Semi Newbie!

[riae]

Hey everyone!

Im making a return to keeping goos after losing my little boy nibbles several years ago.

This time i have 4 little girls that have now taken over my home. I know the basics and they are all quite happy running round and generally causing havoc. I was just wondering if you could shed some light on the behaviour one of them is displaying.

Firstly the one that seems to be the boss and is now called squeek runs to the bars every time someone goes near the cage and just squeeks at them constantly although with me and my son she will nibble and lick us but wont entertain my hubby at all. Is this normal and she is just being terratorial?

Also the same girl will fight anyone if they go near the food dish in a morning before she has had her fill. We have ended up taking the food out at night as she will just eat and eat.

Thanks Ria

[moletteuk]

Hi Ria, welcome to the forum

It sounds like Squeek might just have quite a strong personality and be quite territorial. Have you had them long? Where did they come from? Hopefully she will settle down a bit as time passes. My degus are much more wary of my partner than me, I do think animals sometimes have a preference for male or female people. One of my degus is very bossy and self righteous over the cage, she pounces on a hand if you move the substrate in a way she doesn't approve of, she's also a chubster and eats a lot. Fighting over the food bowl is completely normal, it can help to supply a food bowl for each degu.

There have been lots of improvements and new ideas about cage design and feeding over the last couple of years, so do have a look around the forum

[deguconvert]

Hello Ria, and welcome to the forum!! I agree with what Moletteuk has said . . . Squeek sounds like a handful, and a VERY strong personality. LOL! Perhaps DRILL SERGENT is the right word for her . . .? LOL! Degu with the heart of a Rotweiler. Your husband, if he is interested, will have to put forth a patient and extremely charming effort to win her approval. I'm sure you remember that degus live through their stomachs though, so if you know her particular favorite treat, let your husband be the only one that gives it to her for a time. That should soften her up!

It is lovely to meet you, and welcome you back to the pleasures of loving degus!

[stephsie82]

Fighting over the food dish can easily be solved by putting more then one. But put them where they can't see each other eat. My 2 girls used to be able to eat nicely out of the same bowl untill they got more grown up, now I use two bowls, each put on seperate level. They quickly learn that there are two, so when one is not allowed to eat from the same, it quickly goes of to get his food from the other one