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Post by dops on Aug 14, 2016 19:05:53 GMT
Okay so I will outline the situation! If you remember, or cant be bothered skip this bit :-)
I got Mowgli and Baloo in January, they were 2 months old. Baloo was always undersized and sickly and over Easter he passed away from a heart condition. They were both sold to me as males, and both seemed to me to be male. In April I got Lemmi, who was just a pup still. He was definitely male as I saw his penis (ew). All was fine, they fought a bit for a week then settled in. I went away for a couple of weeks in July and when I came back Mowgli seemed very fat. I assumed it was due to having less time out of the cage and maybe overfeeding by my sister. For the past couple of weeks I have been running them loads and they have been super active. Lemmi is fine even slim I would say. Mowgli seems to be getting bigger by the day. And he is suddenly super obsessed with food, he never used to care that much whereas now he stuffs anything he finds in his mouth squealing at us not to steal it (hes very gentle though, even if i tickle him when hes eating he tells me off but has never bitten).
Im starting to think he might be pregnant, I held him and looked at his genital area and he suddenly looked a bit like a she :-( And his belly feels quite hard and uneven, and he is completely bright and healthy otherwise. And he is looking very pear-shaped also...
Am thinking of taking him to a vet who has experience with degus, so he can confirm what I am suspecting. In that case I will have to start monitoring him (her?) and feeding him the right things!
Very unplanned, and kicking myself for not checking Mowgli again. Him and Baloo were just so normal together I just assumed they were both boys. Baloo was tamer and didnt mind being handled as much as Mowgli, and I remember thinking Baloo was definitely I boy when I examined him better.
Could anyone recommend a good vet in London?
Thank you for any advice!
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Post by dops on Aug 14, 2016 19:14:30 GMT
Attachment DeletedThis isnt the greatest picture at all as the only camera I have is on my laptop and hes (very sensibly) doesnt like it when I loom up close with it! But you can see a little bit
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Post by bouncy on Aug 14, 2016 19:31:56 GMT
Does look rather pear shaped to me!
To avoid handling whilst expecting, I wouldn't worry about the vet at this stage. They either are or aren't! Can you feel any nipples? Nesting?
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Post by dops on Aug 14, 2016 19:34:43 GMT
Yeah even from the blurry photo he does! Okay will hang on about the vet then, you're right maybe best not to stress him.
Can't feel any nipples! And no nesting behaviour.
I have a smaller cage with narrow bar spacing I can move him to if he needs be, I might get it prepared and set up just in case.
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Post by yasmin on Aug 14, 2016 19:40:39 GMT
Please check our Vet Guide in the Health Section for recommended vets. deguworld.proboards.com/post/84583/threadIf Mowgli is pregnant, which sounds like it is the case, she should be handled only if necessary. Handling can cause miscarriage. You will also need to make ready a cage to put Baloo in. Balloo can stay in with Mowgli until the pups are born. Then he needs to be removed because Mowgli can become pregnant again within 24 hours of giving birth, and this is extremely dangerous because her body will be depleted on energy, etc. especially while nursing the pups. Or you can arrange to have Baloo neutered. Most degu males make great fathers, actively helping out with the raising of their young; however, there are risks in the neutering process. As long as there is proper food always available, then there may be no need to change her diet until the pups are born. (Then oats are a hardy supplement for a nursing goo.) She will likely want to build a nest so plenty of paper towels and a wooden hut of sorts would likely be appreciated. I also notice from the pic that the bar spacing of the cage they are in is too wide – pups can squeeze through this. Be prepared to put up a barrier around the cage so that pups don't fall out. I have experience with this (adopted 4 "female" goos from the local animal shelter only to find out that one of the three was male and all the females were pregnant) as do others on this forum – we are here to help. Please keep us posted.
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Post by dops on Aug 14, 2016 19:45:11 GMT
Okay thank you! I will make sure everything is peaceful here, then can get out of their cage without my help and so I will keep handling to a minimum.
Mowgli definitely seems to be eating for a good handful of them! I will get him some oats.
I have a cage with much narrower bar spacing that I will move Mowgli and the pups into. However should I move them both into it now, so that then Mowgli could give birth inside that cage? And then Lemmi is moved back to the larger barred one, rather than moving Mowgli and his litter?
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Post by bouncy on Aug 14, 2016 20:03:59 GMT
I love how you're still happily optimistic and referring to Mowgli as "he"
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Post by dops on Aug 14, 2016 20:22:57 GMT
im trying to keep a tiny shred of hope!
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Post by dops on Aug 14, 2016 21:39:30 GMT
_ Another (very bad quality) photo, which shows his size a bit t
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Post by yasmin on Aug 14, 2016 21:46:31 GMT
Sorry but she does look very pregnant. I expect the babies will be born within the next week if not days.
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Post by Bexi87 on Aug 14, 2016 21:49:08 GMT
Oh bless, that is one pear shaped goo
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Post by dops on Aug 14, 2016 21:50:46 GMT
oh jesus! ive been suspecting it for a bit now but i think I was sticking my head in the sand (as even if he is there would be nothing to be done). Ill feed him up for the next week! And prepare nesting materials, though neither of them have been nesting at all?
Luckily i am on holiday at the moment so can spend a lot of time keeping an eye on him.
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Post by winic1 on Aug 14, 2016 21:55:52 GMT
I would think it better to move Mowgli now, and let her adjust to the new cage, and set up a nest in it, them move Lemmi out when it's time. But it looks like you'd better get right to it.
We brought home a young male hamster from a pet store, and two weeks later "he" gave birth. A few days before, my son commented on how much "he" was growing, which led me to notice and start investigating hamster info. Decided we'd better put "him" back into the big tank we had been using while waiting for the cage we ordered to come. The very next morning, "he" had given birth to the pups. If you think it's getting close, move her now, don't wait another day!
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Post by dops on Aug 14, 2016 21:58:14 GMT
okay ill do it tomorrow morning! It's quick to set up and definitely big enough for now.
Any advice with adjusting him? I will move a lot of the bedding from the current cage in so it smells like home, and I think I'll move their sleeping box as well. I'll make a replacement for Lemmi!
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Post by winic1 on Aug 14, 2016 21:58:40 GMT
If you need to move her, instead of picking her up, use a tube or a jar or small box and let her walk in and out on her own.
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Post by winic1 on Aug 14, 2016 21:59:29 GMT
The more you take from the old cage, the more familiar it will seem.
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Post by dops on Aug 14, 2016 22:00:15 GMT
also thank you for the advice! Am kicking myself for not investigating this sooner, I've been avoiding it as I know there are so many rescues out there and I just added needlessly to the number of degus that will be competing for homes.
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Post by dops on Aug 14, 2016 22:01:18 GMT
Okay I will do that! she is very inquisitive so as soon as the old cage is set up im 100% she will run over and get in to explore. She is still very active and runs around a lot, is that bad?
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Post by winic1 on Aug 14, 2016 22:03:31 GMT
If, by chance, she has babies before you get them moved, then just secure the sides of the cage with cardboard for now, and remove the wheel and anything they could climb up and fall off of. Also look for things they could get stuck in. No bowl of water, they could climb in and drown. Picture tiny four-legged toddlers, full mobility but no skill and no thought to what they're doing yet. If you remove ramps to upper shelves, then they would probably stay in the bottom level. However, keep an eye out that they haven't found something to climb up or aren't trying to climb the sides.
Four-legged toddlers. Babyproof for four-legged toddlers.
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Post by dops on Aug 14, 2016 22:06:59 GMT
haha okay i will use my imagination when proofing it! I have squirreled away lots of cardboard and materials since i got degus so have a stash to use. and i read somewhere about threads choking babies? Should I avoid fabrics in general?
Thank you!
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