Need advice on solo duckling

[Pixi ofthe woods]

I am not new to ducks but have never had a solo before. I have him or her in a large tote with a hot water bottle and a sweater to nest in. I also have a small heater pointed beside but not at the tote.

My questions are:
Should I be worried if it is constantly preening, what are the signs of too hot or cold other than chirping or shivering and panting if hot? It yawns a lot but isn't panting, and that also has me worried. As you can no doubt tell, I am definitely a helicopter mom.

Plz help I'm terrified im going to forget or overlook something, it's been ages since I had a baby this young

 

[Miss Lydia]

What breed do you have? do you have a thermonitor to put in the tote to see what temps? if just in the first week around 85* is a good temp then drop it 5* each week after that.
Is the little one getting wet and causing it to preen?

 

[Pixi ofthe woods]

What breed do you have? do you have a thermonitor to put in the tote to see what temps? if just in the first week around 85* is a good temp then drop it 5* each week after that.
Is the little one getting wet and causing it to preen?

 

[Pixi ofthe woods]

I think it's either wood duck or Mallard. It's not wet or damp just excessively preening. I don't have a thermometer but I have the house thermostat set to 75. I'll up it to ,85 thank you. Do you have any suggestions

 

[Pixi ofthe woods]

I think it's either wood duck or Mallard. It's not wet or damp just excessively preening. I don't have a thermometer but I have the house thermostat set to 75. I'll up it to ,85 thank you. Do you have any suggestions

It's been so long since I've had tiny baby's and when off grid I've never done it before

 

[Miss Lydia]

@Luv Ducks can help with advise.

 

[Miss Lydia]

It's been so long since I've had tiny baby's and when off grid I've never done it before

Main thing is keeping the duckling warm, offer crumble and a shallow water container so the little one can't climb into it and stay wet. Many of us take a plastic container like a cool whip container and cut head size holes the duckling can stick his head in to drink and dunk but not climb into. If your using chicken starter it would be a good idea to get some Nutritional yeast [many groceries stores carry it] and put 1 Tablespoon over each cup of feed you give. It can help keep the duckling from coming down with a niacin deficiency which can happen when they are eating starter for chicks. I for one use starter crumble for chickens since I have a mixed flock and my feed store doesn't carry feed for warter fowl. So I use Nutritional yeast to make sure my ducklings are getting adequate niacin daily,. Since this one is alone a mirror it can't knock over can help it not be lonely. Are you planning on getingt it a buddy [another duckling or 2]? as for the preening I am not sure if that is a problem or not. Is the little one eating and drinking? acting normal like a duckling should?

 

[Luv Ducks]

Does it have a orangish tip to the end of its beak? If so it is more than likely a Wood Duck. If it is in order to get it to eat it will more than likely need some live small meal worms. You can get them at a pet store. I am not sure where you are located. Where was it found. If it is a Wood Duck I would put a small 40 watt red reptile bulb a few inches up from it on a reading lamp attached to the tote, give it a small square plastic dish of water that it can climb into, duckling starter, meal worms and puppy pads for bedding underneath everything. Sprinkle some of the duckling starter on the floor around the shallow dish of food and put the meal worms in the dish. If it has black and yellow splotchy feet it is a wood duck along with the orangish dot on the end of its bill. I have raised one once by doing this very thing. If it has solid colored feet, no orange dot, it is a Mallard. Keep it dry. You won't need the container of water for it and more than likely no meal worms, just duckling starter. I have raised two of those from the wild also. Just the bulb, netting over the top of the tote and a towel covering most of the netting with the exception of a few inches if it is a newborn. Be calm if you handle it and don't be stressed. It will feel your stress and that will make it all the more stressed itself. Good luck with the little one. It will need a mirror and also a small stuffed or rubber animal in with it to keep it company. It's cruel to keep it alone so either now or later on try to find it some friends as they are flock animals. If it is a baby Mallard it will still need water, just nothing to climb into. I had a regular small water fount for my Wood Duck to drink out of along with the small container it could climb into if it wanted to. It was shallow, not deep. The baby Mallard would only need water to drink and you could do like Miss Lydia said, cut a hole in a container it can stick only its head in.