Help! Chula is pregnant by sibling!

[ineedcoffee]

I am in need of advice! My 2 girls are actually one boy and one girl! They are siblings! Will the babies be healthy? Chula is due in 3 weeks and I'm concerned! Any advice?

[ra]

Hard to say with inbreeding. My Mocha was bred by either her father or one of her brothers. She was supposed to be a "he".

Mocha had nine babies. One must have been stillborn(found a week later neatly buried under the nest box). The other eight, three girls and five boys were very healthy. No problems with any of them.

We were very lucky. Just keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best. Remember to separate them as soon as the babies are born. You can put them back together a few days later so he can help care for the babies.

You can either have him neutered or keep one boy and one girl for each as cage mates. Of course you will need another cage to keep them segregated.

I kept one of Mocha's daughter as a cage mate.

[jacky]

My first Degu was pregnant by her brother when we rescued her. she had 8 babies but died when they were three weeks old from diabetes . Although the babies seemed ok none of them lived more than 2 years.

[ineedcoffee]

Thanks! So has Mocha's daughter lived long? Another member said her inbreds only lived 2 years.

[ra]

Tanzania, Mocha's daughter just turned 4 years old Saturday March 7, 2009. She seems quite healthy other than her rather pathetic tail brush. Her tail was naked due to Mocha over-grooming her. I had to put Mocha to sleep about 6wks ago now. She had a large bony tumor in her upper jaw that must have been pressing on her brain causing bizarre neurological responses. Since then, Tanzy's tail hair has started growing back but is reddish and white and very sparse.

[ineedcoffee]

Thanks for your encouragement, "ra"! Sorry to hear about Mocha though. Are there specific signs when the moms are very close to giving birth?

[ra]

They do sleep a lot and get a little cranky. I wasn't aware that Mocha was even a female so I wasn't watching for birthing signs. I do remember she slept a lot and it was the only time she ever bit me. She was making loud intermitten squeeks. ( early labor?) I unwittingly opened her cage door and reached in offering her my hand to come out. She bit me through my middle finger.

[ineedcoffee]

Thanks for your advice, ra! I will make sure not to offer Chula my hand when I see the labor signs!

[silverfox7]

my female bubbles just lay round for last 3 weeks, she made lot of noise when she was in labour couldnt settle down, felt very sorry for her