Recent content by The goose girl

Don't take it personally. As Pyxis says, they're overflowing with hormones, making them hyper alert to anything even remotely threatening. My gander will flap his wis wings, then start biting them as if he's under attack. Same thing with his own feet. What helps me is: 1. Don't escalate. If...

I've observed all my goslings doing that, some more than others. When they drink and then lower their head, some of the water just runs right back out. Sometimes even mixed with their feed.

I take my geese for walks every day. I've trained them to come to me for a treat when I say "Hey!" Whenever a car approaches, I call them so they don't get run over. And they've started running to me when they spot a car - before I even call them. They're pretty smart!

My gander got stung by a bee or a wasp a couple of years ago. He looked like a Beluga whale for a week! It took about 6 weeks before he looked completely like himself again. The vet gave him a shot of hydrocortisone to reduce the swelling and I gave him Meloxicam (painkiller) twice a day for a...

Does swimming with a solo pet goose count?

As long as you don't pen or house her and she's free to leave whenever she wants, I can't believe it's illegal. I mean, you can't get fined if a gaggle of geese decide to make a pit stop on your front lawn, right? If you get her another goose for company, you run the risk of the Canada goose...

This answer of mine is from a long time ago. Not long after, a fox came to visit one night. I heard my goose honk and I ran out immediately. Luckily, my goose was neither hurt nor particularly scared (I think he thought it was a cat; he had gone back to sleep before I returned from chasing the...

Getting her goslings will not help if you don't protect them from predators. Assuming you already took the appropriate measures, your best chance to get her to parent day-old goslings would be when she's been sitting on her nest for about a couple of weeks. Place them under her and watch their...

In spring, my gander likes to steal my keys out of my pocket. He will then cover them with grass and twigs and proceed to sit on them. I really hope I'll one day have enough space for them to be parents. He'll be the best dad!

Thank you! Listened to it this morning. I loved it!

I used to walk my two geese every day. They love it! They'll just follow me, no harness, and I've trained them to come to me when a car/person/bicycle is about to pass. I'll keep them occupied with a few pieces of bread until the coast is clear, and then we resume our walk. Regrettably, there...

My 5 year old gander reacts to the tiniest changes in appearances. First time I wore a different colored hat, he hissed at me and kept a 6 foot distance for two days. One day he suddenly acted scared of one of my friends - he usually adores her and lets her cuddle him. Turned out she was wearing...

Steinbacher geese have both the black bean and the black "lipstick". They also have a distinct, slightly downward curved bill shape. If your goose's bill has that shape, it's very likely a Steinbacher.

I had to cull one of my large goslings a couple of years ago. Over months he failed to thrive. Some days he would eat; some days not, and he was getting skinnier and skinnier. I suspected hardware disease, so I did a necropsy and found an extremely enlarged gizzard - the size and shape of a...

So sorry for your and Norbert's loss. I hope you both find happiness without Beep Beep and each other. It must be such a tough decision to rehome Norbert. I wish you both well!