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Post by aherran on Jul 2, 2015 8:58:36 GMT
Hi, I recently bought two female degus. I had never had degus, hamsters alone, but I read a lot about them. One of them has a wound on his tail (as a line) by bad handling in the pet store, and a few days ago his partner has begun to bite his tail. This morning, I realized that it has doubled the tip of the tail overnight. I hope she don't lose her tail. I hope not to have to separate them because they are very friendly and never fight together. I hope you can help me. PD:I'm sorry about my english, I'm using google's traductor  Attachments:
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Post by Maravilla on Jul 2, 2015 9:16:03 GMT
Hi, and welcome to the forum.
Tail injuries are quite common in degus. It might be a good idea to take the sand bath out of the cage for some days to avoid an infection. Have regular checks to see if the tail heals or becomes worse, especially as it is bitten by one of the degus. If it becomes worse (open wound, bump, or similar), go to a vet (depending on where you live, a vet specialised in small or exotic animals might be the best option) as some antibiotics might be necessary. I (but this is my personal opinion) would never use any creams, lotions etc. on the tail, neither to "help" it heal nor to prevent that it is bitten as oral intake of this could cause more problems.
Even if she loses her tail, it would not be a problem for her. It is just a small optical thing but nothing really important for her life.
Good luck.
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Post by aherran on Jul 2, 2015 9:33:29 GMT
Thanks for answering so quickly. I just remove the sand bath, and I am sure they are going to miss it. Is there anything I can do to prevent her partner bite her tail? I have seen a product to prevent ferrets bite wounds. It will be detrimental to my degus?It is better not to do anything? Thanks you very much!!
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Post by uglibug on Jul 2, 2015 9:38:45 GMT
It is probably best to leave it be. If the end of the tail is dead then the other goo will help her to remove it, basically between them they will chew it off. It doesn't seem to bother them much when they do, I would only be concerned if the injured goo seems bothered (squeaking, showing signs of distress) when it is being chewed.
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Post by aherran on Jul 2, 2015 10:01:41 GMT
I do not think the tail is dead, her hair grow in the wound, and lifts it without problems. The only part she does not move is the part that bend last night. And sometimes, when her companion bites her tail, she gets upset and runs. It possible she bites out of curiosity when she see the tail moving?
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Post by uglibug on Jul 2, 2015 10:09:54 GMT
She could be being playful, and if the injured tail is uncomfortable then this won't be appreciated. Several of our goos play with each others tails, nipping, pulling etc. Its normally all quite friendly, but I imagine if the wound is uncomfortable it could be a problem for her. Could you try distraction maybe? Find something for her cage mate to focus on other than the tail?
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Post by moletteuk on Jul 2, 2015 10:11:04 GMT
Degu tails are designed to break if they are caught by the tail by a predator (or other scenario), the end of the tail comes off and the degu can run away, we call this degloving. It looks to me like the tail is damaged and perhaps partially degloved. I suspect that your degus won't leave it alone until the damaged part of the tail is removed, so it might be worth having a vet remove it for you.
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Post by aherran on Jul 2, 2015 10:34:24 GMT
I think she has enough distractions to not bite the tail. I have made for them a cage of three heights (75 x 55 cm each). And they have a lot of toys. They have two running wheels and a lot of things they can bite. I guess the damaged part is going to dry and fall, I'll wait to see if it is drying alone. Otherwise I'll take her to the vet. Thanks for answering.
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Post by moletteuk on Jul 3, 2015 10:07:36 GMT
The cage looks good  You might want to explore ways to make it wider or add one wider level at some point in time, we recommend a width of 100cm if possible. |
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Post by aherran on Jul 3, 2015 11:17:17 GMT
By the moment I cant do a bigger (wider) cage because I have no space to put it. That's why I use to let them running in the bathroom everytime I can ( everytime the dog is not at home).
PD:However my mind never stops looking for ideas to enlarge their space as much as I can.
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