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Post by andrip on Jan 27, 2011 12:57:53 GMT
I have a group of four females, two that I got just a couple of weeks ago and two that I got about 6-7 months ago (then 2 months old). The two I got this month I am certain are both pregnant, I weighed them both and found that they are about 250g and 240g (which is at least a 15g gain each since I got them) compared to the other two being 190g and 170g (Both looking quite puffy btw ). Today I found out from the pet shop that they are 8-9 months old, which should make them around the same age as their cagemates. Is there any way to predict for how long they've carried using that information? I'm thinking they might give birth in the next few weeks so I want to get everything ready. What precautions should I take? Also, is 170-190g abnormal for a 9 month old degu? The bigger one actually looks quite fat, but they're both kind of small compared to the others even considering they are pregnant. I'll put up a few pictures later today, I'm on my lunch break now.
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Post by w8152 on Jan 27, 2011 13:08:07 GMT
there is a 90 gestation period. its entirely possible they are just heavier than the other 2, 1 of my 4 weighs 240 and the rest around 200-210. he;s just a little pig is all
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Post by andrip on Jan 27, 2011 23:44:22 GMT
I guess I overlooked that nice little pinned thread you've got there. I was mainly concerned if the pups would be safe from the rest of the group, but I'm assuming/hoping it will be like with the fathers, that they will just help each other. So I'm right to assume that I just have to provide them with nesting material and a crib? Here are a few pictures: Group photo Preggers Her sister Preggers, different angle Sadly, I still haven't really found names for any of them.
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Post by potnoodle94 on Jan 28, 2011 10:08:13 GMT
Angel, Bubbles, Coda, and Dixie i think are good names, cute and not over the top
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Post by andrip on Jan 28, 2011 18:29:33 GMT
Yes, they were both caged with a male for at least a month. The guy who sold them to me mentioned that they might be pregnant when I was looking at them, then when he picked them up to hand them to me he said they definitely were. That's the main reason but since he said that we've been looking out for signals a lot and I've noticed that their tummies kind of move a little. It looks pretty much like breathing/heart beating but I don't notice it in the other two. I've also given their tummies a little rub and it does feel like there's something there. So I'm pretty sure. If they haven't given birth in a couple of months I'll definitely be a sad camper. Thanks for the advice and name suggestions, they're being taken into consideration.
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Post by andrip on Feb 1, 2011 16:50:09 GMT
Poor thing has gained 30 grams since I last weighed her out and is now at a wopping 280 grams! Nipples have/are appearing and I can actually see the pups move inside her now! Compared to my favourite little fattie, she's gone through quite a lot. Got electrocuted when she bit through my television's power cable and didn't eat for a few days since her mouth was burnt (her fur too) but then slowly started eating. Got me really worried so I'm really glad she's still alive.
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Post by andrip on Feb 3, 2011 0:44:58 GMT
Wow, thanks! I feel really prepared now. It's a wooden/plexi cage so they're not escaping. I have a little hamster cage in there along with a hut and I'm hoping they'll give birth in either of those and they actually seem to be nesting in both. Are there any particular sounds I should be looking out for? Do you know what position they usually give birth in?
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Post by andrip on Feb 3, 2011 13:05:16 GMT
OK, I guess I'll just have to be on the lookout for any unusual activity. I'd really like to see them give birth, at least one of them. Their cage only gets light from the front since it's wooden and it's dark almost all day this part of year where I live, so it's usually quite dark in there unless I turn on the light on the cage. But are you saying that you think they're more likely to give birth if they believe it's nighttime or even when I'm not in the room? If it's "privacy" they prefer then I may put something there but if it's just for the light and heat then I believe it's not really necessary for them.
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Post by andrip on Feb 4, 2011 16:48:15 GMT
Thanks again. I just got home and interfered with her giving birth I'm guessing as there were only three pups when I changed the bedding in their hut but a bit later there was some goo and a fourth pup. Is it normal that she doesn't let Nancy help her? I saw that she (Nancy) had been helping her clean them since she had blood all over her face but now when she comes close to the hut the mom jumps out and scares her away? She seems to be the only one bothering with the pups except for the mom, the others have slept pretty much since I got home. All look very healthy, though with a bit less fur than I had imagined.
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Post by andrip on Feb 4, 2011 19:29:55 GMT
She seems to be getting more relaxed with this now and allows all of them to come close to the pups at least. Nancy is one of the goos I had before I got the pregnant couple and the two of them get into little fights a lot more than any of the others. They have a wheel, only one at the moment though , so they get lots of exercise and peanuts. Pups have already started walking around a little and couldn't be more adorable
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Post by Kins on Feb 5, 2011 8:45:47 GMT
We need pictures of the pups...please?!
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Post by andrip on Feb 5, 2011 15:23:35 GMT
As this is your first litter, expect to be awwed a lot by the things they do. From the talking to the playing together, even the getting in the wheel and having a run when the girls let them, and also the first drink from the water bottle...they are all among the great moments you're going to experience over the next month or so. The best one is the popcorning (where they literally pop upwards in the air when playing), it's a sign of major excitement and it is uber-cute. There are also many things you can't experience in pictures or even in videos sometimes, and you're going to experience them...I'd say I'm jealous, but I've been there twice and the second time wasn't anything like the first. Did something go wrong in your second litter? Anyway, this has been totally awesome. Pups have started to walk a bit more and would definitely go out of their little house if they could lol As promised here are a few pictures, I'm not really comfortable taking them away from her as she seems to be quite protective of them still, but she does let me take them. I think I'll wait a day or two before I start picking them up more.
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Post by nickymills30 on Feb 5, 2011 15:42:12 GMT
omg! so pleased all went well, and what fab pics!!!
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Post by Kins on Feb 5, 2011 15:50:53 GMT
Aww, they are adorable! Thanks for sharing the piccies!
Do you think they might perhaps have been born a little early? Like you say, they don't seem to have as much fur as others I've seen on here. They certainly look like they are all healthy though.
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Post by andrip on Feb 5, 2011 17:39:18 GMT
Thank you, I'm happy to say that all the pups seem very healthy and walk/climb around and even sleep in our hands. Sadly the two pairs still seem to be having disputes though, which are starting to get little (very little) bloody and I don't really have a sufficient spare cage to split them up. Could this be because of smells? Both the mom has some blood on herstill and I'm having a hard time cleaning it off since it's so close to her eye. Nancy also still has a bit on her and I was wondering if that might have something to do with it. Also, Nancy's sister who has always been really peaceful just got into a fight with mommy and has a little nick on her face. I couldn't find anything to split up my current cage at the moment and was really hoping I didn't have to. Do you have any suggestions? At first I thought taking the pups away for a bit would help getting her mind of them and maybe have her interacting with the others a bit more but the last time I did that it just ended up in a minor fight. EDIT: I don't know, do you think so? Could be possible, but if they were I'm sure it's not going to be a problem as they seem really healthy and were opening their eyes and standing up within hours of birth.
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Post by Jaiye on Feb 5, 2011 18:10:51 GMT
They are just adorable ^_______^ Hope everything goes well and they stop misbehaving soon!
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ejay
Warbling Degu
Posts: 36
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Post by ejay on Feb 5, 2011 21:29:32 GMT
Aww they are so cute. Glad they are well and hope tension within the others settles soon. Thanks for sharing pics.
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Post by andrip on Feb 5, 2011 21:31:03 GMT
lol I see, that's good to hear. Anyway, I guess I'll just have to give them time. Moms and pups seem to have declared the bottom floor of the cage as theirs while my other pair has to settle for the rest of the cage. Usually resulting in minor disputes when borders are crossed... Will post an update with pictures once the second litter is here, shouldn't be more than a couple of weeks.
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Post by andrip on Feb 7, 2011 22:58:03 GMT
Things have gotten quite hectic... I was forced to split up the cage since the fights got really serious and mommy has a pretty bad scratch on her face and an eye infection. The rest seem to have gotten away with just losing fur. At first it was Nancy and the mom going at it almost non-stop, then they seemed to have calmed down when the other starts flipping out just seeing mommy. They seem to be the ones who fight the most right now but it's pretty unpredictable, I've also seen the other pregnant degu fight with both of the other pair. Like I said, I split up the cage so both pairs get similar space and the hamster cage I had in there is pretty much what separates the pairs. Even now, every now and then when mommy leaves the pups and goes into the hamster cage where she'll see the other pair they'll try to fight (of course they can't since the cage bars are between them). Sometimes it looks like mommy is protecting her part of the cage because of the pups but sometimes it looks like she's the one trying to be nice and talk and the other's will flip out and start trying to fight. The way things are now there's pretty much no way for them to do any damage to each other but I'm kind of worried of how things will go. I was planning on switching the pairs regularly and hope that will help. Would letting nancy and her sister (who hasn't even seen the pups as far as I know) meet with the pups alone be a bad idea? Also, I read that they could be really agitated their first mating season, couldn't that affect the situation? EDIT: They also peed a lot on mommy after she gave birth and her fur is dirty. When I cleaned her eye infection (which is getting better) I thought of cleaning it since maybe this could have something to do with scents but it didn't really go well and I wasn't comfortable with getting her all wet. I know that I could clean her up if I knew it was OK and not useless to do. Could someone please verify and tell me if it would help? Sorry if my posts aren't well written/easily read, English isn't my first language.
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Post by andrip on Feb 8, 2011 17:22:13 GMT
No one? Some good news too though, after I picked the pups up yesterday and put them down (but not in their hut like usually) they won't stop jumping out of their hut and explore what they can. Should be really fun watching them grow from now.
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