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Post by ourdegu on Jan 4, 2011 20:54:32 GMT
Hey guys, Well Cheese and Pickle have been with us for almost a week now and they seem to be settling in nicely and starting to come out of their shells. We've now started noticing some behaviours which we're not sure about.
Both of them seem to be scratching alot. Is this normal or a sign of unwanted friends? We put in a dust bath once a day using an metal loaf tin.
Despite being two boys (well apparently anyway) we seem to catch them mounting each other. Is this normal? We know one is definitely a male as seen his genitals but the other hasn't been so open!
When we put the food in tonight they fought over it and made lots of noise. One got pushed away and seemed to not be allowed near it until the other had got the best bits. Eventually both did get there fill but just want to check to see if this normal or if it is something we need to keep an eye on.
btw the handling is coming on quite nicely. We have managed to hold both of them now and tried to do it that they associate being handled with a treat. Hoping that in time both will get used to handling. Next thing is to get their run built and remove all the wire platforms and ladders in the cage. Thinking of having the run so that they can access it by a ladder from the cage. Going to use something like old tumbledryer hose as a tunnel on the ladder so they don't just jump off.
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Post by Jaiye on Jan 4, 2011 21:00:44 GMT
The tumbledrier hose sounds like a good idea! Just watch them closely, as won't take much for them to chew through it if they get an edge =S
My two also used to fight over the food bowl so I bought them a second one, give the same amount of food (but split into the two bowls) and out at opposite ends of a shelf. Then they both get the best bits as one cant hog two bowls at once! Seems to work this end quite well!
Glad to hear the handling is going well though =) Patience is a virtue with googles! But the rewards are so worth it ^____^
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Post by degus123 on Jan 4, 2011 21:01:35 GMT
The fighting and mounting is normal, even degus of the same sex mount each other. It's a dominance thing. The fighting over food is again normal, do you have just the one dish or do they get one each. I use 2 so they get one each, but this does not get riid of the fights over food completely it does assist. Regarding the scratching, they may be just self grooming, sure someone else will help.
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Post by smux on Jan 4, 2011 21:04:02 GMT
Mounting is normal, it's dominance and trying to decide who the boss is. To be on the safe side, there are plenty of sexing guides on the net and a few are linked to in this forum so you could double check them to be sure 100%.
Scratching is normal, but if excessive it isn't...is their skin red in the areas where they scratch, if so they definitely have some sort of problem but it doesn't have to be fleas/mites, it could just as easily be something in the environment you're using like hay (been known to carry fleas/mites, although if bought from a shop it should have been treated) or wood shavings (usually dust extracted, but if it hasn't been done well enough then the dust could get under their fur and make them itch or into their lungs and cause problems with breathing) or even the bedding you're using. Switching to another brand of each temporarily will give you an idea of whether that's the problem or not (if it's fleas/mites in the hay, you'd have to disinfect the cage completely before putting in new bedding and the boys, after treating their infestation of course) They may have come to you like that as well, where did you get them from?
The one who got the best bits is the dominant guy, he's also going to be the fatter one. Be prepared to take him out at feeding time once you've got the handling under control, let it be his cuddle time while the other one gets his fill then refill the bowl and let him back in to have some of the good bits too and take out the other guy for a cuddle.
Wire ladders...do you mean mesh or rungs? If it's rungs, definitely remove them, if it's mesh like the sides (smaller holes like the floors) you can leave them in.
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Post by ourdegu on Jan 4, 2011 21:12:26 GMT
Guys thanks for the quick replies. We had thought that it would mostly be down to dominance. For the time being we will just keep an eye on it and try to manage it. Everything in the cage is mesh at the moment. I have laid a piece of softwood down one length of the largest mesh platform to give them somewhere else to stand. I am hoping to eventually get the entire cage to be mesh free and just have wooden ledges and platforms, but at the moment it is proving difficult due to not being able to remove the guys into another safe haven. We are currently also looking for a hammock for the guys. Just had a look at hammockyhammocks.co.uk, however not sure which will be degu safe. Any ideas or recommendations of other websites for them?
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Post by smux on Jan 4, 2011 21:21:30 GMT
Most cages have a mesh base with an all-metal base underneath, in my experience...does yours have this? If so, do as most of us have done and remove this mesh and let them have wood shavings/hay directly on top of the base as a floor. As for the other floors, there are tons of options for you. Lino, although they do like to chew it, is one, it's cheap and easy to cut into the required shape. Cardboard is easier to get, cheaper, and slightly harder to cut into the required shape and also more likely to be chewed. Ceramic tiles is the degutopia-suggested flooring and is more expensive but a permanent solution...7 months down the line, I still use cardboard as a floor in my cages, although sometimes thin plywood if I manage to get some for free when someone dumps furniture with a plywood back (obviously wash it first, I'm not a slob...just a cheapskate :-P) around my area. If you remove the base as mentioned above, you'll have a template from which to cut the required size of cardboard and one of you can hold the two little guys while the other puts it in...but don't worry for now, they're not going to get bumblefoot just like that, they'd be fine for months although the sooner you do it the better :-)
Regarding hammocks, there is always the option of making your own. There's been posts recently in the cage/accessories section about cheaply made hammocks and hanging baskets, it may take a little bit of work but it'll feel more like an accomplishment and you can spend the saved money on other treats for them...you can also make hammocks with old clothes, or a hammock tunnel with an old pair of jeans...the possibilities are almost endless, and it's all in the cages/accessories section :-p
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Post by ourdegu on Jan 4, 2011 21:28:22 GMT
Smux thanks again for all the great suggestions. I will have to do some digging around the cage/accessories section The first thing we did with the cage is remove the mesh base and instead have just used wood chippings on the floor directly. as for the other floors...thanks for the suggestions. Will look at other ways of changing it up for them.
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Post by Bexi87 on Jan 4, 2011 23:20:05 GMT
I got a hammock from Hammocky Hammocks just before Christmas and it is amazing - just a shame my girls don't know how to use it
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