Loving German Shepherd Cares for Baby Ducklings

Being a mom is tough work.

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I haven’t had pups of my own, but I know what it takes to raise a baby to a full-grown adult. At least, I know what it’s like for birds. Well, ducks mostly.

You see, my human breeds ducks, so there are always little ducklings wandering around the house. Since the parent birds are often out and about, the duty of raising these little creatures falls on my shoulders.

I don’t mind, though – I’m used to it by now.

Still, these ducklings can certainly run me ragged sometimes. Because they’re so small and so curious, I find myself saving them all the time.

Don’t run down those stairs!

Don’t get stuck in that crack between the wall and the dresser!

Why are you eating that? You shouldn’t be eating that!

All day, every day, I’m on a mission to save these ducklings from themselves. So, I’m often pretty tired after a few hours of watching them.

Fortunately, when it’s time for me to take a nap, they just hover around my face and wait for me to finish. I’m not sure why they do this, but I appreciate that they don’t wander off and get into mischief.

My human will also put these ducklings in a box at night so that they can sleep soundly without disturbing anyone. In the morning, I hear them making a racket, begging to be let out so that they can play and explore.

If you don’t know much about ducklings, I’m something of an expert. My human reads up on them all the time, so I’ve picked up a thing or two, such as:

  • It takes roughly 30 days for ducklings to reach full maturity. Once they’re adults, my human takes them to a wildlife conservatory, where they’re released into the wild.
  • When they’re first born, ducklings are just covered in fuzz, not feathers. They kind of resemble puppies with beaks; at least to me, they do.
  • Even though ducks like the water, newborn ducklings don’t have waterproof fuzz. So, they can get soaked and potentially drown. When I’m not chasing these little guys around, my human likes to put them in the bathtub. Most people use a rubber duckie – my human prefers the real thing, apparently.
  • In the wild, ducklings will feast on many different items, including tadpoles, insects, aquatic grasses, and more. This diet means that ducks are omnivores, not herbivores.

Even though my time with each batch is limited, I always start to miss the little guys. Fortunately, there are always new ducklings to watch over.