Mandarins Hate Us ....Help

[Gill Catton]

Well strictly speaking they are the same as the wild mandarin, but these ducks have been kept as ornamental birds for hundreds of years. Apparently in china a newly married couple were traditionally given a pair as a wedding gift...
So I think they will recover. Be predictable in your movements use a certain time of day etc perhaps it's unpredictability that seems to scare birds most. Also I'd contact their breeder and ask them for settling in tips. I'm sure they'd be able to help. Fingers crossed for you!

[Gaina]

I second what Gill said. Think like a prey animal that's always waiting for something to jump out at you - be quiet, slow and predictable in all your movements to build their confidence.

We kept ducks for a few years when I was a teenager, including one that was a very tame duckling who grew into quite a shy (and sometimes aggressive!) drake.....but all of them would do anything for tinned sweetcorn.

They would sometimes go in my neighbour's garden and although they were very good about, of course we wanted to get them back as quickly as possible so mum would go next door and come back with three ducks following the tin of sweetcorn like rats to the pied piper .

[The Rabbits]

Thanks for all your help and advise, its been really useful.

[jenjen21]

I also have two ducks (both drakes), and have had them for several years, both rescued from the same person who didn't want them anymore. Neither really like humans but are happy living 'free' in our garden, the only problem is that they now think its their garden and chase you out.
They don't have their wings clipped and aren't exactly fenced up the garden is big enough for them to try and fly around, only once have they tried to escape and one did and hide for 1 day then came back. I put it down to the pull of the garden (and missing his friend).
We only give them wheat, ducks can easily find food, and will eat any vegetation from nettles to grass so if they have access to these even if they are 'pened' up then they should be alright.
Don't expect birds to want to be petted, and by the sounds of it, these ducks are going to be the same, chances are that the couple you got them for has a little too many birds to domestic them all, something I can sympathesis with, having both the ducks and alot of chickens too. Some of them will never really trust humans but will do things for extra food.

All I can suggest is giving them time and patience, and even then certain times of the year expect them to be 'flighty'. Allowing them a bit of freedom and not too much human contact will allow them to relax and then if you try to appoach them they should be slightly happier about it.
Their main human contact has most likely been unpleasant for them so far, especially if they've been clipped, so you'll have to show them that you can be trusted by trusting them back, and also they are sensitive to emotions, like most animals so if you are nervous around them they are going to be the same to you. Being younger than mine you should have better luck.

[The Rabbits]

Unfortunatly our last post has been edited by fungijohn and now gives a false reading, we are not sure why, we merely responded to the 2 people who had a go at us, we were not abusive in any way or at least no more than they were to us. We shall not be using this forum again.

LONG LIVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH !!!!!!!!

No doubt this will be edited too.

[Pete Collins]

Since when does 'freedom of speech' give you the right to hurl insults at people? And if you're such a believer in 'freedom of speech', why did you call other posters self-righteous, plonkers and numpties, simply because they put forward a different view to your own? (Read the posts by Tursiop2 and BloomingMarvellous again - can you really say that their posts amount to 'having a go' at you?)

I would guess your post was edited because I reported it to the moderators. You said that all forums have numpties - they also all have rules! You infringed the rules of this forum by calling other posters plonkers, etc., etc,. So your post wasn't edited because of your opinions, but because of the insulting language you used. Nothing whatsover to do with freedom of speech.

So, thank you FungiJohn.

[Lance Morgan]

They seemed such nice people but even the ducks don't like them

[volence]

Why do people ask for advice and then give abuse to people trying to help?

[The Rabbits]

We acquired these birds from an elderly couple who breed them but because of failing health are struggling to look after them, our only intent is to give them as nice a life as possible, they have been pinioned ( which we don't agree with) so freedom is not an option.

We came here for some advise and help, BM presumes which are chasing some dream, that couldn't be further from the truth ! and so its very annoying when people make wrong presumptions. Also, he does not address the subject of the thread so what is the point of his post ??

Numpty's and plonkers, these are not swear words, as Del boy demonstrated by using them to his younger brother as the least offensive way of showing displeasure, given the posts by BM and
Tursiops2 I think they are entirely reasonable, others may take a different view.

As for tursiops post, what on earth has spell checking got to do with the welfare of our ducks ?? he/she says they don't want to be rude.... then go's on to be rude .....why ??

Then fungijohn edits the post which leads to Volence making completely incorrect statements.....and lance Morgan making a very offensive statement.....but Fugijohn allows that to stay.

Frankly, a moderator should never edit a post, if he does its no longer the post of the author, people cannot give informed views and opinions if they only read part of the post....which leads to an out of control thread which is where we're at now.

If a moderator doesn't like a thread he/she she remove altogether, not just selected parts and words other wise the reader does not see what has been wrote so whats the point ?

[volence]

On here a few people have given possible solutions which will hopefully help with taming your ducks to a degree. Pinioning them was probably traumatic which is why they see you as the big bad person. They probably just need time to settle down, just move slowly around them, talk to them in a soothing calm voice, doesn't matter what you talk about just chat quietly as you go about your business in the garden and maybe act like you dont see them. Also some treats as others have said.

As for calling people numpty's and plonkers, it really doesn't do any good on a forum, people can be offended too easily especially if they are trying to help. Moderators will edit posts to try to keep the peace, thats all they were doing. No one likes to be called names, however tame they may be.

Maybe you'll follow the advice given by the people on here, maybe not but let's not resort to name calling. It's not really appropriate.