Just like when you bring a new human baby or a puppy into your home you will need to duckproof any areas that your duck will be welcome in, and set up gate in the doorways of areas that the duck is not welcome into. The difference with a duck, from a human baby or puppy, is that with a house duck this will be permanent settings. Your duck will not outgrow eating your plants, pulling on electrical cords, taking stuff off your coffee table. It will continue throughout the duck's lifetime.

Your days of owning plants that could be poisonous, should be over. Why take a chance on your duck's life? Ducks are active birds that are always busy and if they see dirt, are sure there is a worm within it. If your duck has the chance, it will get into your plants and eat them and dig in the soil. Please know if any plants or small trees you own have any tenancy to be poisonous to your HouseDuck.

When company comes you might not always want your duck in the middle of all the goings on. Your duck might get into women's purses, be sure to set those up in areas the duck can not reach them. Then too, are the stupid people who will want to tease your timid pet the duck. This is a time that the duck might need to go to it's crate/pen/cage. Your duck might feel safer there anyway. Your duck will be safer in it's crate/pen/cage if the visitors brought children. And be sure to let the children know, make sure their parents understand, the duck is not to be disturbed or teased. The children should not be around the crate/pen/cage without you there with them.

DUCKS LOVE WATER! Never leave a glass of liquids low enough (think coffee table, you might think you are safe there, but think again) that a ducks can get near it. I promise you that a duck, almost every single duck (or house goose) will Will WILL, stick their beaks/heads into the glass. What happens next.....mess, perhaps broken glass. And please! Do not blame the water fowl! Ducks and Geese love water, love it. They are drawn to it. They seek it at all times.

These adorable babies belong to an efriend, Alex. He owns several HouseDucks and HouseGeese.

Ashtrays and cigarette butts can look like fun toys to a HouseDuck. If you smoke, keep the ashtrays high and away from your duck. Remind smoking guests to keep their habits, lit and just smoked, higher then the duck can reach. And it is not funny to smoke wacky tobacky around your HouseDuck and blow smoke at it.

One mans trash just might be a Houseduck's paradise. Your duck has no idea that those items in that barrel thing, that looks like a big bowl to a duck, is stuff to be thrown away. To a duck, this looks like a big toy with food. The deeper it digs the more it finds. Every trash can in your home needs to have a lid or better yet be out of reach for a Houseduck.

Ahhhh, the Holidays....the fun and family, and food and gifts, and the dangers to your pets. Each Holiday can hold it's own problems, but every Holiday usually includes extra people your duck has never met, or has not seen in a very long time. People can be the worse danger in your ducks life. Watch your drunk uncle so that he does not indulge your duck. Keep an eye on children, all the children. And most people will not understand that they have to watch where they walk at all times because your duck might be underfoot. Then there are the folks that will want to feed your duck everything. All the Holiday foods, treats, bread, feed, feed, feed. And this is not good for your duck.

This photo is of Jen and Soprano. I am sure for visiting with Jen line that not only were the Holidays safe for her pet duck, but also fun.

Your duck will also need to be kept away from your Christmas Tree. The light wires will be very tempting to the duck as well as the tinsel, ornaments, roping as well as the tree itself. Your presents will be endanger of being opened and the duck will be in danger or the ribbon (eating it, staining, getting wrapped around it's feet) and the tape as well as the paper, and do not forget the items within.

This photo is of Alex's HouseDucks and HouseGeese, don't miss the little guys up on the mantle. Yes, they are live. Alex's life revolves around his animals. He too, like Jen, makes the Holidays special for his animals.

Valentine's Day has chocolate and Flowers and St. Pat's has beer. None of these are good for your duck. Be very careful with that plastic grass in an Easter Basket, your duck will want to eat it. Fourth of July is fun for most people, but for a duck, chaotic! Again, watch people at Bar-B-Ques as they move about and so that they do not feed your duck or overfeed your duck. When it is time for Fireworks, just put your duck in it's crate/bed/pen and turn on some music for it. Halloween can be quite frighting for your duck. Don't and don't let others scare your duck. It is not funny, cute or exceptable. And <rolls eyes> how many times does an Indoor Duck/Goose/Chicken owner have to be asked "Will you be serving (fill in your pet's name) for Thanksgiving Dinner?" and then they laugh...... yeah, so funny.

Any time you host a party, birthday or other, keep your duck safe. If putting it in a bedroom inside it's crate/bed/pen and shutting the door (locking it if you can) is what you need to do to keep your duck safe, do it. You can certainly put a fresh diaper on your duck and take it out to visit for a short time after everyone has eaten. Let the duck visit the party. But to have a good time at the party and keep an eye on your pet the entire time, just not possible.