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imp
2008-04-25 05:14 am UTC (link)

I think it looks pretty damn shopped, personally. But then again, I have no great knowledge of pixels.

People who like animals seem to be very good at wank. My mom joined a bunch of bird and reptile groups online in the last year, and she keeps getting in internet battles. Every little thing incites war, from "Keeping geese outdoors is cruelty!" to "Bearded Dragons need high quality calcium sand or you're abusing them!"

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pantyless_angel
2008-04-25 05:44 am UTC (link)

"Keeping geese outdoors is cruelty!"

My grand parents used to keep ducks in a chicken coop. They had been in there since they were purchased as ducklings. One day my dad decided to let all the chickens and ducks wander the yard while he cleaned out the coop. In the evening when the chickens had put them selves to bed Grandpa went to close the coop and discovered the duck hadn't returned. After searching they found all the ducks in the large stock tank they used to water the cows, dead. They had drowned, because they had never had a chance to swim before, and never built up the oils on the feathers that keep them from sinking.

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	imp 2008-04-25 10:28 am UTC (link)
	That's so terrible... Our two geese are kept in a sort of pen at night (a coyote attacked one once and nearly killed her, so we've got to lock them up before it gets dark), but they spend nearly all day splashing around in a baby pool in our yard. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	pantyless_angel 2008-04-25 05:04 pm UTC (link)
	I know, They never kept ducks again, and recently when we had to take in two small ducks, and keep them in the our coop (People don't seem to realise that duckings, and chicks are NOT good easter presents for children.) we made sure that they had a place to swim. They live on a property much better suited for domesticated water birds now. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

chibikaijuu
2008-04-25 08:07 pm UTC (link)

How old were they when they drowned? Ducks don't start producing oils until they're about full grown - ducklings can only float properly because mama duck oils their feathers by grooming herself, then them. Parentless ducklings can wade in shallow water to get them used to it, but they won't be able to swim properly until grown.

And that is todays What I Learned From Picture Books.

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pantyless_angel
2008-04-25 08:20 pm UTC (link)

Dad said they were fully grown. Apparently having acess to water is a big part of producing the oils needed to protect the feathers.
I've tried looking it up sevral times since learning the story but all I found that was even slightly similar was this:
http://www.rmpjc.org/more_deadducks

Fortunately it seems not many people dumb enough to keep water fowl away from water their entire lives.

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	rosehiptea 2008-04-25 09:36 am UTC (link)
	Now I'm picturing people keeping geese in their living room. Which is probably not what the person meant. But don't they live outdoors in nature? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

imp
2008-04-25 10:37 am UTC (link)

Actually, it is. I wouldn't know this if my mom wasn't a big goose person, but there are people who insist on keeping their geese inside, wearing these little goose-diapers. It's a cute idea, but there are a lot of people who swear by it and insist that you must to keep your large and tempermental bird inside your home, or else you're a terrible pet owner.

I can't see it ever working for us, since the geese would maul our pets (including our two tiny little defenseless dogs), terrorize me and my brother, and generally make a mess. In addition, I can't see them wanting to live inside. They spend all day swimming in their baby pools or poking at bugs on the ground!

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rosehiptea
2008-04-25 12:42 pm UTC (link)

Wow. OK! I learn something new every day.

I used to visit the park wth my daughter and there were geese there at the pond. Maybe wild geese aren't exactly like domesticated geese but I would not want those suckers in my house. They were charming but also big and mean and I'm not putting a diaper on a bird. And they seemed to enjoy being outside just fine; I doubt I could have lured them into a building if I wanted to.

I mean, if it's working for those people, it's their deal, but the idea that it's mean not to keep a really large bird indoors just doesn't make sense to me.

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	mael 2008-04-25 02:12 pm UTC (link)
	Are they high? Geese? Inside? That's cruel to the owner and the geese. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	schmoo999 2008-04-25 05:13 pm UTC (link)
	Holy Crap...I am trying to imagine a diaper on a goose. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	dante_the_mouse 2008-04-25 07:14 pm UTC (link)
	You can buy them online here! They also have a variety of bird clothes. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	schmoo999 2008-04-25 07:17 pm UTC (link)
	blinking I figure everyone can do and be whoever they want. I am not a big fan of birds as pets. I have my dog and cats. But I have to save I giggled like a schoolgirl at that website. Diapers for birds. Would have never have thunk it. lol (Reply to this)(Parent)

	aerobot 2008-04-25 05:30 pm UTC (link)
	... Who the HELL would want to constantly change smelly geese-poo diapers? I mean, I can understand if they MUST be indoors due to extreme weather (like those adorable little lambs earlier on Cute Overload), but regularly? Every day? I'd rather cook the damn thing. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	kookaburra 2008-04-26 07:05 pm UTC (link)
	I'm wondering what these people's reactions would be to those of us who do keep geese and ducks only for eating. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	chibikaijuu 2008-04-25 08:11 pm UTC (link)
	That's fucking crazy. They're GEESE. They are not indoor animals! They'll get a better diet if you let them supplement with things they find outside, they'll have more room, they'll be happier. You need to provide shelter, yes, and heated shelter if it gets really cold (but remember, they're geese. They are covered in goose down, FFS), but they are not indoor pets! (Reply to this)(Parent)

platedlizard
2008-04-26 04:07 am UTC (link)

Oh, ewww. I've cleaned up after geese (endangered geese, no less) and, um, their poop is not something I would want indoors, diaper or no.

Besides, the place I worked at used to keep them in a 'barn' (cement-floored covered building built for the purpose of housing the geese, not a livestock barn)and they used to have all sorts of health problems from it, bumblefoot and respiratory mainly. Outside in pens? Almost no health issues, and this was in an area with avian pox and avian malaria. Geese are grazers as well as swimmers, they need grass and water.

/soapbox

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	risha 2008-04-25 07:38 pm UTC (link)
	No, no, no! You can't keep bearded dragons on sand, they'll get impacted! They need carpet or wood chips! keeps dragon on playground sand - $5 from Lowe's for 50 pounds (Reply to this)(Parent)

	risha 2008-04-25 07:44 pm UTC (link)
	I forgot to mention this one guy on a bearded dragon mailing list I used to read. He insisted that keeping them in 90 gallon tanks such as the one I use were animal abuse. Everyone should be using a 6' by 6' by 8' cage like had made instead. (For those unfamiliar with the breed, my bearded dragon is about 18" long with the tail included.) (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	chibikaijuu 2008-04-25 08:12 pm UTC (link)
	... my friends had a beardy. He was not exactly gigantic. The don't need a frickin' dog run. (Not that that's big enough for a dog run, really, but still.) (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	risha 2008-04-25 09:10 pm UTC (link)
	In all fairness, they do need a lot of space to stay healthy... which is why I use a 90 gallon breeder tank. Yeah, he was a whacko. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	iwanttobeasleep 2008-04-26 10:13 pm UTC (link)
	I can understand the length. . .but WTF why that tall? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	risha 2008-04-26 10:41 pm UTC (link)
	We think of them as desert critters, but they're also native to grasslands and open woodlands in Australia. They're semi-arboreal, especially when young. In practice, they're perfectly happy with a moderately sized stick to sit on while basking. Also, see above re: whacko. (I really need to make a beardy icon.) (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	risha 2008-04-26 10:45 pm UTC (link)
	And, ugh. I just realized that the random-picture-from-Google that I linked to has a very large cricket on the front of the cage. It's large enough to kill or paralyze the juveniles in that cage if they try to eat it, or mutilate them while they sleep. I've complained before in pet stores when I've seen that, but there's always some idiot doing it again later. :( (Reply to this)(Parent)

	harukami 2008-04-27 07:45 am UTC (link)
	People who like animals seem to be very good at wank. Well, of course. Otherwise they wouldn't be entertaining Ceiling Cat very well. (Reply to this)(Parent)

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