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Post by leo1998 on Dec 17, 2022 19:17:49 GMT
Hello!
I need some help. I have a female degu around 5 months old who I just can't seem to get to trust me no matter what I do and seems to really not want anything to do with me. On top of that since I got her, my other female degu (who she was brought as a companion for) seems to have gone from being very sweet and actually wanting my attention and to be pet to not really wanting anything to do with me and peeing on me whenever I try to scoop her up. I've tried doing what I can think of with them, but it's not working so I could really use some help. Thanks in advance!
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Post by savvy on Dec 17, 2022 20:41:01 GMT
Hello and welcome to the forum.
Degus prefer degu company so its not surprising your older one wants less to do with you than before, the peeing, however, is her way of sending a message to the new degu that you belong to her; she's scent marking you as her property so to speak.
It can take degus a long time to learn to trust their new owners, sometimes months. You said you've tried everything, can you please tell us what you've tried to so far?
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Post by leo1998 on Dec 17, 2022 21:39:09 GMT
Hello and thank you for the welcome to the form savvy! I've been trying bribing her (with a variety of treats, toys, and chew sticks), sitting next to their cage silently without moving so she can get used to me, softly talking to her and just sticking my hand in her cage to let her sniff it.
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Post by savvy on Dec 17, 2022 22:20:03 GMT
Have you tried putting your hand in the cage with treats in your palm?
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 18, 2022 12:11:56 GMT
How long have you had her? It can take ages, so keep going doing the same and experiment with treats until you find something she loves. Taming can depend on their personality and also the life they lived before you got them.
Since your other degu has started peeing on you, that would indicate there is tension and feelings going on between the two degus, so that could be playing a part too. Are they already living together?
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Post by leo1998 on Dec 18, 2022 19:13:48 GMT
Have you tried putting your hand in the cage with treats in your palm? Yes I have. She'll sniff the treat but won't take it. |
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Post by leo1998 on Dec 18, 2022 19:28:57 GMT
How long have you had her? It can take ages, so keep going doing the same and experiment with treats until you find something she loves. Taming can depend on their personality and also the life they lived before you got them. Since your other degu has started peeing on you, that would indicate there is tension and feelings going on between the two degus, so that could be playing a part too. Are they already living together? I've had her around about a month by now. Yes they are although that wasn't a planned thing. I have them in a Feisty Ferret Cage that came with a devider so I originally had one on the top of the cage and the other on the bottom (thinking that way they could smell each other and get used to each other's scent) but not long after doing this I came home from work one day and they had somehow removed the devider. They weren't fighting and seemed to be getting along pretty good (grooming each other and whatnot) so I figured if they seemed good with each other to just take the devider out of the cage. |
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Post by teemu on Dec 19, 2022 2:24:39 GMT
Lone degus often get very attached to their owners and are very sweet. They will often cool off notably when they get together with other degus. It's a bit sad, but ultimately it's just natural for them. Humans simply cannot provide them with as much attention, grooming and companionship as a cagemate. I've experienced the same reaction. You haven't done anything wrong, and even though it's sad to think so, you should think of it more as her being attached to her new cagemate and getting what she needs from her. That's a very good sign, it means she's accepted her new friend (but they will probably have to work out the details of their relationship over time). Degus are often very social with humans even when they are with other degus, and I think your new girl will definitely grow more used to you over time. Degus are just really slow to start trusting people, so it can take many months until she's comfortable with you, and even then, it depends on the personality whether they actually want to get close and be handled or just appreciate your presence. It sounds like you are doing things correctly though, so I'll just suggest that you keep at it. Sniffing your hand is already good, and sooner or later she'll be comfortable enough to take a treat as well. Don't be disheartened even though it feels slow, it's been slow with all of my degus as well  |
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