Thinking of neutering

[jade86]

Hiya, my two male degus have turned out to be a male and a female and are the proud parents of one pup (sex still to be determined)! We have them housed in an Xtrail and currently Baldrick (dad) is in the top half himself and Hamish (mum) and pup are in the bottom half.
We want them to live as a family and so are thinking of neutering Baldrick (and pup depending on the sex) any advice on this would be much appreciated!

[Maravilla]

Hi,

when have you separated mom and dad? After giving birth or after it? It might be possible that mom is pregnant again if you separated them too late. How old is the pup? You can check its sex shortly after birth so if the little one is already active and running around you can check it.
Neutering is only an option if the pup turns out to be female as well. Keeping more than one male with females is very risky and it is very likely that the males will fight because of the female.

[jade86]

We separated Baldrick as soon as we knew, which I think was pretty quickly, a matter of a couple of hours, so fingers crossed we done it on time!
Pup is only 5 days old, I got a good look whilst it was nursing yesterday and it's looking like we've got a wee girl but I'll need to have another look to be certain.
If the pup is definitely a girl does it warrant putting Baldrick through the procedure so they can be together?

[Bexi87]

I think it depends on how confident you are finding a good vet who can do the operation and if you can afford/support 2 and potentially 3 separate groups.

I adopted a lone boy in my old group, had him neutered and he lived happily with 5 girls. In my circumstance it was the best thing to do, he desperately needed a home and I couldn't afford 2 groups.

Have you spoken to any of your local vets about their experience with goo's?

[jade86]

Did he recover well from the procedure? I hate to think of Baldrick suffering or if the worst was to happen.
Iv spoken to one vets receptionist and she seemed confident about the vet and I'm waiting on another vet calling me back.
What can I expect after the procedure is done? Short and long term?

[Bexi87]

It's a good few years ago since Hugo but it was a standard morning drop off at the vet and an evening pick up. He didn't seem to have any side effects, it was work keeping him quiet for a few days afterwards. I used an experienced vet about an hours drive from where I lived to make sure I was confident in having it done.

[deguconvert]

Most rodents carry their testicles on the outside of the abdominal wall, so that they are quite visible , and because degus look similar in body to a rat, many vets make the mistake of thinking that they require the same surgery, but that is not the case at all. Degus carry their testicles within the abdominal cavity, which means a very different surgery, a bigger surgery, and therefore you need a knowledgeable vet that has actual experience performing this surgery successfully multiple times. Do not be afraid to ask pointedly if the vet has done this surgery, how successful, how many, for your own confidence and for the protection of Baldrick. As with any surgery, the unexpected can happen, but a good vet will greatly reduce the impact of such things.

[jade86]

Thanks for the advice unfortunately I think we have a male pup and are looking at possibly having two groups, unless we get both dad and pup neutered, is it ok to neuter a pup and if so, at what age? Sorry for asking loads of questions, I just want to do right for my wee goos, I just love them so much!

[Maravilla]

Can you take a good picture of the genital region and post it here to confirm the sex?
If it turns out to be a boy, why do you want to neuter dad and the little one? The surgery and the days afterwards are no fun, neither for the degus nor for their owner. We had one of our little ones neutered a couple of months ago and suffered a lot with him. He did not want to take his pain killers (actually, he refused all kind of food during the first day or two) and we did not want to force him (he is very shy and frightened) so he had to spend a couple of really bad days. The surgery itself is not a too big thing if the vet knows what he is doing, but as deguconvert already pointed out not all vets really know what to do. There are several risks during surgery and afterwards.

[moletteuk]

Maravilla there is a photo here: deguworld.proboards.com/thread/20215/help-new-parents?page=2

You would have to wait several months for the pup to be old enough to neuter, and I think I already mentioned that it is bad practice and very likely to end in fighting if you keep two males with females.

[jade86]

Thanks for all the advice guys we were playing with ideas and looking at all options but it's looking like pup will move in with dad and we'll find another female for Hamish.
I've got some more pictures of the wee one, hopefully there abit clearer than the first picture, if not then I'll keep trying lol
i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq12/jade110786/DBC705F8-DA4C-4B09-9BC2-C77409CEA161_zpsovcdy3jq.jpg

[Karma]

I would wait the 3 months to ensure you don't have another pregnancy before making any decisions about getting another females Don't want to be overrun!

Pup should be good until 8-10 weeks with mom and then you could move him in with dad, give mom a break - ensure no one else is coming and then introduce a friend for her.

wait for other advice but I think it would be a good idea to allow dad to have playdates with the baby so the intro goes smoother? Even a female shouldn't be sexual receptive until 12 weeks to 6 months I think?

[Maravilla]

Females are fertile from about week 6... so this would be very risky...

I would separate a boy from mom when he is 7-8 weeks old. The older he is, the more problems you could get with dad.

About your cage question: I am afraid but a split cage of your type is not big enough to house two groups. It is more or less the minimum size for one group so you have to consider another option.

[deguconvert]

Yeah, I would move him at about 8 weeks of age as well. We had the intense experience of a pup between the age of 8-10 weeks impregnating our females. (We had taken all his siblings to the pet store to be rehomed, but he had managed to escape into the house unbeknownst to us. When we found him, the store refused to take him. So he was back in with the girls for two weeks until we had a new cage built for him. Take him out as Maravilla says, between 7-8 weeks of age and place him in with Dad. If you are already letting him and Dad have play time together, then they will be acquainted and all should go well.

[moletteuk]

So to summarise: Pups looks male, so you can start allowing dad to have playtime with the pup, but make sure mum is not present (to avoid pregnancy risk) and go a little cautiously at first until you are sure dad has recognised pup as his own. At 7-8 weeks pup can move in with dad, the play dates should tell you whether this is going to go smoothly (it should be fairly smooth). Start weighing Hamish regularly so you can get an early clue as to whether she might be pregnant. Gestation is 12 weeks so you will have to wait 10 to 12 weeks to know for sure if she is not pregnant, so she will be alone for maximum of 4 weeks, after this time you can go ahead and make arrangements to find her a female friend(s).

[jade86]

Thanks everyone for all the help! We'll start allowing wee play dates with dad and let you know how we get on