What product/s do I use to wash my duck?

by **desire07727** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 3:25 pm

I give my duck a bath once a week without soap just water and she smells bad--she is an inside duck--I keep her in the house everyday and take her on car rides. I am afraid to use shampoo on her--any advice--thanks in advance.

by **critters** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 3:50 pm

Hmm. I know they use Dawn on wild ducks and birds caught in oil spills, but I don't know how well it'd work longer-term?

You could try asking at http://www.wildlifecenter.org/ .

When I was in high school, we had Splish and Splash. Splash would get "swampy" in the winter, but letting him run amok in the bathtub, in plain water, for awhile took care of it. :shower:

by **Inmemoryofsebastian** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 5:11 am

desire07727 wrote:I give my duck a bath once a week without soap just water and she smells bad--she is an inside duck--I keep her in the house everyday and take her on car rides. I am afraid to use shampoo on her--any advice--thanks in advance.

Hi, please don't use any kind of soap or liquid detergent on your duck when you bath him, he needs more baths then once a week he should be getting a bath everyday that should stop the smell, I gave my duck a bath everyday and she didn't have any odor, ducks also need to blow out there nose in the water it cleans it out so giving a bath everyday would be good, any advice you need don't hesitate to ask, my story about my handicapped duck Sebastian is posted on this web site, she just recently passed away after 12 in a half years.....Sharon

by **Billieswango** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:55 am

DAWN!!!! use it. it works great and its safe for their delicate skin. give him a bath once a week and the smell should dissipate in a few weeks.

by **Inmemoryofsebastian** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 7:00 pm

Billieswango wrote:DAWN!!!! use it. it works great and its safe for their delicate skin. give him a bath once a week and the smell should dissipate in a few weeks.

Hi I just like to say that washing a duck with dawn is not good at all you wash all the oils off the duck that they needs to protect there feathers and needed for waterproofing...a warm plain bath is just as good given often and there should be no odor.......Sharon

by **Billieswango** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 7:23 pm

Any kind or soap or shampoo will wash the oils off of feathers. But didnt you say he's and indoor duckie? its not bad to use a cleanser to get him to smell nice and fresh - of course you just dont want to use it all the time (just like people who wash their dogs every day end up with skin problems on their pooches). the oils on his skin and feathers will replenish themselves naturally. I've had to wash ducks with dawn for weeks at a time and have yet to see any problems. The vet i work for recommends dawn and he said that if you arent comfortable using that, Johnson and Johnson's baby shampoo works well too. good luck with your stinky duck!

by **LisainCAN** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 7:49 pm

Billieswango wrote:I've had to wash ducks with dawn for weeks at a time and have yet to see any problems.

As the owner of a Muscovy, I myself have realized that not many vets are specialized in avian care, even large animal vets who would be more likely to see a chicken or a duck. I wonder, Billieswango, if you are referring above to washing wild ducks that have been victims of environmental disasters? That is a noble and worthy thing but it is far different than caring for a companion duck. I think that the conditions of being kept in a home are not ideal for the oils to be replenished naturally if they are washed off with Dawn. A house is warm and dry. I think that Sharon's advice is excellent and she kept a companion duck, inside her home, for 12 years!! Experience is a wonderful teacher, and you have been most generous with yours on many threads, but I think I would defer to Sharon on this one.

by **CarolC** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 9:14 pm

I would trust anything Sharon says about caring for a handicapped duck. Her record speaks for itself. Here is the story of Sebastian, for anyone who hasn't seen it.

http://www.handicappedpets.com/sebastian/index.html

by **Inmemoryofsebastian** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 8:35 am

LisainCAN wrote:
Billieswango wrote:I've had to wash ducks with dawn for weeks at a time and have yet to see any problems.

As the owner of a Muscovy, I myself have realized that not many vets are specialized in avian care, even large animal vets who would be more likely to see a chicken or a duck. I wonder, Billieswango, if you are referring above to washing wild ducks that have been victims of environmental disasters? That is a noble and worthy thing but it is far different than caring for a companion duck. I think that the conditions of being kept in a home are not ideal for the oils to be replenished naturally if they are washed off with Dawn. A house is warm and dry. I think that Sharon's advice is excellent and she kept a companion duck, inside her home, for 12 years!! Experience is a wonderful teacher, and you have been most generous with yours on many threads, but I think I would defer to Sharon on this one.

Thank you for backing up my story since companion ducks should never be washed with dawn or any shampoo they don't need it, a simple plain water bath with take care of it along with there own preening....using dawn on ducks that have been covered in oil from enviromental disasters are a different story they were cleaned off to save there lives not make them smell pretty and they were cleaned off by professional people who know what they are doing.....Sharon

by **Bendy Kitty** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:19 am

often my vet has deferred to mom's opinion on our care simply because she is the one wtih the experience of day in, day out, regular care. mom laughs at her. they make a good team, i think, but you learn a lot jsut from caring for the same critter all the time.
our favorite vet still can't express Mimosa, but mom can do it in her sleep. and this vet CAN express other animals, so it isn't like she is expressing-impaired.
our second favorite vet once called mom and asked her "what is that mixture you feed to your sick kittens that works so well? I have a really sick kitten here who needs more than just antibiotics"

there is a big difference between day to day long term care knowlege and in the office taking care of a crisis or diagnosing a problem knowlege. i think we can compliment each other most of the time, one big issue with many vets is realizing that we aren' t challenging them per se, just looking for options adn wanting them to listen to what we know works.

so, if we ever get a duck or bird or anything, we'll be looking to Sebatian's mom for advice!

bendy

by **critters** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 1:41 pm

Bendy Kitty wrote: one big issue with many vets is realizing that we aren' t challenging them per se, just looking for options adn wanting them to listen to what we know works.

bendy

That's like when Buddy was alive Dr. C kept insisting that Bethanecol COULDN'T be making him harder to express, and I insisted it did. So, she took him home one weekend, and on the way she stopped by Wally for a refill. She tried it again over the weekend and was agreeing with me by Monday!! :mrgreen:

by **LisainCAN** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 7:54 pm

Hi there,

I came across this product when I was doing a search for something else. I imagine you can use it on ducks too. McMurray is a very reputable hatchery down in the US. It also solidifies the argument about not using dish detergent!

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product ... ampoo.html