lay there to the point they kill out the flowers.

5. They p**p A LOT! I have never seen an animal p**p more than a duck.

6. Most vets won't even touch them, so if something happens forget trying to get him or her help. I live in rural KY and even here vets won't see them.

7. Feed is at least 10.00 a 40 pound bag at feed stores. I have about 7 ducks and they go through about 3 bags a month. The price only keeps going up because its made with corn, in some places its like 15 dollars now. They HAVE to be fed either game bird crumble or layer ration when adult age. They love sweet feed as treats.

8. Depending on where you live, it may actually be illegal to keep them and the county could make you get rid of them, so check before you get anything.  

Answer 3

hahaa, yes ducks. are soo cute =]

Answer 4

ducks are not pets, you probably shouldn't buy one, i don't even know if you can, regardless ducks are wild and not the pet for you.

Answer 5

NEVER get a duck unless you live on a farm.  It will be the biggest mistake you have ever made lol.  I can laugh about it now but last summer I got ducklings and I lived in an apartment.  They pooped EVERYWHERE and were soo noisy.  They had anxiety about me leaving and I felt bad about keeping them in a cage so I let them run around and they were MISERSABLE.  I spent weeks cleaning up all their c**p (on the carpet,walls,shoes, everywhere) after I got rid of them.

Plus, they are cute when they're tiny and they get HUGE within like two weeks.

Oh yeah, the worst part about constantly cleaning up their p**p is that it stinks horribly and its sooo runny.  

Also... when you do get rid of them (trust me, you WILL get rid of them) its really really sad because they get hooked on you like you are their mother, but if you keep them anywhere other than outdoors with a pond you are just being pure evil.  I found that out the hard way.

Answer 6

my friend had a duck and its the funniest pet. she also has a chiwahwah and they play its the cutest thing ever. you will want to either raise it from an egg or buy it from a breeder when they are young so they get used to you. she had a duck diaper for it so it would go in her house. you will want to make an area outside for it and have a place for it in the winter. in my friends case she used a shower that was rarely used and made a place for it to stay in the winter at night. for the diaper she would just use sanitary pads because they were cheaper than the actual duck diaper. i recommend it, they are unusual and fun pets

Answer 7

I too have pet ducks, and I'm still not sure why people claim that they are not pets??

My ducks are awesome. I put diapers on them and put them inside.

To address the other answerer, ducks do NOT stink; in fact they always smell great if you give them a pool to bathe in. They are very very clean animals (cleaner then most humans I know).

They are great, loving, loyal pets. You just have to make sure you are prepared to care for them. It's not okay to change your mind after a few months and drop them at the local park (they will not survive). If you are prepared to love and care for something for 15-20 years then a duck is a perfect pet! Check out the pics (this is my daughter Duckie)

Answer 8

I personally think it depends. Where are you going to get it? Can you give it enough attention and space considering it is a wild animal. But i had some one time that we rescued.

Answer 9

If you have a lake in your backyard, go right ahead.  If not, don't.  Ducks are extremely high maintenance. They need to be groomed every day, ALLOT of space to walk around and fly, a full bath tub or a lake to bath in for at least half the day, and they are very very very loud!  They never stop quacking.  Ducks are very cute and they're my favorite animal, but it ruins it if you have them as a pet.  Their diet is very smelly and is very strict, or else they can get sick.  If you're willing to do this, go right ahead.  But if you can't give the animal what it needs, which is constant attention, then I don't recommend it.

Answer 10

No, ducks stink to high heaven. If you have a pond outside or some sort of living environment for it outdoors you can keep it out there. But if you intend on keeping it indoors, don't do it. I know from experience. My 6th grade class hatched two duck eggs as a class project, and every weekend a student got to take them home and care for them. They stunk and pooped everywhere, and their food and water got everywhere. They were too much responsibility, and very hard to keep clean.

Answer 11

they are cute but they S**t everywhere.  

Answer 12

To the person who said "Ducks are not pets".

Well guess what.

I have 5 ducks and they are pets.

Ask any duck owner!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28557983@N0...

Here are some web sites to look at!

http://www.minkhollow.ca/HatchingProgram...

http://www.geocities.com/viperior/ducks/...

http://www.howtodothings.com/pets-and-an...

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Park/...

ADD: James S.

Not all duck breeds are wild.

A lot of duck breeds cant even fly! SO, how do you think that they would survive without us?

Oh, ya! They couldn't!

My Cayugas are a breed that cannot fly.

They cannot even get 4 inches off the ground!

How do you think they would defend themselves against a predatore?

Oh, ya! They would be Predatore DINNER!

ADD: Jassica, wrong wrong wrong.

My ducks are on a Diet of Flock Feed that has no smell to it at all!

My ducks dont even fly.

And they groom themselves!

Why would you need to groom a duck?

Do you think wild ducks get groomed daily?

Uh, NO!

ADD: I dont live on a farm.

I just have a small/medium sized pond in my back yard.

They were raised inside the house for about their first two months.

And now they are just about reachins maturity, and yet, guess what! I haven't gotten rid of a single one!

Why the c**p would you get ducklings when you lived in a apartment?

See, this is a perfect example of why you SHOULD DO RESEACH BEFORE GETTING A PET!

ADD: Shera M.

All my ducks except the Mallard love being handled.

When you sit down in the grass they will come right over to you and sit in your lap.

Answer 13

sure, but not if you have dogs.

my friend had chickens

and had a dog.

they came home one day.

and poof, it had eaten the chickens.

I dont know.

Get one if you can take care of it.

they are adorable

good luck! :)