Quacking up in Quarantine

During these hard times, people have their own ways of coping with the stay-at-home order. Many people are watching basically every show on Netflix, sleeping more, working out, playing video games, spending time with family, and going for walks. 

But there is one trend that is not so typical – getting a duck. Some teenagers are buying ducks at cheap prices and taking care of them during this quarantine. 

With nothing else to do, some teens felt they could be responsible and getting a pet duck would help give them structure during these odd times. These ducks are not the easiest to take care of; they require a bath every day, refills on their food and water throughout the day and their container needs to be cleaned daily. Despite the amount of time they require to be cared for, the ducks are extremely cute and some can be very fun to play with. 

Walled Lake Central Sophomore Hannah Ruffin states has two ducks. “One of the ducks is my bff,” she said; “he likes to mess with me a lot. I have one girl and she’s super cute, but really squirmy. And the other one is a boy, and he’s huge but super sweet.” 

With each duck having its own personality, it can make them super entertaining. TikTok and Instagram have widely influenced peoples’ decision to get ducks. Seeing videos and pictures of people playing with their ducks can make someone else want them, especially when they’re $5-$10. These ducks are sold at Tractor Supply Co.

MHS Sophomore Abbey Werner says the ducks can be very different.  “One of my ducks is really mean and dominant and one just runs around all day and then the other just kinda chills there,” she said.

These ducks are no easy task despite how easy it is to obtain them. The question is, is their cuteness worth it? Sophomore Naithan Smith believes so. “They’re a lot of work, but it pays off because of how cute they are,” he said.

One of the cutest things about buying your own ducks is that when you raise them, they see you as their mother and follow you around. Who doesn’t wanna be followed around by a bunch of cute baby ducks? The concept of ducks seems odd,but as teenagers we do some of the weirdest stuff just because we saw it on social media. On the list of weirdest trends on social media, getting a pet duck certainly is better than eating Tide Pods. 

If you are interested in buying a duck, it’s important you know how to take care of one.

According to Pet Assure, ducks are social animals and struggle to survive without companions, so people interested in owning a duck should always buy multiple ducklings. It’s important to know how to care for one as well. “Think about the animal’s needs, and how to give it the life it needs and deserves; not the life you want it to have,”Pet Assure states.

For more information on how to care for these cute animals, visit https://www.petassure.com/new-newsletters/keeping-and-caring-for-ducks-as-pets/