It could be just plain old dust getting into his nasal passages...does he have any other symptoms? Any discharge from his nostrils (nare) or eyes? Is he listless, sitting fluffed up? Is he eating, drinking and perky and otherwise carrying on normally? Are his poops normal?

I'm not a duck expert but your housing and feeding routine sound fine. There are over the counter bird antibiotics such as Ornacyn that you can get in any pet store, but I have no idea if they are safe for ducks, you need to find out if they are first. You might try calling a vet for more info there. You can also search the Internet for 'duck respiratory problems'.

Good luck!

Velvet

Thanks Velvet. He has none of the symptoms you've listed. Except, now that you mention it his poops seemed "watery" to me this a.m. He's just a happy, perky, optimistic baby and he's thrilled now that he's found his wings!

I will check the Internet and see what I can find. I know about the OTC antibiotics for chickens and cage birds. I'll check that out too. I really had forgotten about them since I haven't had to use them for so long.

He does have a wading pool that has water deep enough to clean his entire head. He goes tearing around in that thing like some kind of nut case. I have to laugh every time I see it.

I'll go spend my second duck hour with them and see how things look and go from there. I'll also check back here for any additional info off and on through the day,

Thanks so much for your reply. :)

Do I ever feel silly. Mr. Flappers is fine. You must have been right, Velvet. After his morning crazy time in the pool there's been no more 'sneezing' at all. He and Mr. Flappers have had 3 pool adventures total today and I am soaked from the last one. Guess I'll go take a shower and give myself a talking to about hysteria! This one thing I have learned today: I will ALWAYS keep a loaded emergency kit on hand. Just in case it's the real thing. :)
I watch these two ducks in that shallow water and I just can't seem to figure out how they can flatten themselves enough to get almost covered by the water. I know it's a duck thing. It's fascinating.
Thanks for your help. :)

Yay, a happy ending! :)

Still, keep an eye on him, just the same...!

We had a crazy duck once that just loved her little wadding pool. One time as I was watching her enjoy-and I do mean ENJOY her first bath after a long cold winter, she was so excited and bathing so enthusiasticly, she must have thought for a moment that she was out on the pond and went to dive.....but ended up doing a summersault instead! I laughed for days thinking about her antics. She had such personality. Enjoy your ducks. They are great fun. PS Duck poops are normally runny or watery and often very smelly. And they love to poop in their water. Ducks are very messy.

sumac You are so right. They do love to poop in the water. And they are messy, but them so am I, just not in that particular way! :) Flippers has summersaulted too. It's so funny.

If the duck is fully feathered then you don't need to provide any additional heat (except in winter for very cold areas). 65 degrees F. is not cold for a duck. A one month old duck can easily handle 65 degrees. You don't need to protect it from drafts anymore either. I'd be more concerned about the heat since waterfowl do better in cool weather. Make sure they have access to shade and never leave them without water. A friend of mine recently lost her goose on a hot day because he tipped over his water pail.

Your duck is likely healthy since its so active and well cared for. You probably don't need to disinfect their water containers that often unless there are signs of disease in their environment--ducks are quite hardy compared to chickens. One thing to watch out for is mold though--don't let them have moldy food or straw. Also keep in mind that many antibiotics that are safe for chickens are not safe for waterfowl so you would need to do some research. I've occassionally used grapefruit seed extract (GSE)without any problems. Its always better to start a treatment earlier in an illness rather than later.

Glad to hear Mr. Flippers is OK. It could be the extreme temp change between afternoon and nighttime (+ or - 35 degrees. I know when I walk out of a cold airconditioned building into the hot outdoors, I sneeze even though out there the temp change is a slower transition. I also agree that it could be a dust thing as well. Sounds like he washed whatever it was out.
Belinda

Mr. Flippers is doing just great. I only have 2 ducks. Mr. Flippers, the mallard and Mr. Flappers, the Blue Swedish. Mr. Flappers is mostly still downy even though he is much larger. He's still a baby and needs the warmth. Mr. Flippers moves away from the light which is far enough away that it won't make him too warm. The desert day and night temps can swing wildly from very hot to uncomfortably cold at night. I wear my wooly socks all summer--at night. So. So far so good. :) Thanks for the great advice.

Hi i was reading the above and just wanted to ask, I recently bought two duckings, after taking them home one of them started to sneeze alot, sometimes having small sneezing fits, the symptoms are, sneezing, a runny nose, it seems alittle weaker then the other duck, where as the other will get up and run, this one; although it can run normaly chooses to sit and push with its feet, I'm really worried about it, I just wanted to ask if this a common thing in ducks and will it get over it, if not what should I do? Is there an over the counter medication I can buy possibly? I've rung a few vets, but my money is limited and thats the first thing they seem to ask.... so much for animal care...