Lonely little guy needs a friend

[tobbitguy1]

I have a degu male named Splinter.
He is a year old. He is the only one of his family that I was able to adopt. He had an unfortunate incident at the store with males of another family. He spent a month in the Infirmary before I got him. My question is can I put a female of another family in his cage, and if so does he have to be neutered or do I need a spayed female? Thank you.

[savvy]

Welcome to the forum.

At a year old, Splinter (great name) will be in the middle of adolescence so its not the best time to introduce him to another degu. I'd wait a few months until his hormones settle down.

There should be no reason why he couldn't be introduced to another male if they were compatible, but he would have to be neutered to be introduced to a female. Its very rare for a female degu to be neutered and its a big operation for a male as their testicle are inside their abdomen, its not like neutering a dog or cat.

Also, you cannot just put a new degu in with Splinter, they have to be introduced slowly which means housing the new degu in a separate cage at the side of Splinters so they can get used to each other. This means doubling up on everything: cage, wheel, sand bath, etc. Degus are very territorial and it can take many weeks before they accept the newcomer.

Have a read through deguworld.proboards.com/thread/17619/deguconverts-detailed-introductions-fighting-guide so you can get an idea of whats involved.

[teemu]

It sounds like what led to Splinter's really bad injury was exactly coming into contact with an unfamiliar degu. As said, they cannot be put together without a long and careful process, because by default they consider each other intruders and rivals (or unknown and possibly dangerous, at best). However, don't be put off by the idea; the fact that it takes time and effort does not at all mean that it should not be attempted. Degus are much happier when they're not alone, and in the wild they are never alone normally (and would not survive long alone, usually).

I agree with Savvy that it would be for the best if you wait until he is a few months older (the end of adolescence is usually quoted at around 14 to 16 months of age). Until then, giving him a lot of company yourself will be important. It will also give you an opportunity to bond with him, which will greatly aid a process like introducing another degu to him, since he will trust you.

I will add to Savvy's post that neutering a male often goes without issue, but it will have a recovery time (which will require extra care) of multiple weeks. It is also possible that there will be complications, in which case the situation may become much more serious. My understanding is that the chance is not terribly high if done by a vet with experience operating on degus specifically (I would never consider it if you did not have access to such a vet), but since it is an open surgery, the risk always exists. I had to spend months tending to my boy after his neutering went wrong.
That being said, introducing a neutered male to a female will likely be less difficult, but it still requires you to do the process of introducing them. Males can be introduced together, but it can take a long time. However, I would advice considering the question of neutering very carefully, for the reasons above.

Can you tell us what kind of an injury he suffered, and if it's left any lasting issues (like a missing body part or problems moving etc)? Those may bear extra considerations.