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Post by deguconvert on Jun 3, 2010 2:35:45 GMT
Is he still crying?
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Post by DegutasticJen on Jun 3, 2010 12:51:25 GMT
Hey, sorry i didnt come on much last night, so ive only just seen this. My pups used to cry but only for a short amount of time, not for very long, and normaly they only cried when they were hungry and wanted mum to come feed them, but if the pup wasnt alone when this was happening, the only thing i can think of is that mum wasnt allowing pup to feed? I know mums can get a bit sore so maybe she was refusing at that time. I know for certain my pups were very greedy constantly wanting mum.
Have you seen the pup feed from mum? does she seem to allow the pup to feed from her?
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Post by phoenixm on Jun 3, 2010 20:14:01 GMT
that is just the most precious lil guy crying out to his mama.....lol
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nex
Newborn Degu
Posts: 24
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Post by nex on Jun 3, 2010 20:58:23 GMT
he stopped crying after about an hour or so, and it did sound something like the video, thanks!
I haven't actually seen the mum feed him, but he is getting bigger, it's actually a very obvious difference in size from when he was born, so she's most probably feeding him.
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Post by DegutasticJen on Jun 3, 2010 21:41:50 GMT
Awww that's good news! :-) yeah I'm sure she's feeding him perfectly as pup sounds lovely and healthy :-)
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Post by smux on Jun 3, 2010 21:59:15 GMT
You know the old saying...if they're healthy enough to cry, they're healthy enough!
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trace
Newborn Degu
Posts: 1
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Post by trace on Nov 20, 2010 14:04:34 GMT
help got 2 degus off some guy was told they male woke up 2 3 babies ive no idea wat im doing as not had them b 4 .. dont want 2 breed them where can i find a home 4 the male and how do i sex the babies?... can i keep just females in the same cage and how many can i keep 2 gether im told my cage is big enough 4 4 chinchillas
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Post by Bexi87 on Nov 20, 2010 14:22:00 GMT
Do you know for definite that you have a boy & a girl? Is there a possibility that she was pregnant before you got her, when did you adopt them?
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Post by smux on Nov 20, 2010 15:06:27 GMT
To elaborate on what dingle said, there's a guy here who recently posted about his degus and babies, it went something like this...he had degus and got 2 females, one had babies so he assumed the other was a male and put "him" in with his other males and "he" also had babies.
If the guy told you they were both male, it is most likely they are as you think they are and it's a boy and girl, but there is still a chance that they're both female and she was pregnant before you got them.
Dingle asks how long ago you got them because a degu pregnancy tends to last about 3 months (87-94 days to be exact) so if you have had them for less time than this you can be sure she didn't get pregnant in your care. Sexing the babies is a simple process and someone else will post a reply with links if I don't get there first (I will go look for them once I'm done typing), although I have my own method for sexing which is almost 100% accurate and allows for no ambiguity although it does sound a bit seedy to describe and feels just as seedy to do. Basically, take a cotton bud and dip it in WARM water. Hold the degu on their back in the dominance hold (probably the hardest part for most people, keeping them still) and put the wet tip of the cotton bud sideways onto the skin just below the urethral cone (that's the sticky out bit that makes everyone think they're males, esp. stupid Pets@Home staff) so you are holding it from the side. Now twirl it with your fingers so it is rubbing their skin downwards...if the degu is female, her opening should be opened by the warmth and the wetness, but if the degu is male then nothing will happen around the area so keep on trying if you're not sure and want to be definitely sure. If she's a girl, it'll be clear to see.
And the cage, it is definitely big enough for the degus you have and the babies but if you have a boy and a girl you should remove the boy from the cage (as difficult as it may be for you if you don't have a second cage...perhaps you can split the cage up?) to ensure she doesn't get pregnant again as she's at her most fertile right after birth). I would say if it's good enough for 4 chins it'll be good enough for 4 degus. How many babies did she have?
Also, where are you? Unexpected babies are the worst thing to happen, and you might find someone here is local and has more experience and would be able to look after the babies for you. Mum will have to go with the babies, of course, she has to feed them every few hours, but you'd get them all back at the end of it...or at the very least if they are local they can come visit you and help you through it. WE are here to help, of course, so any questions you have you should feel free to ask them no matter how stupid you think it is...the lives of those cute little babies are at stake, so ask away. There's also some useful tips on degutopia and in this section of this forum for looking after and handling babies, you should read through it and make sure you understand it all (and ask us any questions). Once they're a bit older, the female babies can indeed stay with mum (my Theresa has her two girls in with her now looking after her second litter) although you would probably need to sell or give away the boy (give away is best, you're more likely to get a quick response so he can be got out of the cage as soon as possible after weaning is over, which is 6 weeks...he can possibly impregnate mum if he isn't removed, degus can be sexually mature from a young age). You should know also that YOU are capable of looking after them without any problems, I'm not trying to suggest otherwise, degus are pretty much self-sufficient when it comes to babies and mum does most of the work for you until they're old enough to get out there on their own, you just need to pay extra care and attention to her to make sure SHE is happy and give her lots of cuddles and fussing over so she knows she's not alone in this. With my Theresa and the first litter, I would give her lots of free time out and I would sit by the cage listening for the babies...if they called for her, I'd go and get her so she can see what's up...she loved this, all that freedom after being cooped up with babies for all that time.
Lastly, don't be afraid to handle the babies, mum will NOT kill them if she smells your scent on them, she will NOT eat them, degus are not hamsters and they're a lot more civilised...she'd probably welcome the help you provide to keep them entertained. If baby squeaks, slowly move him back into the cage so he can go back to mum. Mum will pick the babies up by the scruff of the neck and take them back into their bed, and when she stops doing this you know they're allowed out to play and it is safer to play with them. You need to interact with the babies regularly from day 1, this is known as "hand taming" and means the babies are used to you from a very early age, a hand tame degu is a wonderful pet to have as they are a lot better behaved when it comes to interacting with you, they're not scared of you or anything. Also, interactions should be simple, just holding them on your hand and talking to them, maybe giving them your finger to play with and nibble (obv. make sure your hands are clean first), once they're a bit older they'll climb up and down your arms and run about your shoulders, they're that comfortable with you :-)). And it is IMPORTANT that you confirm the other degu is male or female, as if it's a female she can stay with mum and help out with the chores.
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Post by nickymills30 on Nov 20, 2010 15:38:25 GMT
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Post by deguconvert on Nov 20, 2010 20:56:46 GMT
I think one of the most important things is to be sure that you are clear on the sexes of each of the adult (?) degus. Degus are very active care givers to their young, and it is very common for the father and or other females in a group to all contribute to the care of any pups. There have been occasions on this forum where the wrong degu was removed from the pups, the mother, and although the father did care for the babies, he was obviously unable to nurse them. This has happened when out of two females, the wrong female was removed, and again the pups were unable to nurse. The nipples on the mother are apparently fairly easy to feel it you run your finger against the hair on the sides of her belly, not in the middle of her belly. Be sure you watch the video on sexing the degus, and remember the method that Smux suggests as a potential use as well. This way, you will know the visual cues to determining the correct sex of degus once the pups are old enough to do that.
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Post by smux on Nov 20, 2010 21:14:12 GMT
Oh, and really my method should be used as a last resort if you can't manage to decide 100% based on previous methods you've attempted...not for any specific reason, just that it's a bit more unorthodox and hands-on while the other methods are less intrusive to the degu. And I thought you'd had baby degus, DC, surely you'd know how easy the nipples are to recognise. For someone who's used to handling the degu, you'd recognise the difference between her before and after getting nipples, and for someone new to the degu it's probably safe to say that running your finger (arch it around them) down their lower sides (so not directly on their left or right side, but lower down inbeween side and below) will generally result in you telling if there's nipples there. I have no idea how much it varies from female to female, but they were very pronounced on Theresa and in fact if she stands up against the side of the cage I can see 6 little black-haired spots of raised fur on a belly of light-coloured fur (the nipples forcing the underlying hair to be visible). And BTW, on another topic, the babies are now in the main cage with mum and sisters (and the babies are loving the freedom) and Dante's on his own with the flatmate for a suitable mourning period before I attempt introductions with one of the others. Best not to respond to that last bit, keep it on topic, I just thought I'd mention it as I'm talking about Theresa :-)
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Post by deguconvert on Nov 21, 2010 6:50:35 GMT
LOL . . . I'm sure my three boys would be every bit as shocked and confused as I would be if suddenly we found babies in the cage. I've never had the fun and pleasure of degu pups . . . nor do I plan to have them, so I've not got personal experience on knowing what their nipples are like. And believe me, they have all rather prominently confirmed their masculinity on several occasions!
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