It can sound insane potty-training pets in the house, but it is beneficial to both the owner and the animal. Ducks often require a pond in the backyard and are prone to be messy. Potty training the ducks is the easiest and most convenient way to avoid the mess. A lot of commitment is required when potty training a duck, but it eventually pays off maintaining a clean back yard and obtaining valuable fertilizer.
Potty training a duck is possible, but it isn’t easy. Ducks do not have sphincter muscles that usually control defecation. This means that ducks cannot help it but poop anywhere anytime. Handling the poop usually means keeping the duck inside an enclosed area or using duck diapers. Duck poop is very important as it can be used as a natural fertilizer for domestic crops such as fruit trees.
How Do You Potty Train A Duck?
There are plenty of challenges encountered when trying to potty train a pet duck. The process comes with a lot of frustrations, setbacks and failures. Several steps need to be taken when potty training a duck which includes;
List the duck behaviors and reasons behind the behaviors– the first step is to note the duck behavior and why the duck behaves in that manner. Behaviors vary among different ducks, and therefore, you should learn individual behaviors.
Restrict the duck’s diet– the next step is to keep the duck hungry for some period of time without triggering malnutrition. A hungry duck will be motivated to look for food rewards and will more likely to change behavior to receive food. The duck should be in good health to balance its performance.
Select specific behavior to reinforce– From the list of behaviors noted, choose a behavior or a set of behaviors that encourage the duck to achieve the intended behavior. This could include behavior that can encourage the duck to go to the toilet. When the duck responds, intentionally ignite conditions that will push the duck towards action and reward it for the action.
Reward the duck– reward the duck often after providing the condition that triggers action. Providing a reward late may make the duck associate a different action to the reward or leave no meaning. The duck can also generalize his behavior and spontaneously change behavior.
Reward each step the duck makes– when the duck gets to the toilet base, award a bigger reward than the previous individual rewards. This reward pattern can change without specific transition though the duck may stop performing some actions. Over time, the duck will get used to the new system. From here, focus on rewarding behaviors that place the duck on top of the toilet and in the correct position.
Continue rewarding the duck for a series of actions like getting to the toilet and positioning correctly. When the duck urinated or defecates into the toilet, give a bigger reward for using it. As time goes by, give rewards for completed behavior randomly. This consistency builds behavior easily and faster. Offering a reward randomly reduces the need to reward the duck each time, especially when you are away. By doing this, you will ultimately train the duck to poop in one specific place.
Feed on a specific place– you can feed the duck in a certain place attractive to him. When the duck spends more time in a particular place, he gets used to the area and can use it as a bathroom.
How Many Times A Day Does A Duck Poop?
Duck do poop several times in a day anywhere in the house. This usually gives duck owners a lot of headaches and is one of the major reasons why most people avoid adopting ducks. On average, a male duck can poop after every 15 to 30 minutes. Ducklings, on the other hand, poop even more often than adult ducks. A duckling can poop in intervals of 10 minutes. This, however, depends on how often the duck or duckling is fed.
Monitoring the duck poop is essential in identifying the health of the duck. With time, changes in the duck poop allow for early recognition of a problem and initiation of an implementation plan that protects the duck’s health. Ducks can make amazing pets but are very messy and require great attention for them to remain healthy. With ducks living mostly in water, their poop tends to be watery. Ducks additionally have a quick metabolism system and can poop after 7-12 minutes.
The poop of a duck is usually related directly to what it has eaten as they excrete very fast. Some abnormal duck droppings can be oily, bulky, a shade of discolored green, increased in size, and wet and carry a smell. Droppings that contain undigested seeds indicate a disease while loose droppings can indicate stress or certain diseases.
On the other hand, healthy droppings have no wetness attached, have no smell, are small with white cap and often have a feather attached.
Components of Duck Droppings
There are three main components of duck droppings and include crystal urine, non-crystal urine and feces. Crystal urine is often called urates and can form a cloudy liquid. When the urates increase, it can indicate dehydration or the duck could be suffering from kidney issues.
The non-crystal urine is often referred to as clear water. A mixture of the two types of the urine creates cloudy white urine. Increased duck urine can indicate high water intake or bacterial disease. The duck feces come from the colon and have digested foods and are usually solid. The poop can be straight or coiled or broken into several pieces.
The color of the poop varies depending on the food the duck ate. If the duck ate red-colored foods, the droppings would be red in color; green veggies produce green droppings while blueberries and blackberries cause black droppings.
How Do You Make A Duck Diaper?
The steps to making a duck diaper include;
1. Assemble the things needed and measurements
All ducks are different, so the first thing you need to do is get their individual measurements. Ducks are measured from the neck to the start of the tail. Next, choose the material that you prefer. Find 2 double adjusted side release buckles, needles, thread, scissors, sewing machine and thimbles. When you have everything ready, choose a pattern to design. Be creative about what and how you would want your duck to look like.
2. Create the first section-the bucket.
The bucket is usually where the pad goes. A pad is usually maxi-thin and can be used for both females and males. The bucket consists of 4 triangular sections and is made from waterproof materials. The pads are then sewn together like a bowl using a zigzag stitch that is overlapped to avoid leakage.
3. Create the straps
The straps are the parts that are placed over the head and attached to the bucket. You can use 2.4 inches piece of material and fold until it is ¾ of an inch. This is important as it gives cushion to the shoulders of the duck. Once you have folded, sew the bottom, top and the sides using a straight stitch.
The straps should be put together like a triangle and sown on the top together using a zigzag stitch. The top end is where the first clip will be attached. The head opening should not be very big and can cover 3 and ¾ inches long and 2and ¼ inches wide to cover the chest.
4. Create the chest Section.
The chest part covers almost 6.5 to 7 inches long, depending on the chosen design. The chest area can be left open or enclosed depending on a selected theme. Once the design is completed, attach it to the bucket.
5. Sew the Tail.
This is the last part to design and can be very confusing. It is crucial to leave out the oil gland from covering so that the duck can fluff and preen their feathers. Creation of the tail part is almost similar to the design of the top part. This part also needs to be very comfortable for the duck.
Take 2-4 inches x 10 inches of material and fold to about an inch and sew using either a straight or a zigzag stitch. One part of the tail part goes over the body while the other goes over the tail in a triangular shape. Sew one strip to both sides of the bucket to connect the straps over the shoulder. The other strip will be cut into half to straddle the tail.
6. Put the clips on
Once the diaper is ready, double-check to ensure that the measurements are correct and long enough to go over the head. Try it on the duck and mark the areas to clip and insert the clips. Keep in mind the oil gland found in the tail and the area around the neck.
Using a Sock to Make a Diaper
Using a sock can also be an option when making a duck diaper. Choose an ankle sock that can fit the duck according to its size and measurements. Lay the sock on a flat surface and cut the half oval shape out from the centre of the sock. Cut the sock’s ankle open and form a slit along the top toe and prod holes on the sides of the slit of the toe and the ankle. Using a shoelace, pass it through the ankle hole, tie it and pass the ends through the slit holes. Put a diaper or folded towel inside the sock to form a diaper.
How Often Do You Change Duck Diapers?
Changing duck diapers vary with different duck breeds, but the most reliable time is as soon as the diaper is soiled. For young ducklings, it can be as frequent as 5 to 15 minutes. Adult ducks, however, can have a diaper for over an hour or more. Duck poop is usually contributed to by access to water and food and the various types of food provided. As much as diapers are meant to sustain huge poop amounts, it is not healthy to leave a duck in dirty diapers for long.
The solids, liquids and fumes in the duck droppings can lead to sores, burns, rashes or rot of the feathers. If the duck acquires an infection that is not treated, it can be severe and lead to death. This is common with waterproof diapers that do not allow the liquid to pass through. Waterproof diapers are often made from the waterproof lining in the harness, using human diapers or female hygiene products.
Diapers are designed to provide comfortable and extended wear when the right absorbent liner is used, and the diaper changed promptly. Ducks should be given a break from wearing a diaper once a day for them to preen and bathe. Constantly changing the diaper is crucial to keeping the duck healthy and happy. If there is any form of irritation, using a diaper should be stopped until the affected area heals well.
Can Ducks Wear Diapers Overnight?
Some ducks need to have the diaper on through the night, mostly those that sleep with their owners. However, having diapers overnight is not as safe as the liquids, solids and fumes can cause health problems to the duck. Having a diaper overnight is tiring as it requires frequent changing and cleaning the sleeping area in the morning to vent it.
Ducks that have diapers overnight usually take more than one bath in a day as having a diaper on for a long time poses a high risk. Some special ducks require overnight diapering, which is very cumbersome to the duck owners. It is similar to caring for a small newborn baby.
The Bottom Line
Every duck has different personalities, and one has to understand them individually for proper training. Potty training a duck is not easy, but with patience and positive rewards, nothing is impossible. If potty training the duck fails, duck diapers are a good option. It is lifesaving as the duck can freely move around the house without creating a mess. However, the downside of using a diaper is not being able to harvest the amazing natural fertilizer in duck poop.