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Post by cleocat on Feb 17, 2012 17:59:35 GMT
Just happened to look in the cage today and saw this (see picture) on one of their shelves. No idea what it is, strange kind of poo? Vomit (even though I swear they can't)? I'm really worried and have no idea what it is. I plan to take her (I suspect it is the older female) to the vet asap but if anyone knows what this is please tell me. Attachments:
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Post by fred on Feb 17, 2012 18:01:49 GMT
What is the size of it?
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Post by cleocat on Feb 17, 2012 18:08:09 GMT
Well obviously it's more spread out in the picture because I did some digging around in it to try and determine what it was, but when I saw it it was a kind of pile/lump about an inch long and half an inch across maybe? But when I poked and prodded it it spread out.
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Post by fred on Feb 17, 2012 18:18:31 GMT
But that would be too big to come out of her at either end? (Sorry, couldn't think of another way putting it)
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Post by cleocat on Feb 17, 2012 18:35:04 GMT
I guess that's a fair point but it wasn't solid it was kind of powdery, so isn't it possible that one of them could have produced that somehow? I guess there is a possibility it was something else that had come out of the hay I gave them but it seemed.. "fresh" if that makes sense. Plus how would they have carried it up onto a high perch? Like I said, it was powdery so surely it would have just disintigrated if they had tried to carry it..
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2012 18:39:32 GMT
Is it wet? What does it smell like? To me it looks like peat..
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Post by fred on Feb 17, 2012 18:42:13 GMT
I have done a few searches in the meantime to confirm that degus can't vomit. I simply can't imagine anything that should cause you concern.
Could it be something from the hay for example that became wet and clumped, and thus be carried around; after drying out it could then have disintegrated?
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abirose
Burrowing Degu
Forum Helper
Posts: 276
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Post by abirose on Feb 17, 2012 18:54:32 GMT
Do you feed them nuggets? Maybe they went and buried some of their nuggets and could have weed on them or could have got water on them? Don't know how to put this.......... does it smell?
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Post by moletteuk on Feb 17, 2012 18:59:13 GMT
Can you keep an eye on the degu you are concerned about until you see her do a poop? Probably the quickest/ easiest way to rule out a poop problem anyway.
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Post by amie on Feb 17, 2012 19:05:18 GMT
That does look like broken down nuggets that have got wet and then dried out.
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Post by cleocat on Feb 17, 2012 20:19:58 GMT
Thanks so much for all the input guys, I really appreciate it. To answer some of these questions: I smelled it and it didn't smell "bad"..can't really describe it. I don't think it was food, it really felt like soft, slightly damp soil. I'm still absolutely stumped but I feel more reassured that it isn't a poo problem..I guess it must have just been something that got in the cage from the hay. The main thing that I still can't answer though is how it got onto the high ledge near the top of the cage, it just doesn't seem like something that could have been carried.
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Post by deguconvert on Feb 17, 2012 20:40:14 GMT
It's not one of those compressed litter pellets, is it? One that perhaps got wet and was carried before it had fully softened and fallen apart?
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Post by Karma on Feb 18, 2012 1:35:14 GMT
It does look like soil. I have found in some bags of hay that there are clumps of soil. Maybe the degus found this and tried to carry it up and with the pressure of their teeth and saliva broke it down. Then it turned into a toy and they broke it apart  |
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