He also had his first dip in a little tub of warm water, today. I didn't let him stay in long, just enough to get a little clean and experience it. After the bath, we sat in my mother's room while he preened his fuzzy downy gosling feathers.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
June 02, 2010: "Field Trip"
As promised, I took some photos! :) Today, Alex took a couple of walks outside to nibble at grass and get some exercise in the sunlight. He was clearly VERY excited about the excursion! I would walk at a steady pace and he'd keep to my heels, only chirping merrily when we stopped to rest and peck the ground.
He also had his first dip in a little tub of warm water, today. I didn't let him stay in long, just enough to get a little clean and experience it. After the bath, we sat in my mother's room while he preened his fuzzy downy gosling feathers.
He also had his first dip in a little tub of warm water, today. I didn't let him stay in long, just enough to get a little clean and experience it. After the bath, we sat in my mother's room while he preened his fuzzy downy gosling feathers.
June 02, 2010: "Pogress"
It's been about a week since I last wrote about Alex and his adventures. Since my last update, he's grown a good bit and can almost reach the heat lamp if he stretches!
I've decided to stick to my guess that Alex is indeed male, as he was very light-colored when he was a day or two old. All this means for me is: No eggs. More aggressive tendencies when he's older. It also means I can consider a new name when he's grown, if he outgrows 'Alex'. ;)
He still loves 'Mama' and cries for me, but he isn't as dependent as he was the first couple of days, and will sit quietly alone in the 10g(in a corner where he can still see me) as long as I stay nearby and talk to him on occasion. This gives me more time for artwork, but he doesn't stay alone all day. At least a few hours a day of napping and cuddling, but that time is limited because he's pooping more. I wish I could get diapers for him, but I don't have the money nor could I convince my parents.
None of the other eggs mamagoose was setting on hatched. They were all bad, even the tiny duck egg, so Alex is and always will be a lone goose. I'm having doubts about putting him outside when he's old enough- I don't think he'd be happy alone and I know for sure that he won't be compatible with the other geese and ducks! He's "human", after all.
I will make another entry later today with pictures. I haven't been able to take any!
I've decided to stick to my guess that Alex is indeed male, as he was very light-colored when he was a day or two old. All this means for me is: No eggs. More aggressive tendencies when he's older. It also means I can consider a new name when he's grown, if he outgrows 'Alex'. ;)
He still loves 'Mama' and cries for me, but he isn't as dependent as he was the first couple of days, and will sit quietly alone in the 10g(in a corner where he can still see me) as long as I stay nearby and talk to him on occasion. This gives me more time for artwork, but he doesn't stay alone all day. At least a few hours a day of napping and cuddling, but that time is limited because he's pooping more. I wish I could get diapers for him, but I don't have the money nor could I convince my parents.
None of the other eggs mamagoose was setting on hatched. They were all bad, even the tiny duck egg, so Alex is and always will be a lone goose. I'm having doubts about putting him outside when he's old enough- I don't think he'd be happy alone and I know for sure that he won't be compatible with the other geese and ducks! He's "human", after all.
I will make another entry later today with pictures. I haven't been able to take any!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
May 27, 2010: "Morning"
Let's see.. I woke up at 7:15 A.M., meaning I got abooouuutt THREE hours of sleep(fell asleep around 5 a.m.) No idea why I woke up so early, unless I'm just aware that I have something small in my care. It's like not moving in your sleep when you know there's something small sharing your bed.
Today Alex should be getting better with those gangly legs. It'll have to if it expects to reach the food and water later today(you have to wait 24 hours before feeding them after hatching.)
I think we're developing a set of "rules" that this little one lives by. Rule #1?
Mom's Hand is always preferred over Warm Terrycloth.
Today Alex should be getting better with those gangly legs. It'll have to if it expects to reach the food and water later today(you have to wait 24 hours before feeding them after hatching.)
I think we're developing a set of "rules" that this little one lives by. Rule #1?
Mom's Hand is always preferred over Warm Terrycloth.
May 26, 2010: "Day 1"
Some stats before we begin:
- Name:Alex
- D.O.B.: Evening of 5-26-2010
- Species: Goose(gosling)
- Breed: Embden
- Gender: mystery
Mom had been expecting our mama-goose's eggs to hatch any day, now. I wasn't so sure about letting them hatch to begin with because of the way imprintingworks. Goslings imprinted on geese are rarely people-friendly and our current three adults are a right example. They tolerate us, maybe let mom touch them, but we are not welcome into their kinship. We are not geese.
Anyway, I was laying in my floor, relaxing with my rabbit when I thought I heard mom call for me outside. Like the bum I am, I didn't feel inclined to move until my sister came in and told me what was up: one of the young ones was hatching and the ducks(we have about a dozen) and ants were after it. I assume the ducks wanted the discarded shell, but you never know. I watched over mama-goose for a bit while Mom fed the dogs(we have 5 outside, basset hounds) and crept closer, hoping she'd stand up enough for me to see the baby's condition. Eventually, she did and once I saw that it was free from the shell, I snatched it right up!
If you've ever seen an angry mother, you'll know I had good reason to back off as quickly as possible! The gosling wasn't exactly soaked, but it certainly wasn't dry enough to have any sign of fuzz. I kept the babe in my palms and close to my breast for a good.. 2 hours, at least, moving in and out of the sun for warmth and stroking the new feathers to encourage fluff to poke through. While sitting on the porch, I dubbed it 'Alex'. This was the first unisex name I could come up with and you can't really tell easily with geese until they get their grown-up HONK and are old enough to start laying. I wasn't going to risk checking its cloaca.
Mom and dad prepped a warm box with a desk lamp and infrared bulb. A cushy layer of pine shavings covered with a folded clipping from a sheet(once used as cage bedding for my rats, all of which are deceased, now) makes a safe bed for a hatchling. It's folded in a way that Alex couldn't possibly move it or get under it with its current wobbliness.
This is Day 1 of what is soon to be an ongoing journal of Alex's growth, adventures, and development. I'll try to write an entry each time I update this. :) Here are some pictures and a video of my tumbly gosling:
