Welcome to the Motherhood

Through a very strange set of circumstances, I have recently become the mother of a 2 week old baby duckling that I've named Oxford (Ox for short). He's a domestic, or "house duck," meaning he was bread from a long line of captive ducks and will most likely never learn to fly.


I've been caring for him since Sunday night and he's already hopelessly imprinted on me as his mother. If I take two steps away he follows me, trying to stay right between my legs. For anyone who thinks it would be cute to get a duckling for Easter, my advice would be to think twice. They don't stay ducklings for long...Ox will be fully grown in about 30 days. Having a baby duck is a lot like having a baby human. I have to clean his container and change his water twice a day, he cries whenever I'm out of sight and is only quiet if he's sitting in my lap or tucked in his nest under a heat lamp. He also wakes me up every 4 hours because he's hungry and will only eat out of my hand. Still, I don't mind the extra work...how can I say no to such a cute face?