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Post by deguqueen on Sept 26, 2005 2:16:47 GMT
i heard that degus can get bald spots from fighting with eachother...i doubt princesses bald spot is from that because its her entire nose.. but anyways my question is about degus chewing their hair off their paws... i didnt really notice when i bought them but my degus have chewed off the hair from their front paws completely and partially on their back paws...i was just wondering if this could be a sign of stress? or maybe anxiety?
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Post by thatllbe on Sept 26, 2005 13:19:55 GMT
Two of my six degu's have 'overgroomed' their front paws - not 100% sure why but i'm pretty sure it's not down to stress i think it's more like one of those things - like some humans bite and chew their fingernails for no apparent reason other than habit?? possibly?
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Post by Sunshinemeg on Sept 26, 2005 17:35:46 GMT
deguqueen, ask your question as a new thread topic, and more people may be able to help you.
meg ;D
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Post by exile57 on Sept 5, 2007 11:39:54 GMT
i heard that degus can get bald spots from fighting with eachother...i doubt princesses bald spot is from that because its her entire nose.. but anyways my question is about degus chewing their hair off their paws... i didnt really notice when i bought them but my degus have chewed off the hair from their front paws completely and partially on their back paws...i was just wondering if this could be a sign of stress? or maybe anxiety? Not sure about the feet, but do you think the nose har loss might be from biting the bars, I read somewhere that a lady had a goo that bit the bars so often the nose hair rubbed off. Not sure if yours do this, but just an idea.
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Post by cpenman on Aug 25, 2008 23:54:14 GMT
Can any one out there help me? I joined this forum trying to figure out what happene to the 2 degus I bought my teenage daughter as new pets. They both died suddenly overnight--one was very cold indicating an earlier death than the other which was just barely cold to the touch. She went to bed one night and they seemed perfectly fine--to awake to both dead. It's been very sad. We have no clue as to what happened. My daughter took good care of her pets and fed them degu food from the pet store, gave them plenty of water and made sure they had a comfortable room temp in which to live. I had no theories whtsoever until I read tonight on your site that wood can be toxic to degus. If we were using cedar wood chips, would that have killed them? We have had them for about 4 weeks and bought them from our local pet store.
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Post by deguconvert on Aug 26, 2008 1:05:13 GMT
I am so sorry to hear of your shocking loss! It is painful to lose one, and losing both in the same night must be very traumatic to all of you. It is difficult to say what may have been the cause of their deaths, but it is cetainly unusual to have two pass so suddenly and at the same time, at a young age. Your bedding could be a source of the trouble. Cedar has an oil in it that is toxic to degus. Degus are natural chewers, like beavers, rabbits, and other rodents. As their teeth grow continually, they must gnaw in order to keep them short enough to maintain good health. They probably chewed on the cedar shavings, and I would guess that it is possible for them to absorb the oils through their skin as well.
Degus also require daily access to hay to eat. It is essential for the health of their gut, and for the health of their teeth and molars. Not only their visible front teeth grow, but their molars constantly grow as well. The rough fibers of the hay is important for wearing them away as they grow.
Degus are extremely suseptable to developing diabetes. Their bodies don't have any method of dealing with sugar, even in moderate amounts. Therefore their foods must be sugar free, and have no dried fruits in it. That also includes any syrups, fructoses etc. Degus who develop diabetes don't live very long once it is formed.
I can't think of anything else, unless you can think of more information that may give some clues. You may wish to take your degu's bodies to a vet and see if they can pick up on anything, but that can be a very costly affair.
Once again, I am so very sorry for your pain and loss. Do you think you will venture into trying with degus again?
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Post by TiffaLynn on Feb 19, 2009 5:41:02 GMT
that is what killed my gerbil, i didnt know it at the time either.
cedar bedding is an irritant to any rodent, and causes respitory infections, and with long exposure death...
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Post by greykitten on Feb 27, 2009 18:52:03 GMT
I haven't been on in forever, but one of my babies has an eye that is swollen shut and slightly "inappropriate word". I cleaned it (like I would my one cat's eye because she's prone to infections) and cuddle her a little and she was excited to get back in her cage with her sister. I'm concerned though and there are no vets for Degus where I live! Any suggestions?
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Post by ra on Feb 27, 2009 20:33:27 GMT
I've had some difficulty finding an exotic vet nearby but in the four years I've had my Degus I have now found two. Where are you located in PA?
I imagine if you could gently massage a little tribiotic eye ointment into her eye it might help. Tribiotic is prescribed for dogs, cats, horses so I imagine it would be ok for Degus. You would have to call a small animal vet to buy some - not sure what pet stores like PetsMart, and Petco carry.
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Post by greykitten on Feb 27, 2009 20:39:35 GMT
I'm in central PA. I've been keeping it clean and I'll check into the tribiotic ointment
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Post by ra on Feb 27, 2009 20:55:15 GMT
Are there any All Pet Animal Hospitals in your area? I took a chance and called a new one that opened near us not long ago. I really didn't expect they would care for exotics like Degus but to my surprise they did. Still have limited knowledge specific to Degus but have some experience with them. I think they had two or three other clients with Degus.
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Post by greykitten on Feb 27, 2009 22:41:52 GMT
I'll check around! The closest I've found is an hour and a half away So I'll keep looking!
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Post by greykitten on Mar 4, 2009 4:18:39 GMT
Sadly my little Moon passed away in my arms tonight It looks like it was an upper respiratory infection (I lost my chinchilla, Toby, to something similar in November)
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bobman
Burrowing Degu
Posts: 144
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Post by bobman on Mar 4, 2009 15:23:19 GMT
Greykitten-please accept my sincere condolences. It really breaks my heart when I hear of these things and I can understand the pain you are experiencing at the moment especially as you had an earlier loss of your Chinchilla. May the pain soon subside.
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Post by greykitten on Mar 4, 2009 16:37:53 GMT
Thank you Bob. I hurt more for Star who lost her sister and keeps looking for her. That breaks my heart more.
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Post by littlred on Aug 14, 2009 8:05:13 GMT
Hi i wonder if someone could give my alittle advice on what to do - i bought 2 male degus last Sunday and the more timid one of the two has hurt his claw and its bleeding at the base of it and he seems to have another claw missing - do we run to the vets[as my 13 year old son is saying] or is this quite common and can be sorted out by me, any suggestions,help, will be great.
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Post by taipan on Aug 14, 2009 12:39:41 GMT
I'm not sure what to suggest as this hasn't happened to me, but try and see if you can bath it i luke warm slightly salted water. also it might be a good idea to start this as a new thread so more people will see it.
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Post by carlyb on Jun 18, 2010 14:15:27 GMT
I have 2 male Degu's at home. Recently i have noticed that one of them had a bald spot on his back. I have been putting their degu bath in their cage as normal, and i have had a good look at the bald patch and it isn't infected or sore and he doesn't seem to be experiencing any pain but the patch has got bigger, any ideas at all anyone?
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 18, 2010 14:34:38 GMT
It could be either that his cage mate is over grooming his back, or it could be alopecia. Degus are known to have occasional bits of alopecia, and usually the fur will grow back. Neither condition is a problem to the degus health. It may mar their appearance a bit, but that is only in the eye in the beholder. When we love them, they're beautiful.
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Post by carlyb on Jun 21, 2010 13:44:02 GMT
Oh, thank you so much for your help and advise, i was stressing that it was some serious! This has put my mind at rest now!
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