Can the weather affect a degu?

[randomname]

Oh no savvycat, just caught up on your post. Really sad to hear he's not doing well. Is there any news this morning? Have got everything crossed for you both xxxx

[savvy]

Pixie was put to sleep this morning. RIP my beautifully mischievous little guy.

I may be offline for a while.

Thanks for all your kind thoughts everyone.

[uglibug]

So sorry to hear this. RIP Pixie, run free over the bridge little one, sleep well.

[randomname]

oh no, so sorry to hear that hun. Nothing I can say, nothing makes it better. sending all my love x

[winic1]

oh no, so very sorry!

[yasmin]

My heart goes out to you savvycat.

Rest in Peace, little one.

[ntg]

I am so so sorry savvycat, they leave a huge hole in your heart for being so small.

[deguconvert]

I am so, so sorry, Savycat! I feel terrible for you. I am so sorry for your loss.

[savvy]

Thanks everyone, I am still in tears every time I think of him. I didn't know I could cry so much.

He has been burried by the front door with his wooden bridges placed over his grave.

But I also know that I have to be very practical here and take Dixie's welfare into account as he is now alone. And he is already looking into Pixies cage and calling to him with no answer. And i know he will need another degu to interact with.

I have been in touch with a local lady who also has a bereaved male and she is looking for a home for him, so I will be going to see him tonight with a view to him being company for poor little Dixie as soon as I can deep clean Pixies cage and take out everything I want to keep to remember him by. I know that this is quick. Very quick. But I have to think of him even though nothing can replace Pixie in either of our hearts.

My guys lived in separate cages for the last few months as they had a 'divorce' and just couldn't get on except through the bars of their cages, even then, there was tension.

Hopefully these two can help each other, a romantic notion I know, but it has to be worth a try so Dixie isn't alone.

The hopefully new arrival came from p@h but his owner has confirmed him as a male in the way only owners can. On the advice of p@h he has been kept in a 'very large cage' which we know is a thickets.

Maybe this is meant to be who knows. Hopefully I gave Pixie the best life I could in his final year. Most of you will know the story of my guys. Two owners and three stays in p@h in three and a half years before they came to me. I want to do the best by both of them and I hope that Pixie will understand his little friends need of company and why I am mourning him so deeply.

But my feelings have to go to one side when it comes to the ones left behind.

I hope you all understand why I am doing this and my apologies for going on, its been a very fraught 48 hours.

Thank you.

[deguconvert]

So glad you are able to put words to your feelings, love. It has definitely been a very hard and agonizing 48 hours for you, and I completely understand your tears and grief. I applaud your determination to bring home a new potential companion for Dixie, and I hope and pray this little guy will be a perfect match to him. I think you are doing a lovely and wonderful thing. May the whole process be much blessed with peace and sweetness.

[savvy]

Quick update:

I went to see the new arrival last night and he is one very lonely little guy whose beginning to show signs of depression. His current owners are out of the hours for 14 hours a day due to work commitments and don't have the space for the second cage needed for introductions. Hence their decision to find a new home for the little chap and I applaude that decision, they are doing what's right for him.

I am fortunate to be in a position to provide him with a larger cage, degu company and work from home so he has more human contact to. He has been well looked after and will be missed, but as they are not far from me they are welcome to visit to see how he is getting on.

He is a champagne banded so looks very different from Pixie, and he is smaller, but apparently just as fiesty when he's feeling his usual self.  He is also a little chatterbox whoses had no one to chatter to for awhile.  Guess it may get quite noisy in my house for a while.

They turned down another offer of a home as the enquirer just wanted to put him in a cage with three other degus. As we all know that would have been a blood bath.

I am picking him up at lunch time today, after I have deep cleaned the cage and got everything ready for him. He is bringing his little wooden hut and toys with him to help him settle.

Wish us all luck folks!

[Deleted]

Good luck! He sounds like he's going to be super happy!

[randomname]

Aww that's lovely savvycat, so glad he's coming to you. Sounds like you've found each other at exactly the right time. You don't need luck, it will work out fine I'm sure. He couldn't ask for a better human friend. Looking forward to 'photos.

[moletteuk]

I feel terrible I only just found this thread with Pixie's story, I'm so sorry for your loss. RIP Pixie xx

I think you are doing a great job coping and thinking of Dixie's future, there's no harm at all in getting a new companion for Dixie right away, I hope it all went well today when you picked him up.

[savvy]

Thanks Moletteuk, its been a hard three days for all concerned. Dixie woke me at 3am calling for Pixie, he's never been on his own before and was very disheartened when I deep cleaned Pixies cage. No matter what, it will always be Pixies cage, I even opened the front door last night and said goodnight to his grave. Tears are never far away at the moment.

The little guy, his names Bumblebee, is settling in really well and is already getting quite confident. Dixie has taught him how to chew the bars, not something he was able to do before and it was fun to watch him having lessons! He has also learned to forage as previously he has been fed in a dish and I'd hidden food all over his cage for him to find.

They have been chattering away together most of the day, although the little bit of teeth chattering came from Bumblebee (think he's going to be a handful.). He follows Dixie around each level chattering merrily away and he's already a different degu to the one who was huddled silently in the corner of his cage last night.

I don't think he's had this much cage space before and as I type he is busy scampering up and down the levels. He didn't have ramps or space to run before. He is still very skittish, probably due to the lack of human contact he's had, but no more than I would expect.

The main thing I've noticed is that both Dixie and Bumblebee had erect ears, and seem very interested in what's going on.

[deguconvert]

I am so SO happy for all of you!! The grief is going to last, and you will always miss Pixie. He will be a part of your heart always. I think Bumblebee is going to carve out his own place. He sounds like quite the little character. It must be heartwarming, with twinges of pain, to see him so happy with all the space.