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Post by katharis on Oct 14, 2014 22:34:27 GMT
Hello, i'm hoping someone can help me with my new Degu. I adopted a pregnant degu about a year old because her owner was going to euthanize her for being pregnant. I know nothing about degus but have been trying my best to learn all i can. She still seems to miss her old owner and seems a bit depressed. I got her a very large three story rat cage, paper shavings, degu food, water bottle, straw tiki hut, timothy hay, a bath-house with sand and applewood chews. Is there anything else she needs? She absolutely loves the applewood chews but i'm not certain how often she can have them. I've been giving her one a day. (they're about the length of a toothpick and as thick as a pencil.) I'm planning on keeping a couple of the babies for company for the mum (if there are any females) and giving the rest away to good homes. My niece asked if she could have one, but she's only eight so i'm not sure if a child could take care of one...
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Post by uglibug on Oct 15, 2014 7:40:37 GMT
Welcome. To learn about degus you have certainly come to the right place, there are lots of friendly knowledgable people here. :-)
With regard to your goo, she is probably getting a little lonely, so try and spend lots of time with her til the babies arrive, she will tell you when she has had enough of your company.
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Post by moletteuk on Oct 15, 2014 10:48:00 GMT
Well done for taking her in  She may be feeling very unsettled at moving house while she is pregnant and will be missing her mate if she lived with him before. Don't worry, she will respond to patience and kindness and treats, sit with her quietly, don't make sudden movements, try various different foods for treats (see nutrition charts for ideas deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15602/vegetable-seed-nut-nutrition-charts) and she will start to associate you with good things. Let her come to you in her own time and way. The cage may not be as big as you think it is, do check out our cage size guide deguworld.proboards.com/thread/9396/forums-cage-size-recommendations and have a browse of that section of the forum for more info and ideas on housing and accessories. For the moment I would suggest adding cardboard boxes or logs so she has plenty of hiding places so she will feeler safer and settle in more quickly. She can have unlimited apple sticks. It can help to find a local source of safe wood so you can offer larger sticks regularly, here is the safe wood list deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15617/safe-tree-wood-list?page=1 It's also great to offer as much forage as possible, things like hedgerow plants, tree leaves, herb mixes, grasses, flowers etc. It's a good idea to keep one or two females to live with mum permanently. The babies will need separating at six weeks. To be honest they don't make great pets for very young children, they are quite challenging in terms of space and diet so they need to be wanted and cared for by adults, also you can't keep them singly. |
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Post by animalmadchloe on Oct 15, 2014 18:52:20 GMT
Do you have a spare cage in to put any male pups in once they are old enough? Does she have a running wheel in the cage? It has to be a very large one, can you post a.photo of the cage?
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