Fighting Males- really need advice!

[bordie99]

Hi All

Please can anyone help? I have only ever owned females degus, but now I own 4 males. They are around a year old and THEY FIGHT. In fact its now getting expensive with vets bills...creams, arnica, drops...the list goes on.

After another major fight today, I have split the dominant ones (2) and the submissive ones (2) into pairs. Now a dominant and a submissive live in two separate cages as of today. One is so badly injured with a gash on his face and foot, that putting them together for the time being is impossible.

I got them through adoption from Pets at Home and they are all brothers. The cage they live in is fine in size and gives them plenty of chance to escape each other- still no good.

I am thinking now of having 2 adopted to new homes and keeping 2. Is this the right course of action and should I have split them up? The fact is that now they are all happily silent! I cannot take the fighting anymore.

Please advice from anyone is helpful!!

Thanks Bordie

[degus123]

Think you were right to split them up. They will happily live in pairs so I guess the future is in your hands whether to keep all 4 as 2 pairs or give 2 up.

[bordie99]

Thanks- yes I think thats the way forward- it breaks my heart really to do it. But there safety is my priority- I cannot have anymore injuries. Its not fair on them..in the wild I guess they can run further from each other to get away!

[nickymills30]

just a quick question, how long have they been fighting? how close are they to your girls? having them in the same room, could be the problem xx

[smux]

Another suggestion going on Nicky's question...try wearing a gown or something when visiting the girls and take it off before visiting the boys, and keep them in separate rooms. If you handle the girls, remember to wash them first. Any scents the boys can smell on you will start them off.

As for vets bills, learn to deal with the majority of the problems they've had without going to the vet. Most cuts (minor ones, scratches and such...as long as they're not actively bleeding) can be dealt with using some saline (water with salt mixed in) and use cotton buds to apply it to the cuts. The salt shrivels the cuts (hurts a little...make it weak but not too weak) and promotes healing by doing so, and the mix also cleans up the cut fairly well. I'm sure salt and cotton buds are going to be cheaper than getting the ointments and such from the vet. Save your vet trips (and the money for them) for serious problems like mysterious lumps, limps, major problems like eye gouging or large cuts, that sort of stuff. Just from the consultancy fee alone you'll save a few hundred. You could probably also reuse the stuff you've been given previously, I have baytril and allsorts from previous visits that I keep in the fridge so it keeps...just repeat the dosage based on what you've been told before for other issues.

As for splitting them up, it's your choice how you deal with them as you know how they're acting. If they're that bad, it probably is best to split them up...but if you follow my advice above and find it's sorted out (and, having two boys who like to fight when they smell unknown degus, I am pretty sure it will be) then you won't need to deal with them that way.

[bordie99]

Hi - I dont own females anymore- I used too- sorry that was my poor communication. I only own 4 lads now- they are young but its aggressive territorial fighting now- but in pairs they seem fine!! Its a shame.

[degus123]

Best of luck with whatever you decide, like I said only you can decide if you can afford/cope with keeping them in different cages etc.