Duckies of the Non Rubber Variety

That's Elizabeth feeding the little guys. Aren't they so cute. We're trying to keep them kind of tame while nurturing their instincts enough so that they can eventually live outside and more or less forage and take care of themselves (while also laying eggs in a nest area I'm going to ask Kip to build).

We're also trying to keep them from being eaten (or played with to death) by Pippi the cat. I was worried she'd spend the whole day sitting outside their door like she used to when we moved in and we had mice that she would hunt patiently, waiting by the fridge or wherever for hours. But she doesn't so I'm relieved. But she is very very curious. And she is, after all, a cat.

Currently the ducks are living in a box in the bathroom basement, where we visit them often. This is a safe warm place for the little five (or so)-day-olds, but I worry they aren't getting enough interaction with us and that there they don't get used to hearing our ridiculously noisy voices. We might bring them up in their box and see how Pippi does with them.  And Emma, who I also worry about loving them to death. (She's into pushing things around right now. I can totally see her giving the whole brood a constant ride from room to room in their box. Hmmm.)

They are also quite stinky. Which I'd just as soon leave in the basement bathroom instead of, say, our living room.

But if you were that cute, you could be stinky too (not that you're not cute; I'm sure you are).

Ha, look at that little guy (girl?) with his (her?) bill wide open. The only problem with these--well, there are two problems--is that we have no idea who the males and females are and won't for a couple of months (well, I'm hoping to have an idea before then). And that they all look alike. There are three we can easily distinguish--darky, goldie, and pinkie (those are not their names, but one has darkish down on head and back, one has exceptionally golden down and one has a pink beak). The other three are a little tricky to distinguish. Kip has chosen the darky (who is also the smallest); Mark has chosen the goldie; Savannah has chosen the pinkie (I kind of wanted it, but figured I should be the adult and let my three-year-old have her hearts desire instead of duking it out, darn it all. I was kind of even hoping/worrying--yes you can do both--that Savannah and Elizabeth would both want the pinkie, so I'd have to say, 'since you're going to fight about it, that one's mommy's', but it didn't happen), and Elizabeth has chosen one who she claims has a pinkish orange beak, though I cannot really tell. I'[m hoping for more distinguishing features as we get to know them and as they grow. But maybe we'll have to paint their nails.