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Post by kaininaste on Oct 17, 2010 16:24:49 GMT
I've had my four month old degus for just over a week now, Dingo was a lot larger (as in fatter) than Coyote when we bought them. I have bought two separate feeding bowls as Dingo always ended up sitting in it and not really letting Coyote have any.
I was advised that as they are so young there isn't really anyway to tell if they are overweight in terms of weighing them, but I was wondering if there is a way that I could possibly get Dingo to shed a few pounds without cutting Coyote's food too! They're both very energetic and always in their wheel and I'm very sparse on treats with them atm given Dingo being a tubby!
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Post by deguconvert on Oct 17, 2010 20:37:03 GMT
Do you have a set of kitchen scales? Could you weigh them? At four months old I would think that they would be somewhere between 50 - 70 grams? I'm only guess here though. Are there some other members that have pups of about the same age that could weigh theirs and give an approximate weight to judge by? Having a weight would help us know a little more about Dingo.
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Post by kaininaste on Oct 18, 2010 7:50:54 GMT
I'll will try and get him on the scales tonight . Pets at Home is the only place/people I know that have them at around that age. I'm a bit worried because since I've had him he drinks far more and although he is quite active, he doesn't seem too fussed by anything and just toodles around. I'm calling P@H today as he just doesn't seem quite right and I'm a tad worried he's not the healtiest!
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Post by deguconvert on Oct 18, 2010 15:20:22 GMT
Well . . . generally speaking, the onset of diabetes often results in weight loss rather than weight gain, so if that is one of your fears, I think you can relax in that regard. The thing that does occur to me is the potential that you may actually find that he isn't a male but is a female, and a possibly pregnant female. Female degus can become sexually mature as early as 6 weeks of age if they have been born and raised in a nutrionally rich environment and safe conditions. That can be the case in any home where the degus are responsibly cared for. Degus are frequently mis-sexed and this is because both male and female have what is called the urethral cone . . . it looks like a penis to all that are not informed . . . which is most people population wise. Even most pet store personel! The difference is not determined by the fact that both sexes have the urethral cone but by observing the distance between the urethral cone and the anus. If you are able to hold your degus in your hand, belly up, and gently move their tail back, you can see their bits. A female has the urethral cone and the anus in very close proximaty, so that if you outlined them you would see something that closely resembles the figure 8. The male has a distance between them, say about the width of a finger, and if you were to outline his bits it would resemble the outline of an old fashioned door lock.
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Post by deguconvert on Oct 18, 2010 15:25:31 GMT
OH . . . check both of your degus so that you know what sex they both are. If Dingo is female and Coyote is male . . . don't panic just yet. HE will not be coming into sexual maturity until he is six and more months, so he cannot yet impregnate anyone. If Dingo is female, "she" would have likely been impregnated by her father or another adult male in the cage she was born in. Although this is alarming, it isn't disasterous. The babies (if there are any) may have a somewhat shorter life, when there are such close family connections between parents, and they might have some problems like cataracts, be more susceptable to illness, and things, but they can still have a happy life.
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Post by kaininaste on Oct 19, 2010 7:58:49 GMT
Dingo seems to be male, how long until she/he gives birth if she/he is pregnant?
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Post by deguconvert on Oct 19, 2010 14:31:18 GMT
Degus have a 90 day gestation, so you said they are 4 months old? That means, they are about 120 days old. 90 days = 12 weeks, 120 days = 16 weeks, earliest possible conception 6 weeks age, SO 6 weeks + 12 weeks would equal 18 weeks of age which would mean that about four and a half months of age would be the soonest you might see pups. Relatively SOON!
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Post by kaininaste on Oct 20, 2010 7:50:41 GMT
Hmm... that could be fun. I tried to get Dingo to see if he/she is female this morning but he was having none of it! Unlike Coyote who was climbing all over the place ¬.¬
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Post by kaininaste on Oct 20, 2010 12:30:39 GMT
Trying to get Dingo on the scales didn't work. He's been really weird recently, he used to come out on my hand and now he'll put two paws on IF there is a treat involved, then he grabs it and runs off.
He's also got rather fluffy and just wants to stay in his cage.
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Post by nuttz on Oct 20, 2010 13:01:34 GMT
my chips is a bit like that now, he used to come and sit on my hand when eating his treats however, since weve had chocs im lucky if he lays two hands on me before legging it off...lol chocs now seems to be the one thats more interested in me lately.
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