Tips for training?

[DRattmann]

I've finally got suitable treats for my degus, and I was pretty excited about having some way of teaching them that coming to me or going back in their cage is something they will be rewarded for. However, after letting them try a piece when they first came out they just wanted to go on the hunt for more. I definitely need to have my boyfriend around to help since they're a big handful and having one person to one degu would make life a lot simpler, I'm just wondering how others have trained their degus.

Where do you keep your supply of treats while you're training, so they can't get to it, or do you literally have them do something just once so you only need one treat?
How do you avoid them just getting a taste for something they like and trying to nip your fingers to see if it has turned into a tasty treat?
Is there any way of knowing that I'm doing it right? Obviously I can't just do it once and see if they've learned, because it will take a while for them to understand, so is there any other way to tell if my method is correct by observing them?

[cherrysparkey]

Hi there!

I'm not sure about all degus but mine seem to be very quick learners. If you've found a treat they love then they'll probably do anything for it lol. Our treats are kept in a plastic box with a lid, and I take a few treats out at a time.

If they do have a nibble on your fingers and its a bit hard, make a squeak noise to let them know its your finger and its too hard. Ours only have a little nibble to groom us after we've tickled their bellies lol.

We trained them to come to use when we call them, first by tapping the floor (they're wooden) until they came then gave them a treat. They're pretty inquisitive so should come to investigate. And then started using their names with the tapping, then just the names.

If you want to get them back in the cage I've heard some people use a bell i think, but we just call them over and encourage them in lol. I also feed them just before I'm about to put them away and they normally come pretty quick.

I think when I started training them something new I noticed straight away whether they've picked it up or not, if you keep repeating it they get it eventually lol. Then make sure you do it a couple of times each time you get them out to remind them.

Also, I thought it was a bit easier training both degus at the same time, Mo Mo catches on quick (he loves his food lol) and Totoro watches Mo Mo then seems to understand but make sure your bf trains them too otherwise they might not listen to him lol

Hope this helps!

[DRattmann]

He will definitely train them. Our room is still in the prep stage when it comes to degu-proofing, so we've been giving them the bed to run on with a roofed dust bath and and open carrier for them to run to if they get scared. The open door of the cage has little chains to keep it up like a draw bridge, so it's closer to the bed so they can easily run into there as well.

We had them out just now and Atlas got onto the floor and started exploring under the bed. I don't believe there's anything under there that could be harmful to him, just stuff I don't want him to harm and too much stuff for him to hide behind. I should have it all cleared and boxed and tidy by the end of tomorrow, but I haven't finished that yet. My boyfriend was on the bed with P-body, using natural puffed rice to teach him to come to his hand while I attempted to coax Atlas back.

Now, obviously we will be degu-proofing the floor before the next real outing because Atlas clearly has no more concerns about going on the floor (whereas P-body isn't sure about it yet!). What would your advice be for making a degu realise you have a treat? They've both eaten the treat and they both LOVE it, but Atlas was just too interested in everything else in the room to be easily attracted by what I was holding.

I had actually just been considering having them out separately (until they are better trained), since Atlas seems to be the dominant, more confident one and he COMPLETELY ignores whatever P-body is up to so he wouldn't learn by example very well. My concern is that whoever is left in the cage is going to want to come out as well and could be stressed out by being stuck in the cage, plus I'd feel bad not having an open door for the degu we have out to get back into his cage. I'd really just like to build up a bit more of a relationship with Atlas so he doesn't just run away and ignore me completely like he did today.

Also, I'd like to check that my degu proofing sounds like I've thought of everything:

- Clear surfaces of anything they could chew, damage or knock over.
- Put everything under the bed into crates or boxes and possibly remove them from under the bed to stack them by or outside the bedroom door during outings.
- Make sure all draws and cupboards are shut properly.
- Regularly hoover ALL areas of the floor to make sure there are no crumbs or bits of rubbish that might be harmful hiding under furniture.
- Unplug/turn off all electrical equipment and either (a) remove them from the room or (b) have them somewhere safe and visible so we can easily stop the degus eating them.

Does that sound okay? There will be furniture they can run under and potentially hide under, but I think that if I remove all hazards that should be okay and once they learn to return to us it won't be a problem at all. If they hide under something in the early stages then, as long as nothing can hurt them, I can just let them return in their own time.

[cherrysparkey]

It takes time for them to explore and get used to everything, our goos ignored us mostly the first few times we had them out (to many exciting things for them to explore!) I'm sure once hes had a good look round and checked all the hidy holes he'll come to you for treats. How long have you had your goos for?

I probably wouldn't separate them if I were you, the one inside would probably want to come out and vice versa lol, might also be more fun for them to explore together?

Maybe whenever they come near you give them a treat, then they might get more interested? If you are quite new to them they might not quite trust you yet.

Your plans for degu proofing sound good, maybe every once in a while look around the room for chew marks and see if you've missed anything (its amazing what they find interesting!)
Not sure if it would work with your furniture but we've covered most of our stuff with old sheets to give a bit of protection and its easily washed. Could you try making a wire mesh or fabric skirt to go around the bed to protect everything and stop them going under? Totoro used to love hiding under their old cage and it was a bit of a nightmare to get him out so i blocked it with newspaper and cardboard (which he then dragged into his bed lol).

[deguconvert]

I was thinking the same thing for under the bed . . . perhaps even using some wide boards that would fit between the bottom of your bed and the floor, and blocking off under the bed access from wall to corner of the bed, and again from bed corner back to the wall. That way, you could still crate your items for ease of removal when you want them, but can also prevent your goos from going beneath and hiding behind or in the far distance where you can't easily get them.

[moletteuk]

I think for free time and taming and training you've got to try things and see what works for you and your degus. You seem to be on the right track with the degu proofing the room Skirting boards are the main thing that it is difficult to prevent them chewing. Just watch them really closely while everything is new, which I'm sure you are doing anyway.

With the treats, I stash them in my pockets, a jumper with a big pouchy pocket at the front works well. It also depends what kind of treats you are using, sometimes you will want treats that come in small bits like oats that they need to stay in one place to eat, sometimes a single small item like a piece of dandelion or seed or veg is good for a reward treat. Or you can keep treats in a box high up out of reach of them.

I think some degus are more trainable than others, or the types of thing you can train them varies between degus. My degus don't take any notice of my voice unless I yell, so I've never been able to teach them their names or 'dinner' or anything, but I've made some progress with potty training and they all go to their positions for their dinner when they see the bowls and so on. Actually, now that I think about it, I think they've trained me more than I've trained them!