jojo
Newborn Degu
Posts: 13
|
Post by jojo on Mar 5, 2012 11:19:34 GMT
I am looking to get around 6 same-sex Degu's for my large multi-level cage.
As this is my first time keeping Degu's I was wondering if it would be best to keep females rather than males? I have read about males fighting and having to be split up - I really don't want to have to do this!
On a side note - it's hard to buy 6 female degu's at the same time - is it best to find a breeder rather than using pet stores such as Pets At Home?
|
|
ava
Burrowing Degu
Posts: 215
|
Post by ava on Mar 5, 2012 13:46:16 GMT
I don't think there's much of a difference between males and females when it comes to fighting, but I could be wrong (I did read somewhere that females fight more, but since then have not seen any references to that). If you adopt you might find two sets of three degus. Though are you sure you don't want 3 or 4 instead? You can probably find some together that way, plus they'll have loads of space if your cage is originally big enough for 6. I'm sure someone will come along with a much better answer to your questions soon enough though, lol.
|
|
|
Post by deguconvert on Mar 5, 2012 18:00:52 GMT
I think females have a lower rate of fighting, but that depends on the females individually . . . some are downright scrappers!!! Since this is your first go at having degus, I would recommend starting with three, and then increasing your lot once you have had some time and experience with them. They are very different from your average rodent and most people find that the learning curve for a new to degus owner is pretty steep. They can be rather overwhelming at first, especially if there are any health issues to suddenly deal with. We had two initially, and then increased to three, and I found that going from two to three was a surprisingly more challenging change than I anticipated. Getting to know them all and hand tame them was much more demanding than it had been with just two. I can't imagine how much more so it would be if I started with six. Anyhow, I would recommend you think about it, and if you still want six, it might be a better choice to try and locate a breeder. Hopefully that way you will be sure to have only females, as hopefully an experienced breeder will be well able to correctly discern the gender differences.
|
|
|
Post by moletteuk on Mar 6, 2012 17:48:15 GMT
I think I would have been overwhelmed with six as a novice! They have such big personalities and so much attitude that I don't think you would be disappointed with the entertainment value of three, maybe four.
I think girls are a slightly lower risk for fighting, and any fighting is usually worst around puberty when they are aged approx 4 to 12 months, so if you are concerned about this you could consider taking on full adults.
Of course, like you say, it depends what is available. Have you had a look in the adoption section here or tried local rescue places, or local adverts?
|
|
|
Post by amie on Mar 6, 2012 19:46:03 GMT
I think males fight more. As I've found with most animals, females are the 'busier' of the sexes. Generally, girls do more than boys and appear to be a lot more active than males. I'm not saying males are laxy as such, but I think girls are constantly 'making' things.
|
|
|
Post by yasmin on Mar 6, 2012 23:40:56 GMT
I've got one cage of 6 females, one of 5 females, and one of 5 males. My cages are the large, four-level, Midwest Critter Nation cages. If I could afford it, I'd have no more than 4 degus per each of these super large cages – I think it would be better for them though they all do spend alot of time on the same level all together.
They are alot of work and the more you have the more you risk that they all develop some genetic health issue, like lingual malocclusion, and then you have to spend six times the vet bills.
Also, from my experience, six degus require at least three food bowls or you'll have alot of fighting over food – male or female. And, six degus require alot of cleaning; my males are overall alot cleaner. However, the males seem to have more conflicts with each other. I have three wheels in their cage so that they can burn off their excess of energy. (The females have two per cage.) The boys' cage is made up of their father and his four sons – one that is 6 months old, the three others 5 months old. Heaven help me when they turn 10 months of age because I've heard that that is when the fighting really starts.
To sum up, I'd recommend that you go with females if you really need to have 6 of them in one cage (but make sure that they are indeed all female when you get them. I started last June with what I was told were four females. Ahem, they were wrong – one was male – and now I have 16 goos.) Otherwise, 4 is a much better number. Also, get some advice on how big a cage is actually ideal for 6 degus.
(Where do you live? You could take on one of my cages of five for practice. Just kidding – sort of. LOL)
|
|
|
Post by maddy4moos on Mar 7, 2012 0:23:28 GMT
i got advised both online and by my pet shop that it is harder to introduce male degus to male degus (unless they come from the same litter) than males to females (or visa versa) - but then you need to make sure that one of them is neutered or spayed to stop having pups.
We want to get more and were advised to get a couple of neutered females (or spay my males before i got females) and introduce them in neutral grounds (not the cage) and keep them in separate cages until they are comfortable around each other etc...
|
|
|
Post by Puppyduck on Mar 7, 2012 11:53:50 GMT
With my males, as with my females, they are all related; the two mothers live with their daughters, and now that the two fathers have passed on, it's all brothers. When I did introduce a new unrelated male to the boys, there was obviously a bit of dominance scrapping to establish the pecking order, but after that, no issue at all. The boys do play fight far more than the girls, and the girls are far more subdued, but there is generally very little difference between them. I started off with boys and over the years I've realised that each sex is equal in terms of difficulty to keep.
In response to introducing new degus to an existing group, a dustbath and a very clean cage is your best friend. I also found rubbing bedding from the main groups cage onto the newcomer helps as well. But a seperate cage and introducing on neutral ground is the best idea.
|
|
|
Post by Maravilla on Mar 7, 2012 17:23:00 GMT
Let's say it like this: degus are little personalities. It very strongly depends on the individuals if they like each other or not. I have seen some very bad fights among my girls, during introductions as well as in an existing group. There wasn't anything ladylike!!
@ maddy4moos, it isn't normal that girls are getting neutered as the surgery would be far too complicated and dangerous. It's normally the boys that have to go through it. I've never heard of a neutered girl.
As for introductions, there are different ways of doing it. Most important thing is lots of time and patience!!!
@ Puppyduck, what should the very clean cage be for? An introduction is not the moment of being set together but comprises the whole period from the first contact until a couple of months of living in harmony. The first days can be promising but a degu owner should never be too sure about it. Fights can start even some weeks later.
I wouldn't support the idea of the neutral ground. It can be perfect there, no fights at all. And then? Once inside the cage fights can start is it is then when the new ones are entering the territory of the old ones.
|
|
|
Post by nuttz on Mar 8, 2012 17:03:05 GMT
thats a hard one.. but in my humble opinion i would go for girls.. i have a group of four girls that get along great but goodness..........its still early days as its a mother and 3 babies and they are only 5 months old, im hoping they continue to live in harmony, if not, their cage is plenty big enough to split in two! i also have two groups of two boys.. one group, or should i say pair get on great, the other two are a nightmare, always bickering but one of the males from the naughty pair was involved in a fight once that led to the death of his brother, so im not all that sure if its him that the instigator? either way, if i had a choice i would definitely opt for girls, ive never ever seen any fights with them as yet (5 months on).
|
|