Grieving Degus

[19Uhr30]

Hi there!

Does anybody have experiences with degus that grieve very visibly over the loss of a companion? When my first Degu (Regina) died I did not realize any change in their behavior at all. Almost two years ago when Fetti died, the others were searching for her for a while after she was gone. When Rufus died last July, they were a bit more calm in the following days, but they were very well prepared.
But at the moment it is very different. Loki died absolutely unanticpated on Sunday. She suddenly began to move erratic and without control over herself and passed away a few minutes later. Wanda had seen it happen and was frightened for the rest of the day but the others seemed okay... until tuesday.
Kruemel just seems to devastated now. She has stopped eating, she is not very interested in anything, she even spend the whole night alone on her hot water bottle instead of cuddling together with Lieselotte and Wanda. There are no signes of sickness besides that. I was a the vet today and the only thing wrong he could find was a very empty stomach. Well... That does not come as a surprise. She got some medicine that should stimulate her appetite and I managed to make her eat few grams of pap.
It almost seems like she just realized two days later that Loki will not come back. And now she grieves so much. It fits her character. Although she is very stubborn, she is also very sensitive. She has reacted similar in the past when she lost fights about rank. But it is the first time I see a degu react this way because of the death of another degu.

Has anybody made similar experiences?

[smithomatic]

Im so so sorry to hear this Uhr, I have not experienced this but i am not surprised to hear about this kind of behaviour, im kind of surprised this kind of behaviour does not occur more often amongst degus.

I really really hope Kruemel gets better soon! I was so distressed to read this its truly very sad

I hope someone can offer some constructive advice!

[deguconvert]

Well over four years ago we lost one of our original degus, and the sole remaining boy immediately lost heart and grieved. We went out an got two pups which helped him pretty quickly . . . but in the between time we spent most of the time cuddling him and letting him sleep in our clothing. This cheered him up and created a special bond with him. It was only over a period of about 36 hours, but it did make a difference.

We lost one of our three boys this last August. His death was completely unexpected, he didn't act different, lose weight, or have any teeth problems etc. He died in his sleep and looked so perfect it was hard to believe he was actually dead. Initially we didn't notice any difference in the remaining two boys, but after a couple of weeks we could see that they were less active. They weren't enjoying their usual favorite treats, mostly ignoring them. They hardly ran on their wheels, which were almost always in use before. AND most striking of all, they didn't try to avoid being caught by my daughter. They ALWAYS run when she comes to get one of them. This continued and continued, and by end of September I was concerned that their health might suffer from their lack of interest in everything. Already, both were showing evidence of cataracts, which were new. Mid October we went out and came home with two young pups to introduce to them to the boys. Well, the change was almost instantaneous. Right away the boys perked right up and have been MUCH happier ever since.

Kruemel needs to have the time to grieve, but perhaps you can help to soften her grief by spending more time with her. In a short while, you might want to consider finding a young female pup to add to the group?

[NightwishRaven999]

Benjamin
I saw your dedication video to Loki on Youtube.
I am so sorry about your loss.

I know Rufus was sick for a long time and I know that other degus are able to sense when a comrade is not well. Loki's sudden death would explain much of Kruemel's grief...she must be as surprised and as shocked as you, at Loki's passing.

Animals often surprise us when we realise they too have deep feelings for each other.
I am very sad to hear this Benjamin, and although I have no advice to give on this matter, I do hope Kruemel gains some comfort from Wanda and Lieselotte.

Please keep us updated.

[19Uhr30]

Thank's for the sympathies everyone!

It does not suprise me at all that they have deep feelings for each other. But since I have experienced their behavior around the loss of comrades before I assumed that they cope with that very well. And it made sense to me. After all in the wild they are prey and must deal with this situation regularly. It seemed logical that they would not grieve that much about the dead. But then again our degus are not living in the wild. They do not lose companions that often and stay alive together much longer. It seems like I have underestimated that. Rufus death is not that long ago, although I would assume that half a year is quite some time for a degu. Losing two close friends might have been a bit much for her to deal with. What is strange is that Wanda and Lieselotte seem to be absolutely fine. But then again Kruemel is a very sensitive lady. And maybe her relation to Loki was much closer than I had realised.

She seems to do a bit better today. She spend the night with the others again. And this morning she ate quite a bit of pap. She still does not take treats but at least I will be able to stop the loss of weight.

deguconvert At the moment I would prefer not to add new degus to the group. And in general I prefer grown out ones over pups. When Rufus and Kruemel grew up they had more fights then I can count. And any pup will reach puberty. I do not know whether that would be the right company for old Kruemel. In fact I chose Loki, Lieselotte and Wanda in 2010 because they were already adults.

[deguconvert]

That thought did occur to me, but as I was pressed for time at the moment, I left my post as it was. Bringing in an older degu is certainly a good option and one you have already had success with, should you decide in the future that the group needs another. Pups do have the obstacle of puberty!! It is a considerable one, and I don't blame you for not wanting to repeat the experience. Especially since it seems that your experience was full of fighting. That must have been stressful. Whatever you may decide in the future, today's news that Kruemel slept with her companions and ate a good breakfast is good news indeed!! I am so relieved for you that she shows a lifting of heart today.

[NightwishRaven999]

Feb 9, 2012 14:22:54 GMT 19Uhr30 said:

She seems to do a bit better today. She spend the night with the others again. And this morning she ate quite a bit of pap.

That is atleast, a bit of good news !

[19Uhr30]

Today I cleaned up the whole cage thoroughly. I hope removing the old smells of Loki now will help a bit.
I think Krümel is slowly recovering. She eats her pap when I offer it to her so her weight is stable. And she also ate two pumpkin seeds and a bit of lettuce today. She also seems to be more interested. Although I would prefer if she did not spend that much time alone.

[malteser60]

Oh, poor Krumel. She does look so sad in the pic. What is it she's lying on? Is it a paper mache building?

[19Uhr30]

It is an old hot water bottle covered in a cloth bag. Well... it is not exactly a bag anymore because Lieselotte thought it would be great nesting material. I am glad she gave up on that because laying on hot copper would not be that comfortable.