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Post by bigcheez on Mar 14, 2010 2:29:22 GMT
I have been researching small pets and have decided on degus.
My thoughts were to acquire a young male and a female from different sources.
Then to let them grow and mate with each other.
Once they have had a litter, have one of them 'fixed'.
This way I can raise one complete family.
Does this sound like a solid plan?
Is it kinder to 'fix' the male or the female?
Would it be a good bet that the intended parents will mate or is it a roll of the dice?
Once the offspring are of age, will they want to mate with each other?
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Post by deguconvert on Mar 14, 2010 3:41:00 GMT
Having any degu, male or female, fixed can be a risky business . . . and it is strongly advized against before the age of one year. It is less risky for the male to be neutered than for the female to be spade. That means that if you get them as youngsters and keep them together, there will be a six month span where the male is sexually mature enough to father a litter and in that six month time frame you could have a potential of two separate litters . . . all before they are the right age to be fixed. They can have litters of up to 10 pups per litter . . . so 22 animals for you in a years time if all went the way if could go.
If you were to find some degus that were say 10 months of age, very carefully introduce them so that they were bonded safely (degus do NOT fall in love with each other easily), then they could mate at their leisure (might be quick, might take a few months or more), pups in 90 days, have papa neutered once you are sure she is pregnant, don't wait until she gives birth, once papa has a week or so of healing under his belt return him to mate, pups are born and both parents will care for them. At 8-12 weeks (since papa is neutered) you need to separate the boy pups from the girls because once they reach sexual maturity at about 6 months of age they will mate with anything female (mum and sisters alike), they will also become very combative for mating rights and for the top degu position.
These are things you need to be prepared for if this is the plan you want to pursue. Just realise that because there are so many unwanted degus, you may receive some critisim for your thoughts and plans, especially if it turns out that you want to rehome the pups once you have them. Rehoming can be very difficult to achieve.
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Post by iamlina on Mar 14, 2010 9:44:21 GMT
Like deguconvert says...the pups aren't going to be all girls...so if you have even a couple of boys, thats going to cost a pretty penny and that's on top of the risk!
I personally don't agree with breeding. I volunteer at a rescue and always see the results of this. And also...theres plenty of Degus looking for a home...both in small group and large.
x
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Post by bigcheez on Mar 14, 2010 21:00:48 GMT
I was not planning on breeding multiple times. I just thought it would be cool to have one happy family.  I am now leaning away from this plan. That is why internet message boards are great. I get to pick the worlds brain before making decisions. btw ... what is the approximate cost of neutering a degu? |
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Post by deguconvert on Mar 16, 2010 2:04:24 GMT
In the UK it is anywhere from 35 pounds to 80 pounds . . . although I have heard as high as 300 pounds. DON'T go for the 300 pound vet. LOL!! It can help to shop around, and you really need to make sure that your vet knows WHAT a degu is, and HOW to neuter it. Preferably the vet has performed several successful neutering surgeries on degus before looking at yours. If this is a path you wish to follow, ask on here and you will be advised what you need to know about degus vs rats in neutering.
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