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Post by sweety22 on Apr 20, 2011 14:09:57 GMT
So yeah i'm excited i have 5 babies that are just about ready to be handled,there almost 3 weeks old. I'm abit worried on how to proceed,my boyfriend and i are living together so were gonna keep a few but the cage i have them in now they kept slipping out. My dad and i put a tarp over it and tied a string around it,then we cut a hole a big one so they could breath. Not sure how to go about taking care of babies after there weened. HELP!  |
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Post by deguconvert on Apr 20, 2011 15:20:43 GMT
If you can use cardboard to line the sides of the cage, they will not be able to slip through anymore, and you won't have to worry about enough air getting in. As well, the degus will chew the tarp to bits, and you don't want them to ingest any of it. The pups, as their mom is weaning them, should convert right over to eating the same food as you are feeding the adult degus. Can I ask what size cage you have them in? (Width, length, height?) They are going to need a fair amount of space for running about. Do you have potential homes for most of your babies? You need to be aware that female pups that have excellent conditions that they have been born into . . . lots of food, hay, water, clean, good space . . . are fertile as early as 6 weeks of age. So if they are still in with Daddy goo . . . he could impregnate them. This isn't something you want to see happen. It is very hard on such a young pup to be pregnant so early, AND inbreeding with her father will bring on nasty genetic trouble for any pups that may be conceived. So . . . I suggest that Daddy goo needs to be moved into his own cage with any of the male pups by the time they are six weeks of age. As for handling the pups, GO FOR IT!  It won't grieve the mom at all, and they will hand train much easier from being handled now. |
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It won't grieve the mom at all, and they will hand train much easier from being handled now.