Many of us know ducks to be quite gentle birds, this is one of the reasons why many people choose to take ducks as pets, but what if the bird starts to not act so gentle?
This article looks into why your ducks may be biting your feet.
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Why do ducks bite your feet?
Any pet that you raise can start to develop behavioral, issues not just ducks. Your different pets will have behavioral issues for different reasons.
Here is why your ducks may be biting your feet:
It wants to be cuddled:
Ducks can’t communicate with humans by talking so they will communicate with us in any way that they can.
Communication from ducks includes making vocalizations and through body language like biting.
If your bird plays with your feet by pecking at them or even goes as far as to bite them then the bird may simply want to be cuddled.
What to do:
This is not something to be concerned about, infact, you should be happy that your bird wants to spend time with you and wants to be so near to you that it wants you to cuddle it.
You can cuddle the bird until the bird is satisfied. If you put the bird down and it is not satisfied then your duck will let you know.
If you want to stop your duck from biting your feet then do not give the bird any attention when it does this, infact, you can move the bird away from you when it does this.
Moving the bird away from you will let the bird know that this behavior will not result in it getting any attention.
It wants to show its dominance:
Ducks have a social hierarchy system called the pecking order where the more dominant ducks are at the top and the less dominant ducks are at the bottom.
If the bird sees you as being a part of its flock and is biting your feet then the bird likely sees you as lower than him.
Ducks will show their dominance over other ducks by biting their necks, pecking each other, and hitting other ducks with their beaks.
If your duck is biting your feet, then the bird likely thinks you’re below him on the pecking order and is trying to show its dominance.
What to do:
If this is what is going on with your bird then you’d have to show your dominance over the bird, this will keep it from attacking you.
You can stop him from attacking your feet by blocking his attacks using a stick, a broom a bucket, or anything else that can create a barrier between you and him.
You can also show him who’s boss by pinning the bird down, and holding him there, to show him that you’re stronger than him. Also, flatten his neck and head to the ground then let go after a few minutes.
Note:
Duck bites aren’t always gentle and harmless, these bites can sometimes be quite painful and your foot may need some medical attention after being bitten.
If you become injured as a result of the duck bite then you can run some water over your foot and apply a disinfectant on your foot just in case.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Do Ducks Hide Their Babies?, Egg Broke Inside Of Duck, How To Communicate With Ducks, How To Play With Baby Ducks, Duckling Keeps Getting Stuck On Back, Why Does My Duck Jump On Me, How Does A Mother Duck Take Care Of Her Ducklings, Chick Sitting Back On Legs, Why Does My Duck Lay Flat?