Hi Julia, thanks, we did lose some of the babys, but as of today we had a total of (7) very healthy babys and they are getting bigger ever day, we have a local park were we live which we are going to take some there to live once they get a little bit bigger. we really can't keep all of them so the park rangers will kept them. there is a big lake, we started them on chick starter which the amish told us that would be the best food, but now they are eating the same as mon and dad. Do not understand how so many people say that Indian runners do not nest or are not good mothers, our mom is the best, our 4 pom's (dogs) do drive her a little bit crazy now she is so protectived over them. have you found out anything about how to tell which are male or female yet if you do please let me know thanks again

They are both girls, except quaddies fraternal twin is a male. She underwent complete physical exam yesterday. The second legs body is indeed male with a prolapsed phallus and the legs are attached to the spine with one femur. Very interesting xrays! The weight of the legs is pulling her spine out of place and will eventually cause paralysis. She stayed overnight at the vets and will be examined today for digestive issues. We are hoping only one set of functioning digestive track exists. The vet allowed KD to stay with Quaddie at the hospital so they are together. I am so glad you allowed KD to come with Quaddie, they are very sweet and seem insperable.

Hi RoxtheFox. I think you're doing great with little whistle. Don't let the others get you down! I gernerally trust feed store owners for advice more than vets. Vets don't like it that the feed stores carry almost as many medications as the vets do, so I think the see them as a nasty little competitor. I alwas take my questions to my local feed store. Just doesn't sound like yours has a very good cage side manner! But I like the diet he gave you much better than the idiot vet. LOL one thing you might get him is a small kiddy wading pool. Ducks love to swim! But ducks are perfectly happy outside, and can stand quite cold temperatures. So unless you live at the nort or south pole, a good outing every day will make him a very happy duck! Now you have to remember that ducks bond very easily with ANYTHING. If you can't be with him 24/7 I would definitely get him a playmate or two. Maybe one of the opposite gender, and then raise a family of them if you have the space. As for the kind he is, I don't know. His colors will become more vibrant if he is a HE, and stay drabber if he is a she. Also, female ducks are the ones that really make a good quacking sound. Males (adult) sound like the can barely get out a whisper, and always sound as if they have a frog in their throats. Also when they are filly grown, a male will have a curly feather on top of his tail where the tail joins on to the butt. As for the dogs, dogs love to play and chew things. They may or may not intentionally try to hurt him, but may get too rough in play and hurt him accidently. Id make sure he has a safe place to be when you're not there to keep a watchful eye on them. Mostly, please remember that emotional bond is ver strong between a duck and his MOMM, or between mates. I had a pair once, and the female unexpectedly died. The male wouldn't eat, drink, sleep or anything. Within a week he grieved himself to death. There are many birds that are like this I say you're wonderful for rescuing him, and it sounds like you're doing a GREAT job of caring for him. Just give him a lot of love, and you'll have a great little friend. And the dogs can learn that he's part of the family and may actually protect him. But keep a close eye on that at first. Good Luck!

Just a note to sayÃdon't underestimate the acorn-dropping efficiency of those squirrels. In the house where I used to live, the neighbor next door had eight huge walnuts in his back yard. I'm talking big, old, healthy trees, 40-50 feet, and a couple of feet in diameter. In a good walnut year those trees would produce bushels of nuts. More than once, I've watched three our four squirrels get into the trees, start at the top, and in a single day, literally cut and drop every single nut. Absolutely amazing! Of course once all the nuts were down, it would take them days to clean up the messÃeven though I usually helped by going over and picking up five or six bushels of the dropped nuts. This, BTW, was never more than a third of the nuts on the ground, which gives you an idea of their numbers. I'd dry and hull these gathered nuts, then crack and pick out a few quarts of nutmeats for things like fudge, cakes, and for adding to cereals. The remainder of the hulled walnuts I I would crack or just put out whole in my backyard shelf-feeders for the squirrels during the winter months. So while you may, indeed, be losing acorns to a dry or early autumn, it could just as easily be a handful of squirrels with a go-get'um work ethic.