‘HE’S THE BEST PET’

Canvas is launching a new column in the new year, ‘People and their pets.’ Here’s a taste of what’s to come: Daniel Young, with his muscovy duck, L.C.

Daniel Young on his muscovy duck, L.C.

Icall him L.C. It stands for Little Cutie. He’s a muscovy duck and he was a rescue. He was found alone, without any of his family and that’s how I ended up with him. He was found by a member of the SPCA. She was also somebody I knew and she knew I liked ducks. She said, “Would you like to look after a new yellow duckling?”

Of course I said, “Yes”.

I didn’t know what to call him. I thought about calling him Lemon but that didn’t quite suit, even though that was his colour. Eventually I thought, “Well, he is a little cutie.” Then it got shortened to L.C.

When he was a baby he was inside my house pretty much all of the time. I didn’t want to put him outside because we had other ducks and I thought he might get scared or not be taken in by the adult ducks.

So now he absolutely loves humans. I’ve taken him to meet other muscovy ducks but he doesn’t really care. He only likes humans.

He’s really smart. He knows his name is L.C. He’s got this crest on his head, we call it his “hair do” and when you talk to him it goes up, so you know he’s alert and listening.

You have to make sure ducks get the right nutrients like fresh food and lots of bugs to forage for on their own. L.C. picks up cockroaches and other insects.

One time he tried to eat one of those little black skinks but it ran away from him. Poor L.C. seemed quite disappointed. But if I cook scrambled eggs he gets some on his own plate.

He wears a duck diaper when he’s inside. It stops him from leaving poop everywhere. If he didn’t have it on he would just poop all through the house.

Our routine is that in the morning he goes outside foraging, later in the day I let him inside and he sits by me and get cuddles. When I’m sitting by my computer, he loves hanging out with me. If I leave him too long by himself he gets lonely.

I love L.C. He’s the best pet I’ve ever had — and I never thought that would be something I’d say about a duck.

I have a cat as well. One time she got too close and he pecked her right on her nose. She’s been wary of him ever since.

People joke that he’s for dinner but there’s no way that would happen.