Woman Buys Balut Egg And Decides To Hatch The Duckling That’s Now Her Pet

Balut eggs are fertilized bird embryos (usually ducks) that are often boiled and sold as a delicacy. It originated from and is commonly sold as street food in the Philippines, and has gained popularity in Southeast Asian countries, such as Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. However, one woman had a totally different thing in mind when she purchased a balut egg.

Malaysians are known for having conventional pets, but Erica Lim from Kuala Lumpur owns one of the unique ones. Although having a duck for a pet is already shocking, the story of how she got her best pal made their story even more interesting.

You see, Erika didn’t find her pet at a local pet shop — she got it from a restaurant!

The 39-year-old bought an uncooked fertilized egg used for balut from a Vietnamese restaurant in the town of Puchong two years ago. This restaurant specialized in selling Balut, a controversial Filipino snack, made of a fertilized duck embryo that is eaten alive from within the shell.

Erika heard that inside a balut egg is a partially developed duck. To know if it’s true, she decided to buy one and brought it home to hatch.

Erika built a makeshift incubator for the egg, which hatched two weeks later. Erika named the little duckling Bitbit.

From a tiny ball of yellow fluff that sat in the palm of her hand, Bibit soon grew to become a loyal friend covered in soft feathers.

Erika said:

“Ducks make wonderful companions. My Bibit is charming and attentive. I hope more people realize how much fun it is to have a duck as a pet.”

Unsurprisingly, Bibit loves water and often sneaks into the bathroom to splash around in the tub. Bibit also likes to watch TV with Erika.

Since Bibit lays an egg every 25 hours, Erika has a lot of egg supply that she shares with her family and friends.