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Post by Jus on Apr 18, 2012 16:14:50 GMT
As it is not strictly an introduction anymore, thought I should have a new thread for my ongoing blog. Good news is, my three babies are now all happily living together AND on a 50/50 natural diet. Cage extension project hasn't taken off yet but my last two ventures are going well.
Unfortunately had a heartbreaking moment yesterday. A friend of mine adopted two degus a couple of weeks ago in London, moved them up to Newcastle for her housemate to say they have to go a week later. So the poor little mites have now been moved another half an hour drive South to a friends parents, but they say they don't want to keep them and intend to sell them on as soon as possible so they will have to be moved again! I know my girls hate travelling and we do it as little as possible, I can't imagine the trauma the poor things are feeling!
I wished I could adopt them and considered it but with several issues: 1. They are boys and so I would have to have two separate cages or pay to have them both neutered. 2. When we do need to travel, I can fit one cage in the car. If we had the boys we would need two cages and I can't fit two in the car. 3. I have only just successfully completed one introduction and I think it may be too soon to attempt introducing another two! 4. I think 5 may be just a little more than we can handle at once!
I was so close to saying "Stuff it we'll have them!" and dealing with the issues later but sense got the better of me as it may end up more traumatic for the degus in the end. I think I just want someone to wave a magic wand and make it so we can have them! We have come up with one solution, as I have two friends who are moving into the flat upstairs in June and they love my degus, I'm currently trying to convince them that they want a pair of goos and I'll look after them until June, because they absolutely love degus and know how to look after them and everything, they just seem a little frightened of the commitment at the moment.
I'm just really worried that the people who have them at the moment are going to sell them to some divvy who wants a pet rat for their four year old or something =[On the other hand, if anyone is in Newcastle looking to adopt two boys, do let me know!
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Post by yasmin on Apr 19, 2012 17:18:24 GMT
I hope you can find a forever home for them.
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Post by moletteuk on Apr 19, 2012 17:27:08 GMT
Nice to hear that your three are doing so well The other pair do seem to be in a less than ideal situation. Could you take them temporarily just so that you can make sure they find a good permanent home? Or speak directly with the people that have them at the moment and see if they will keep them until June when your friends might take them? Good luck!
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Post by Jus on Apr 20, 2012 0:02:42 GMT
We said we would keep them until June if our friends would take them but I think they're a little frightened of the commitment =/ And I was tempted to take them and find them a home myself but that can be a slippery slope eh
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Post by Jus on Jun 4, 2012 11:26:32 GMT
I think the babies had their coming of age party last night while I was out! They have gradually been getting bigger and one of them is bigger than Spook now, but you can always tell them from her because until now they've still had their thin sleek little baby faces. But I went in to feed them this morning and thought Taryn was Spook then realised, seemingly overnight, the babies have transformed and got their fat fluffy little adult faces! So proud. They look so sweet and grown up =]
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 4, 2012 14:40:35 GMT
Awwwww!!! It's kind of a shock when that happens, isn't it? Such a lovely, pretty girl!
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Post by Jus on Jun 5, 2012 11:55:10 GMT
Yeah, didn't remember it being so sudden with the first two, I think I was less obsessed with them then! They're all really sweet and I think Spook has finally gotten over her twice a day eye drop trauma! I was not popular for a while!
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 5, 2012 16:30:08 GMT
It's amazing how long they can hold on to a memory and/or a grudge, isn't it?? So glad she is finally over it!
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 5, 2012 17:07:35 GMT
Aww it's sweet isn't it? And they get the wrinkle stripes around the neck and gradually grow their big deguy hips lol! what happened with the pair that you were tempted to take?
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Post by Jus on Jun 12, 2012 9:46:39 GMT
The pair have now been found a new home I believe. I don't know anything else I just hope someone's taken them who knows what they are doing and will have a happy life. We introduced our chinese hamster during playtime yesterday carefully just to see what happened. It was amazing! The degus tried to groom him and mount him and the hamster tried to stand up to them. When he quickly realised they didn't want to eat him he settled for allowing himself to be mounted and nibbled spooks tail. I never intend to fully introduce them intot he same cage or anything silly like that but they seem to enjoy having a little playmate. I'll just have to keep a careful eye on him.
The degus are settled in their holiday cage in Yorkshire and the change seems to have staved off some boredom. The cage isn't much bigger but it has a tank at the bottom for digging and it's taller so they get to climb a little more. Plus there's nothing for them to destroy in our room here so they get to play out without us panicking and boarding everything up. Happy degus= happy me =]
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Post by Jus on Dec 11, 2012 15:10:06 GMT
It happened again! I decided one more degu than I already had was the number of degus I wanted. So we adopted a little lady called Mabel, who lost her sister some time ago. When Mabel arrived she was very timid, probably just due to the change in circumstances and the new people, especially as she had a flatpack cage so we had to make it up from scratch so even her cage didn't smell like her. She had her old nest box full of her bed though =] Within hours of arriving all the degus had moved their beds to the bars between the cages and were chattering and chittering nicely, it was amazing! We've been working on taming her as if from scratch, and she will now come to the bars or come to a hand for a treat or a tickle which is great progress! She's still totally unkeen on being picked up or anything and any sudden movements she will disappear with a squeak, but we're getting there! The introductions have been a bit rocky so far! Our hierachy is a bit complicated to start with to be honest! Spook is the oldest and does tend to be in charge and never hesitates to put the kids in their place when she needs to, but for the most part the babies rule. (I say babies... They're over a year old now!) The babies have grown enormously and while they don't look fat and I'm convinced they're not overweight, they're pushing 300g! They're just huge they're like chinchillas! So obviously they like to throw it around a bit and they're pretty confident and pretty wild. So Mabel and Spook met, had a sniff and were fine, but when Mabel met the babies all hell broke loose! Mabel and Taryn seem to get on just fine, but as soon as Mabel met Paley, Paley started trying to push her around and she didn't like it, resulting in some scrapping which was starting to verg towards FBOD so we stopped it before it could go any further. Also, as soon as Paley and Mabel started fighting, Taryn would get involved presumably just backing up her sister. We thought to start with that Mabel was the one being antagonistic because she was getting agitated when Paley was trying to do the normal dominance stuff like mounting and sniffing, which led to scrapping. But when we introduced with Mabel in her cage and the other guys out on the cage table talking to her through the bars, it was Paley going up to the bars, teeth grinding, tail wagging and lunging before Mabel even had chance to respond. I think it's a combination of Mabel being unused to company and social situations, plus a bit confuddled as to what's going on, and Paley being a little monster. We've tried an introduction between just Spook and Mabel and that went fine, but we really don't want to end up with two twos because it seems that will make further introduction more of a pain. Although it would give Mabel chance to get used to social situations and accept that mounting, grooming and stuff is normal and she should be okay with it without causing a fight. Also, ours are now a little manic and are scrapping much more than usual. It's all crazy times in our house! One option would be to introduce Spook, Taryn and Mabel and isolate Paley, in the hope that it will make her realise she wants company more than she wants to fight with everyone but I'd feel so bad doing that! I think it's just going to be a case of working out the issues here one by one and then solving them one by one. There's a lot going on, but I'm really glad most of all that Mabel is getting better with us, so at least we can comfort her and make her feel a bit happier even without the other degus around. I'm just pretty scared that the intros will go downhill from here. What if they fight relentlessly every time they meet? How can you introduce without risking injury? Just keep at it through bars? I'm sure it will be fine, I just like to panic!!
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lenny05
Burrowing Degu
relaxing
Posts: 134
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Post by lenny05 on Dec 11, 2012 16:47:44 GMT
you should have contacted me about the two boys I possible would have took them to join up with the two I already got through you
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lenny05
Burrowing Degu
relaxing
Posts: 134
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Post by lenny05 on Dec 11, 2012 16:48:23 GMT
this is Dixie one of the goos I got through you
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lenny05
Burrowing Degu
relaxing
Posts: 134
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Post by lenny05 on Dec 11, 2012 16:49:07 GMT
this is Pixie which is the othe goo I got through you
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Post by Jus on Dec 11, 2012 17:50:04 GMT
Hey Lenny! I started this blog last year, the two boys mentioned in it ARE the two boys you got through me! See what I mean't when I said that they had been passed from pillar to post!? I'm so happy they've finally found a forever home with you where they won't have to get moved around all the time anymore! Thanks for the pictures, they look really happy =]
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