2 male degu's, want more how easy to introduce?

[tashacakes]

Hi all!

I have 2 boys they are 2 and a half years old now and I love them to bits. Spud is the more dominate one and he loves his wheel. Mushroom was a little shy and took longer to trust us, he still gets scared but will only hide for a short while then will be back playing with us in no time.

We got them a huge cage recently and I can't stop thinking it would be nice to have 2 more little boys. Wish I had known more when I got them because there were 4 brothers together in the store .

What I want to do is adopted 2 little boys, I understand how to introduce them etc what I want to know is has anyone had success with it? . I have read a lot that they fight and end up in separate cages d I really don't want that.

So please tell me your success stories

[deguconvert]

Hello Tashacakes, and welcome to our fourm! We are delighted to have you join!

We have had many successes, but there are also those that have had to resort to separate cages. Sometimes the separate cages have come a few months after successful introductions. Degus will sometimes have a falling out with each other that for whatever reason, they refuse to get over, and in this respect, degus are known to have a long memory and to hold powerful grudges. As well, degus go through a prolonged adolescent period that starts about the age of 6 months and can last as long as 18 months of age. THIS stage can be very turbulent and chaotic, the fighting can be horrible and the tensions felt by humans and degus alike very stressful. Once beyond this time frame, degus tend to mellow a bit and do better.

Now . . . there are two main camps when it comes to introductions, 1) Introduce pups to adults as degus tend to have strong maternal instincts for pups (male and female alike) and will care for them . . . which seems to make the introductions much easier. The bump that inevitably comes is the onset on adolescence, which plumets at the very least the dominant goo and a challenger into conflict and upsets the colony. This can be very difficult, sometimes bloody, and highly stressful, especially with male degus. 2) Introduce adults to each other . . . bringing in an adult that has been alone can make the introduction process easier, but as you want to bring in two, this will not be a part of what you would be dealing with, assuming you bring in two new ones together. These introductions will need to be done with a view to taking your time, doing them slowly, and being very sure that they have all the time needed to bond successfully. You must have two cages for this process, or you must have a cage large enough to home all four with sufficient room. We have recommendations for cage sizes and you can find them here . . . deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Cage&action=display&thread=9396 . They can be successfully introduced . . . but for either adventure (1 or 2) you must have a strangle hold on your determination, patience, and sense of humor . . . basically a determination that YOU WILL PREVAIL!!! Ahem . . . ;D Also, be sure to ask any and all questions, as we are glad to help!

[stephsie82]

Welcome
I would love to hear about your plan to add two more goos in the future, how it goes, what you did. Since I also have that idea but am waiting untill we moved to a new place.