Another newbie :)

[kazzay]

Hi guys and girls
Thats right! You have another new Degu lover!

I'm Kayleigh, from Edinburgh in (not so) sunny Scotland! Nice to meet you all!

Its great to see that so many people own and love these adorable little creatures!
I've only had my wee ones for a week, and I am learning alot from reading through various sites and this awesome forum!

I have 2 males, called Bubbles and Omar (named after characters from The Wire) which I got from Pets at Home. I'd had my eye on them for a few weeks, had been researching them on the web, and when payday came I just couldn't resist!

I was told that they are only 3 months old however I think they look pretty big for that age! (Maybe they just grow really fast!?) And have yet to verify that they are definately boys, I cant really get a close look at them cause they're not used to me yet, but from quick glances at their tummies while climbing up the side of the cage, they both look male!

I have to say they must be the utmost cutest pets I have ever owned (or will own!), and will probably get more in the future!
See you guys & gals about x

Omar & Bubz

[smux]

Not sure how you're telling if they're male but if you're going by their genitalia you might want to research sexing a little bit more as the males and females look very similar down there. However, you're safe even if one of them is female as they won't become sexually active until about 6 months...and you will KNOW when they're sexually active, trust me...you'll probably be able to use it to work out how old they are as if P@H are right it'll happen in about 3 month's time.

Use the time to gain the trust of the little rugrats...sit by the cage and talk to them, offer them treats through the mesh, maybe even put your hand in with some porridge oats on and offer it to them (whatever they do, don't move your hand, unless they bite of course...trust works best if they learn not to be scared of your hand so if they climb onto it then let them get on and off as they want...a few days later you'll be able to take them out of the cage :-))

There's lots of guides here, on degutopia and all over the internet...feel free to ask any questions no matter HOW stupid you think it might be, we'd rather you asked and got an answer than you risking their wellbeing :-)

BTW, the one on the bottom of the cage...is that a white dot in his eye or is it just a reflection? If it's a white dot, it's known as a cataract, and at his age it'll be congenital...it's a sign of inbreeding and it isn't too much to worry about, many degus suffer from it because of a poor gene pool, but just be aware his sight won't be 20:20 :-P

[deguconvert]

Hello, Kayleigh! Welcome to the forum! You are brand spanking new to degus, and it sounds like you have been very diligent in your research. Sexing degus is fairly straight forward once you know what to look for . . . but if you depend on the "usual" appearance of genitalia it just doesn't work with degus. Both male and female have what is called the urethral cone, which for all intents and purposes looks exactly like one distinguished part of male genitals. Rather it is the distance from urethral cone to anus that is what actually indicates gender in degus. Here is a link to a thread on this forum deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talk&action=display&thread=3145 which will give you a good idea of what you are looking for. Degutopia also has good pictures to help with this question. For your sake, getting them to climb the side of the cage, going after a tastey treat, will help you get a view of the posterior region. Tastey treats that degus generally do almost anything for are things like sunny seeds, porridge oats, rose petals, pumpkin seeds, walnut broken into tiny bits. Just find out which one really gets them excited and then use it. These also work great for training purposes.

Have fun with your goos!

[emz]

Hello and welcome!

That wheel won't last long once they get larger lol. I use to use one and my two cause the spindle to ware in the middle around the bolt and it use to shake about haha. Degus go through plastic wheels like wild fire! You may find as they get a bit bigger and more use to the surroundings that you may want to expand your cage. I have given them new cages twice now since their starter cage, which as a JH version of the P@H cages.

Glad to see you're enjoying your goos. That eye just looks like a reflection as it is in the other degu also in the image with the same position and strength so I assume it is just a window. Do make sure to do the occasional "health check day" - I like to check the bottom of their feet, their eyes and their teeth colour. Yours will probably be too young but once they're older they should be a dark orange and this is a sign that they're healthy. If they get bald patches as long as the skin isn't weeping or flaky it is no worry about as that will be over grooming or alopecia, which can happen with degus. The fur does grow back.

As long as you give them a diet low in sugar, you shouldn't have an issue. Though some cataracts is genetic like smux said and this is nothing to worry about though I think you then have to be more stringent on that degus treat giving for their own sake (more hay and less treats/pellets.)

Looking forward to some more piccies of your fellas.

[kazzay]

Thanks folks for the warm welcome I haven't often got the chance to get online this week, so thats why I've taken forever to reply!

I've managed to get a good look at the wee guys, and they are definately male
They're both healthy little cuteys, their eyes are very bright and shiney (my camera was just a bit out of focus, so noting to worry about!), lovely orange teeth! and also a nice soft shiny coat
They're also getting brave, they accept my hand coming in and out of the cage and now they will often try to clamber over my hands/arms to get out and have a run around!

If I have any questions that need answering, I will be sure to come here first!

[DegutasticJen]

Hello, havent seen this thread untill today.

Hope you have as much fun as we all have with our degus they are definately very special lil creatures which have taken a hold of my heart :-)