Very complicated situation with a single degu.

[malin]

It's extremely late I know, but I am at my wits end with my friends degu. A close friend of mind recently returned unexpectedly to Australia. She had two degus, and she could not take them back with her for several reasons- one being due to the strict quarintine, and I'm not even sure if degus are legal in Australia- apparently hamsters are illegal there, and I have no idea what guidelines apply to other small animals. 

I agreed to look after her two degus- named Bobby and Ekko- until she came back, could find a relative to take care of them, etc... I have owned gerbils and hamsters in the past, so I'm not completely in the dark with these sorts of animals. My friend left for Australia, and she arranged to have a mutual friend of ours look after Bobby and Ekko for just a a few days, until I could pick them up. I arrived to pick up the two degus, however, upon arrival I found that both degus had been kept in their cage in a small conservatory. The woman looking after Bobby and Ekko had, apparently, been keeping an eye on the temperature in the conservatory, but she admitted that it had gotten extremely hot at some points. Both Bobby and Ekko were very ruffled looking when I first saw them, and they were behaving extremely fatigued. Despite this, they seemed very friendly and as soon as they they got some attention they soon perked up.

I got them home- a short, fifteen minute journey in the car, air conditioning on, water and food available- and set up their new home in a position out of direct facing sun and not near a radiator. For the first few hours I let the degus settle in, my concerns about the fact they'd been exposed to such high heats soon wearing off as they began to act like typical degus. However, the next morning, Bobby had suddenly detioriated. He would not eat, drink, etc... and showed no interest in anything. I rang up my friend, and told her how Bobby was acting. She said to give him fresh food and water, and see how he was tomorrow. I checked up on him every now and then, and nothing changed. I went to bed that night and set an alarm early for the next morning. When I next checked on Bobby and Ekko, Bobby had sadly passed away. 

That was three weeks ago. Since then, I have been spending as much time as possible with Ekko. Ekko seems remarkably unfazed. It took Ekko's ex owner many tries and attempts to get him to tolerate another degu, the pet shop Ekko was originally from even told my friend he was "unsuitable for living with other degus"- Bobby was the fourth degu he was paired with before he grudgingly accepted a cage mate, and that was only after many months, a large, complicated cage split and many meetings on neutral territory. I really do admire my friends determination to find Ekko a cage mate. What I have no idea now is what to do with Ekko. I made a promise to my friend to look after the degus, and I fully intend to keep Ekko. I've fallen in love with the little guy over the past three weeks, and I feel so sorry for him. Right now he seems okay. Not having a cage mate doesn't appear to bother him. However, it's only been three weeks. I have no idea of the long term effects.

Basically, my problem is that I have a single degu with a severe history of fighting, very little money and not enough room for "degu proof" rooms and split cages, as my friend used. I do, however, have a lot of time and I want to help this little guy as much as possible. He's definitely part of my life now. I just really need some help with his position as a single degu. 

[deguconvert]

Well . . . there are a few factors to take into consideration, and you and your situation is certainly a significant part of that. I can tell that you are very attached to Ekko and are distressed at his loss of cage mate. I suspect that Bobby's death did not come about as a result of the change to your home, as much as the stresses of high heat on occasion in the days prior to. The small stresses of the change wouldn't have been so hurtful to him if he hadn't already been suffering from built up stresses before.

Do you know what is the age of Ekko? Have you thought about looking for a female, perhaps one that has already been spayed? Or looking for a male of comparable age to Ekko?

What size is the cage that he is living in?

What kind of diet is he eating?

Where do you live?

I am very glad that you are bonding with Ekko, as that makes a huge difference to him in regard to the time and efforts you take with him. Degus are very intelligent animals, who are extremely social, and it is important that their owners understand what they need. Perhaps you are already aware that degus live in social groups in the wild, like Meercats, wolves, horses, dolphins, and many other animals do. They rely on their social interactions and group hierarchy to meet and fill their many social needs, such as grooming, safety, and comfort. If you are able to find a good companion for Ekko, and manage a successful intro, he will be a happier, healthier degu. However, introductions can be difficult and that is one of many reasons why we have this forum. Most of us have experienced at least one intro, some of us have multiple intros under our belts, and we want to be of as much help to others as we can be. I would recommend that you read through the guides we have on here in the stickied section of this board, and read through the nutrition, cages, and well . . . read them all! There is so much to know about degus, and the more you know, the better armed you are to face anything that comes.

AND post on here!! We are here to support, advise, and encourage each other. We will be here for you, too!

[malin]

Hi deguconvert, and thanks for replying. Ekko is about two and a half; he's fed on Supreme Science Selective degu food, as well as having occasional, small bits of fruit/veg that he's allowed. (I've spent ages Googling making sure everything is suitable!) I have considered a female, or a male of a similar age. I have no objection to either- whatever would be easiest to introduce.

He's living in a Thickets cage currently. I am aware that this cage is too small- their original cage was a massive, home made structure and was not suitable for transportation. A Thickets cage was all I could get at the time, however, I'm hoping to get a larger cage soon. Ekko spends a large amount of time outside the cage as it is already.

I do have one more question. I've noticed that degus clean each other's ears. I was also told that a degu is unable to clean his own ears, which is why they do it for each other. If this is true, is there any danger to Ekko not having had his ears cleaned for quite a while now?

One thing I'm considering is going to my local pet shop. They sometimes have degus for adoption. I was thinking of looking for a suitable degu. However, one thing I'm wary of is not knowing about their past. Is there any chance a younger degu would be suitable?

Ekko has started to nibble me, affectionately, I believe. I've also found a degu brush, and he loves being stroked lightly with it. Ekko, in general, is very friendly. He's extremely tame, and adores being stroked under his front legs. He is completely different with other degus though. Ekko has been in many "fur balls of death" with the various degus my friend attempted partner him with. Even after my friend was confident he was okay with another degu, he'd still go and randomly instigate a fight. Ekko has never come off worse for wear, even once when my friend tried to pair him with a much larger degu. The only injury he ever received, astonishingly, was a cut on his nose which soon healed.

Talking off his nose, Ekko has a weird, white patch on the actual nose. At first I assumed it was a scar, now I'm not so sure. It's not raised. Does anyone have any suggestions of what it could be?

[Karma]

I do disagree with the ear cleaning thing ..... My two boys defintely do NOT clean each other's ears, I have to handle them about once a week and use my fingers to get some black ear wax off the outside of them. They are fine with it and even know "it's time to clean your ears" and will sit nicely on my arm and let me do it. They is defintely something you can do if Ekko is tame.

I would not get a new degu until you have a new cage that is large enough, Ekko needs the room to exercise and make sure he has no pent up physical energy before you attempt an intro. As far as I know, degu females it is risky to spay them so the chances of finding one are not high - it would be easier to neuter Ekko and then introduce him to female. Otherwise a lone male or young baby could be able to intro but it does sounds like you are in the long haul so be truthful to yourself if you are willing to do that.

[ilikedegus]

Jul 20, 2014 18:28:11 GMT malin said:

Ekko has started to nibble me, affectionately, I believe. I've also found a degu brush, and he loves being stroked lightly with it. Ekko, in general, is very friendly. He's extremely tame, and adores being stroked under his front legs.

Now THAT is a tame degu!

[deguconvert]

Some degus have white patches in places, and I suspect Ekko simply has one on his nose. Shouldn't be anything to worry about.

If you feel you can go for the neutering, I would definitely look into getting a female to pair him with. Generally more successful than with another male, especially considering his long history of conflicts.