Ducks can live for 10 years, and geese can live for twice that long. But few people think of that when they make an impulse purchase of these traditional "Easter pets." Every summer, a few months after Easter, animal shelters across the country find themselves inundated with discarded Easter pets (ducks, geese, chicks, and bunnies) who have outgrown their cuteness. Animal rescue organizations receive continuous calls to pick up starving or injured domesticated ducks and geese who have been dumped by people who realize they cannot care for the birds.
Why Adopt a Duck?
- Ducks make wonderful companions. Ducks are affectionate, smart, and have just enough personality as a dog, if not more. Like chickens, ducks can also live inside as house ducks. They even sell duck diapers!
- Male ducks are very quiet. It is actually female ducks who make the distinctive ‘quacking’ sounds, male ducks make almost no sound at all--they have a very quiet, raspy voice, and no quack. Therefore, if loudness is a concern, adopt some male ducks! (just make sure that if you also keep a female, that you don’t out number her with more than one male duck, because they are also known to ‘rape’ female ducks, which can sometimes be fatal.
