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Week 1|Week 2|Week 3|Week 4
Day 15 November 1, 2005 The side protection to keep their heads from getting caught in the cage was removed today. They seem to appreciate the better view. 
Did somebody say "Double Trouble?" Here's a perfect example of what I was talking about last week. Double Trouble has his head up while the baby girl is doing the limbo.  Day 16 November 2, 2005 The ducks are really beginning to enjoy their outdoor pool. They both swam underwater for the first time and were reluctant to get out when it was time to dry off.  
We love splashing and swimming underwater  
After my swim it's time for me to dry off They are grooming alot more and their feathers are not waterproof yet, but in the past few days they've begun to resist the water. Today was the first day we started giving them pellets. We mixed them in with the starter food, and before the day was done their poop was already a much better consistency. It shouldn't be too watery or too hard. Sorry, no pictures this time! Day 17 November 3, 2005 Check out how much better they are repelling water, even in just one day! They seemed to grow alot yesterday, I think the new food may be better for them than the starter food at this stage. They even seem calmer. 
I'm a super groomer Today the baby girl quacked!!! A tiny little Quack sound came out, and when I tried to mimic her, she did it again. Sure enough, the girl is the one we've thought all along. I'm kind of relieved since we're tying to get Double Trouble to recognize his name. Sometimes he does, and sometimes he doesn't. Day 18 November 4, 2005 It seems like they grew another few inches overnight again. Their features are starting to mature and their beak color has steadily grown more peach colored. Notice the beginning of tiny feathers forming. 
We are sooooo beautiful They are surprisingly calm and quiet until someone comes near their cage, then it's PLAYTIME and they get very excited because they know something is going to happen. Ducks appreciate routines, and can actually be trained to follow one. This is a great age to get them started on learning what to expect every day. Notice that the corner of the cage where the brooder light is has towels sheltering it, but only that one corner and the top (for shade) until dusk. Then the rest of their cage except the side where their food is will be covered. Despite their larger size, they still don't have feathers, which will keep them waterproofed and insulated from cold. Day 19 November 5, 2005 Double Trouble is not actually a duck, rather a ham! Here he is on the last day before we have to get a bigger enclosure for them. 
This is definitely my good side Here's a good example of the Duck Cam, where we have the brooder light located, the duck house they'll be living in soon, and how gosh darn big that duck has gotten! Day 20 November 6, 2005 Wow, we found the perfect solution at Petco, an exercise pen for a dog, only this is perfect for our ducks! It was about $80.00, and we already had a reinforced screen door we weren't using for the top and some nice plywood for shade. We've put it close to our home because Killer alerts us about raccoons and other predators. Normally I'd advise a bottom that a predator can't dig under, but we're very aware of our environment and confident we'll thwart any danger before it becomes a problem. 
We love our new enclosure, thank you Mom and Dad! 
Did you say food is on the way? 
I am so tall, I AM the MAN! 
Think there's worms down there? Day 21 November 7, 2005 Their first night in their new enclosure went very well. They are in the water alot now, and getting used to the idea of not being in a confined cage. Their food is next to the water so they can eat and rinse it down easily. Their feathers are just beginning to pop in. The personalities are also becoming alot more distinct. We can tell the difference between the girl and Double Trouble easily by their beak color and size. The girl is larger right now, funny enough, and her beak is peach colored. Double Trouble has a rosier colored beak. She has calmed down considerably and loves to be snuggled! Well, most of the time... 
Whaaaaaat do you waaaaaaant? Can you even believe it's the end of their third week? Time is flying by so fast, in just a couple weeks they'll be in their pond environment full time. 
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