Convinced my duck Boba gets sad sometimes

[Horou]

Not a rant or a question, but wanted to say that even though online says ducks dont get jealous, I think its completely bs. Only because Boba has proven to me she gets sad not by tears but by her eye line getting red.

We got new ducklings, and Boba sadly walked away when we tried to shift the ducklings to their pen.

Boba continued to cuddle me and doing this protective behavior of standing in front of me and doesn’t like it when the ducklings get close.

It confuzzles me because, Boba acts all happy and excited plus the tail wag towards the ducklings when they are in their pen, but gets upset and sad and walks away when we get close to the ducklings.

 

[KathiQuacks]

Could you get a video of her behavior, upload it to YouTube, and link it here??

Is she your only adult duck?

 

[Horou]

Could you get a video of her behavior, upload it to YouTube, and link it here??

Is she your only adult duck?

I’ll try to capture it on video, but I’m unsure of the chances. May I ask why?

For now, she’s the only adult duck

 

[Horou]

My post wasn’t a complain or a question, more like I just wanted to comment

 

[KathiQuacks]

Oh, right, I just wanted to be able to explain the behavior better! I am studying duck behavior

I will say, I don’t think you’re completely off about ducks getting jealous!!! I’m almost certain I’ve seen someone talk about their hen getting jealous / upset when her drake is hanging out / mating with another hen

It sounds to me like she is very attached to you, maybe even as a mate? Being cuddly with you and standing guard near you..
The tail wagging could be happiness, or her complaining further, I couldn’t say haha.

I do hope she will hang out with your ducklings once they’re grown. I had a lone duck like yours, and it took her quite a few months to switch over. She definitely sounds unsure right now.

 

[Horou]

Oh, right, I just wanted to be able to explain the behavior better! I am studying duck behavior

I will say, I don’t think you’re completely off about ducks getting jealous!!! I’m almost certain I’ve seen someone talk about their hen getting jealous / upset when her drake is hanging out / mating with another hen

It sounds to me like she is very attached to you, maybe even as a mate? Being cuddly with you and standing guard near you..
The tail wagging could be happiness, or her complaining further, I couldn’t say haha.

I do hope she will hang out with your ducklings once they’re grown. I had a lone duck like yours, and it took her quite a few months to switch over. She definitely sounds unsure right now.

Boba’s definitely done the you know “mating dance” towards me many times, at first I thought she was having fun dancing, but after further research it was her “mating pose / dance”. And i thought dang, did I screw up??

Even tried to explain to her that I’m a female and she’s a female and we’re not of same species, but she was content being next to me so I kinda just let it be. Took her “dance” as a way to pet her.

 

[Horou]

Oh, right, I just wanted to be able to explain the behavior better! I am studying duck behavior

I will say, I don’t think you’re completely off about ducks getting jealous!!! I’m almost certain I’ve seen someone talk about their hen getting jealous / upset when her drake is hanging out / mating with another hen

It sounds to me like she is very attached to you, maybe even as a mate? Being cuddly with you and standing guard near you..
The tail wagging could be happiness, or her complaining further, I couldn’t say haha.

I do hope she will hang out with your ducklings once they’re grown. I had a lone duck like yours, and it took her quite a few months to switch over. She definitely sounds unsure right now.

It was last night when we took the baby ducklings home, and we were trying to split the pair into their pens to show them that this is where food is and this is where water is. And my boyfriend decided to play with one, and I was showing the other little one the food. Boba just stood and looked at me and my boyfriend one by one, before looking down and turning away slowly walking away back to her own pen. She looked really upset and rejected by our behavior, even when we called out to her, she didn’t even turn around, i quickly gave my duckling to my boyfriend and chased after her, she didn’t run nor look back, only when she reached her pen door, she made one sad glance towards me and she was red eyelined as if she was borderline crying.

(Like how our eyes & eyeline turns red a bit when we about to, during and after we cry.)

It broke my heart seeing her like that, which is why I got defensive when you asked if i have a video I didnt want to reoccur how she felt again.

 

[Horou]

Oh, right, I just wanted to be able to explain the behavior better! I am studying duck behavior

I will say, I don’t think you’re completely off about ducks getting jealous!!! I’m almost certain I’ve seen someone talk about their hen getting jealous / upset when her drake is hanging out / mating with another hen

It sounds to me like she is very attached to you, maybe even as a mate? Being cuddly with you and standing guard near you..
The tail wagging could be happiness, or her complaining further, I couldn’t say haha.

I do hope she will hang out with your ducklings once they’re grown. I had a lone duck like yours, and it took her quite a few months to switch over. She definitely sounds unsure right now.

I think Boba likes being the spoiled single child. But hope she gets along with the other two in the future when they grow a little bigger.

Boba’s still my #1 Big girl! She’s awesome!!

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Sounds like Boba and my oldest son would get along. I have two boys and when I brought my youngest son home from the hospital my oldest was so jealous. My oldest was just over a year old at the time, but he marched right over to his new little brothers empty car seat, drug it to the front door and then started pointing at the front door with it saying “out” like he wanted us to throw his little brother out the door I believe it though and I don’t know how anyone could say animals don’t get jealous. Why else would my horse push the other horses out of the way when I am not showing him attention? Even my one dog does the same thing. If she sees us petting another dog she runs over and pushes them away.

 

[Horou]

Would it be wise to get a caguya duck to keep Boba company when the call ducks get older? Because Boba's first experience with a "bigger flying bird" would be seagulls. And we would pick her up sometimes so that we can simulate "flying" so that she doesn't feel alone in the flying aspect. In safe areas, home, backyard, park, etc.

But I feel like Boba might feel left out, if the call ducks grow up and start learning to fly.

FYI, Boba may not be able to fly due to her size and weight, but she definitely has a mighty jump. She's proven herself over and over about her power to jump real high for some reason, she laughs after doing it. We sometimes call her, "Boba the Escapee"

UPDATE: Starting to believe that Boba thinks the 2 newcomers the call ducks are her children. Also worried for my selfish heart that I don't want her to not love me anymore QAQ""