|
Post by thelmaandlouise on Jul 28, 2014 15:18:36 GMT
I am so glad i have found all of you fine degu people. I am a 5th grade teacher and recently got a pair of female degus for my classroom. I have had hamsters, rats, guinea pigs, gerbils, and rabbits in the past and wanted something different. I did a lot of research and decided degus would be great classroom pets due to their apparent friendly outgoing nature. So, I now have Thelma and Louise. A family in a nearby town advertised them on Craigslist; they were part of an unwanted litter. However, I am having a few issues with them.
First, they are absolutely terrified of me. I was told they had been handled a lot since birth and were very friendly, but this is clearly not the case. they run straight into their hide the minute they see me coming. I have tried just sitting next to their cage to get them used to me, and occasionally sticking my hand in the cage with some oats. A couple of times they have approached and snagged oats, but mostly they cower away from me. I have had them for 10 days.
Also, they do not use their water bottle! So strange. I have put water in their cage in a bowl, but that gets so messy. And, they do not use their exercise wheel.
What am I doing wrong?!?!
Thank you in advance for your help.
|
|
|
Post by Maravilla on Jul 28, 2014 16:41:20 GMT
Hello, and welcome to the forum! Thelma and Louise are great names for degus . My Louise is still alive whereas Thelma died about 1,5 years ago . They have been a wonderful couple! Can you tell us something about their cage? What it is about, how it is structured, decorated, size, etc.? Degus can behave completely different in different environments and with different people. I have experienced this a lot with my groups. So I would not be surprised if your two were really tame in their anterior environment. How old are they now? And how do they behave towards other people? Your pupils, other teachers etc.? Besides, 10 days is nothing to build up trust. It is just everything new for them. Actually, I am not very happy about hearing that they live in a class room. What about the level of noise? And abrupt movements? Degus often get scared easily, so it might be they are under constant stress which does not help to build a friendly relationship. What kind of wheel do they have? What size is it? Maybe you can post some pics of cage and wheel so that we can help you to improve the housing where necessary. I only use bowls in my cages. If the water gets to dirty, put the bowl on a brick or a smaller level where there is no bedding. Nevertheless, water has to be changed every 1-2 days so it should not become too dirty.
|
|