People dumping pets.

[Troy711]

About a kilometer away from where I live there is a few ponds. Driving passed the other day I saw a strange white duck, which was rather unusual because we only get Pacific Black Ducks and Wood Ducks around here. It was still there on the way home (in the exact same spot mind you) so later that afternoon the missus and I decided to go check it out. Turns out it was a Muscovy Duck. We decided to grab some bread and feed it because it didn't look very happy.

Today we went for a walk and it's still there. We fed it some more and while walking around the pond we noticed a large pet carrying box with obvious bird crap and white down inside. Turns out someone has dumped the poor duck there. I'd say that some shit faced individual can't look after it (how hard is a duck to care for though?) and has decided that it would be better dumping it rather then trying to find it a new home.

I'm in 2 minds on what to do.. I don't know if I should try to catch it and take it to the local RSPCA or if I should just leave it. There is no other ducks around at the moment so it can't really learn how to be wild.. and it wouldn't have the slightest idea on how to find food.

Anyway, I hope that the dickless person who dumped it gets what is coming to them. It really boils my blood when someone can't even look after an animal (be it dog, cat or duck). I feel sorry for their kids, if they can't feed a duck how the hell can they clothe and school their own kind.

[gopher]

just because it's there doesn't mean it was dumped.
it may have escaped from somewhere

feeding them bread is no good for them either unless you want to kill it

[greenfoam]

Just take it home! Ducks are a cool pet, or take it to someone that has ducks etc, however even ducks in a backyard know how to catch a snail

[Maxxiz]

just because it's there doesn't mean it was dumped.
it may have escaped from somewhere

feeding them bread is no good for them either unless you want to kill it

Yep, the Muscovy Duck got sick of its owner, packed up its sh*t into its pet carrier, flew away with it and decided to go sit next to a pond.

Seriously though, if you need to get rid of a pet for any reason, do it properly.. Sell it, give it away, take it to RSPCA FFS, they even have boxes outside there which you can put animals in overnight without even being seen!

[blackdoggg]

if it has been dumped, thats ****ed. i hate that. our cat we had we found as a kitten dumped in a box by the side of the road, 3 kittens, few weeks old too young to really have been left from their parent cat. About a month ago my cousin heard some noise from a bag in a park next to the bin. There was 2 ****ing kittens in a garbage bag by the bin! Makes me sick what some people do. Theres not much lower than things like that i feel, its not hard to get rid of them if you need to, but regardless dont do shit like that to a helpless baby animal.
(Note: Im no hippy, just animal cruelty is a low act.)
As for your question, either try to bring it to the rspca, or even at the least notify them of it. And besides if you do want a pet a quick google should help you, or just ask a pet store A decent pet store will know what too do, they are a common pet!
Regardless good luck man And good work on like actually goiing out of your way to help him. Even just with the feeding. Better than most people would do. (Y)

[Kikki]

It's horrible, poor duck! I would contact the local ranger/counsel and let them know, they can go and have a look, capture it and get onto adoption.

If it looks ok, not injured or stressed and is in a duck populated area I wouldn't worry too much, regardless of how "domesticated" an animal is (of any kind) their instinct eventually comes back, normally the hard way but they do at some stage realise someone isn't going to feed them everyday they have to DIY.

I suggest you not feed the duck bread, it is bad for them, get some chicken pellets which are pretty cheap also salad/vegetable scraps are all good too.

Good Luck!

[Tim Smtih]

just because it's there doesn't mean it was dumped.

Perhaps, but it would be a good idea to capture the animal and find a suitable home for it pronto. These ducks especially if they have come form a home as a pet are prone to predation by cats and dogs. I had a similar thing happen years ago. Whilst helping out at the local refuse tip (recycling whitegoods, metals etc) I saw a ute with a trailer pull up and a man dump some waste. All seemed normal until i wandered past and heard cheeping. The guy had come from a local hatchery and was dumping chicken and duck eggs. And there were many eggs that were hatching. We had chickens at home so we took them home to a clucky hen that raised them. We caught the same guy doing it again a couple of weeks later, we gave his details to the local RSPCA. Not sure what happened to him but we never saw him again.

[vicarious]

just went down to the animal welfare league this morning and donated a large amount of dog food & went out and had a look at the dogs & it brought tears to my eyes they were all so cute-if the space permitted me to take on another dog or more i would.

[System]

just went down to the animal welfare league this morning and donated a large amount of dog food & went out and had a look at the dogs & it brought tears to my eyes they were all so cute-if the space permitted me to take on another dog or more i would.

i feel the same, i stopped by the one nearby.... i was so keen to take them all home haha

[FusionX]

Catch the duck, fatten it up a bit and theres your Christmas dinner for next year.

[Dum*P*ster]

Just take it home! Ducks are a cool pet, or take it to someone that has ducks etc, however even ducks in a backyard know how to catch a snail

Dont you need a license to have a Duck as a pet? or does that only apply to rabbits

[greenfoam]

I don't know about QLD, far as I know you can't have a rabbit in QLD full stop at all ever, there's allways petitions to have that fixed. It's a pretty stupid law because a domestic rabbit has no chance at all to survive outside. But as for ducks you can have ducks in Victoria at least outside the city. But they might come under the same rule as chickens inside towns? even though they dont make noise like a chicken:P

[Acclaimed VS]

I don't know about QLD, far as I know you can't have a rabbit in QLD full stop at all ever, there's allways petitions to have that fixed. It's a pretty stupid law because a domestic rabbit has no chance at all to survive outside. But as for ducks you can have ducks in Victoria at least outside the city. But they might come under the same rule as chickens inside towns? even though they dont make noise like a chicken:P

How long has this law been in for because when I was at preschool we had a pet rabbit and it was still there when my brother went through which was about 10 years ago.

[greenfoam]

"For more than a century it's been illegal to keep rabbits as pets in Queensland"
"In the state of Queensland, a law was passed to ban all pet rabbits. Any person found with a pet rabbit is fined $30000 and the rabbit is confiscated "

For a long time it seems. If they find your pet rabbit they take it and kill it. Very Crude, it's one of the worst laws I've ever heard about because they make much better and more innocent pets than a cat or dog. I've got a pet dwarf lop and he can't even really be outside without being watched for every second because he is obvilous to any dangers in the world and has very little hearing. The chances of a rabbit like that living wild are almost zero

There's a petition here

Queensland rabbit fine Petition

[greenfoam]

This is a funy quote from a pet shop in QLD

"PAUL WESTAWAY, PET SHOP OWNER: People do come in and ask us for supplies for their rabbits. They normally say for a "long-haired guinea pig" and of course we've got to pretend we don't know what they're talking about. We estimate there's somewhere between 30 and 40,000 pet rabbits in Queensland."

[Maxxiz]

Anyone know why you cant have rabbits? You can in ACT :S

[Kikki]

Anyone know why you cant have rabbits? You can in ACT :S

I was wondering why too so I did a search and found...

Queensland is the only state to keep an area free of rabbits by maintaining a rabbit-proof fence and controlling rabbit populations in the area. Allowing rabbits to be kept within the area protected by the fence may endanger this rabbit-free status.

Keeping rabbits as pets and farm animals in other states can cause problems with biological control agents such as rabbit calicivirus disease which is used to control wild rabbits.

Rabbits are Australia's most destructive agricultural and environmental introduced animal pest, costing between $600 million and $1 billion annually. They cause severe land degradation and soil erosion and threaten the survival of many rare and endangered species of native wildlife. For this reason, keeping rabbits as pets is strongly opposed by many rural landholders and conservationists.

from Rabbits (Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries)

[greenfoam]

Yeah the farmers in QLD seem to have rabbit paranoia but really the abilty for most breeds of domestic rabbit to survive in the wild have been gone for a thousand years. Here in VIC you can get your rabbit immunised against calicivirus for about 30 bucks a year, Although as far as I can see the goverment is no longer releasing this into the wild. I have heard it caused unexpected problems to native wildlife but we will never know the true story with that I don't think

[Acclaimed VS]

"For more than a century it's been illegal to keep rabbits as pets in Queensland"
"In the state of Queensland, a law was passed to ban all pet rabbits. Any person found with a pet rabbit is fined $30000 and the rabbit is confiscated "

For a long time it seems. If they find your pet rabbit they take it and kill it. Very Crude, it's one of the worst laws I've ever heard about because they make much better and more innocent pets than a cat or dog. I've got a pet dwarf lop and he can't even really be outside without being watched for every second because he is obvilous to any dangers in the world and has very little hearing. The chances of a rabbit like that living wild are almost zero

There's a petition here

Queensland rabbit fine Petition

wow thats nuts never knew that. I can just imagine how devestated all of us preschoolers would have been if they'd given our beloved pet rabbit the chop.

I don't really see it being a problem so long as they make it os you have to desex them unless you are a certified breeder. However I can see why the government is worried about the rabbit, the last thing we want is another cane toad on our hands.

[greenfoam]

Albino wild rabbits never even live long enough to breed so I don't know how they think a domestic rabbit could, it's tropical madness at it's best . I read later on that there used to be an expection to the rule where kinders could have a pet rabbit for the kids and there's also and exception if you are a magician (someone that performs magic acts for the paying public). In that case you can have as many rabbits as you want in QLD. Although I'm sure pulling rabbits out of top hats by the ears would get you locked up in any sane state these days

[ryda921]

We used to have heaps of animals
this has happened twice to us one day i was leaving for school like 2 years ago and there was a box on the porch and i took it inside and opened it and there was a guinee pig in there i was wtf and another time a rabit was left in a box on our porch

[saber]

Well if any of you boys have watched season 2 of "The Wire", you should know that ducks make great drinking partners!!!

[Troy711]

Well Crackers (as we named him) is gone. I don't know where but I can only hope that he isn't dead.

[Garth]

i got a pet duck, his name is george, and he flys home every night, it's awesum.


ducks are the funniest animals.

[PaRaDoX]

that sucks troy, i guess all you can do is go back and see if he comes back.


i used to know someone that used to dump cats, it makes me sick to the core to think someone could do that. i've got a cat and sure shes a pain in the ass well most of the time. but shes only 1. i can't stand people that make a big commitment such as caring for an animal then just decide they dont want it anymore but don't give the animal over to proper carers..