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Post by skilly16 on Sept 3, 2012 15:12:31 GMT
We have had our two young boy degus approximately 48 hours and I am so in love. Can't stop looking at them ;D However, one of them, Joey, is way more reserved and shy than Polo, and we noticed Joey is missing a huge chunk from his tail, it's about 5 cm shorter than Polo's. So we were wondering perhaps something happened to him/his tail when he was younger thus giving him his scaredyness... Any ideas? What could have caused his tail loss?!  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2012 15:19:22 GMT
Oh wow that seems like a big injury. Ouch! The cause of the incident seems to lie in where he grew up or who he was with. It could have been a fight with another degu or he could have caught his tale in a wheel or the cage. If someone has pulled the end of his tail part of it would have fallen off so it could have been that. They're are so many possibilities to tail loss, degus are delicate creatures.  If you got them 48 hours ago they won't be used to you yet therefore that's probably a main factor of Joey's scaredness. It takes some degus weeks to be able to be comfortable around you. Degus don't like change that much so he will be scared anyway. Hope I've helped xxx |
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Post by skilly16 on Sept 3, 2012 15:24:46 GMT
Thankyou for the reply! I know it's early to expect him to be comfortable, think I'm impatient! And Polo is so comfortable already, jumping up our arms and into our hands, guess I shouldn't compare them Hopefully whatever it was that hurt his tail, he will forget about! Poor thing ... |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2012 15:27:36 GMT
I can understand you being impatient, It's exciting! I think you should just leave Joey some time to adjust to his new surroundings. You will probably never know what happened to his tail but lets hope it didn't hurt him that much. Entice him with treats to make sure he knows you can trust him |
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Post by moletteuk on Sept 3, 2012 16:50:24 GMT
Congratulations on your new degus  I'm sure you will have them both eating out of the palm of your hand, literally and figuratively, very soon! Don't worry about Joey being more reserved, it's just different personalities, it doesn't even necessarily mean he will end up less tame, just give him time. His tail must have de-gloved, they are able to shed the end of the tail if it gets trapped or grabbed, it's a very common injury, and nothing to worry about if it is well healed up and the degu can still balance and get around OK. There are lots of scenarios that can lead to a de-gloving incident, it could have been an innocent accident and not be related to him seeming more timid. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2012 17:03:45 GMT
I think me and moletteuk both agree on the same things. Degus have very complex personalities and maybe this one is just timid. One of the best things with timid animals (I think) is that a lot of them will develop really close relationships with just one person - probably you!
Hope all goes well xx
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Post by skilly16 on Sept 3, 2012 20:07:43 GMT
Thankyou both, I'm feeling reassured His tail is fully healed so at least infection or anything is not a worry. Have also noticed Polo being dominant with the food and toys so have put 2 food bowls in the cage and that seems to be better. I just love them so much already! |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2012 20:38:40 GMT
One to be dominant and one to be submissive is very normal in most animals. When I had two kittens (I miss them so much!) one of them was extremely playful and confident. She loved being around others and getting attention however the other would get so shy around others but she was much more calm than the other cat. These cat's were the reason why I said that timid ones form a really close relationship with one person as my timid cat did with me. I would recommend putting two water bottles in the cage two, just to be sure |
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Post by skilly16 on Sept 3, 2012 22:00:44 GMT
I just feel so sorry for the submissive one! Bless him!
Thanks for all your help!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2012 22:09:25 GMT
If your story turns out anything like mine, you might end up with a very trusting relationship with the submissive one. What are their names?
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Post by moletteuk on Sept 3, 2012 22:09:31 GMT
A food bowl for each goo usually works well, as you have found. It's not normally necessary to double up the water supply. It's lovely you are enjoying the first few days so much, they are so captivating |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2012 22:09:47 GMT
Oh sorry. You have already said, my bad.
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 4, 2012 15:14:13 GMT
If Joey associates his tail injury with a human, it will definitely make him more shy and fearful of all humans. So when you are spending time with him, be especially gentle, give him treats everytime he comes near, and talk very gently to him. He definitely can grow past it, but depending on how deep his fear is, it could take a bit of time before he trusts you. Once he does though, he won't turn back!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2012 15:19:16 GMT
I would hate if his injury was related to humans. It seems like a lot came off so I'm guessing it may have been some careless child or adult who didn't know much about degus decided to hold his tail to stop them from running off. I wouldn't be surprised if he was terrified of you but if you follow convert's advice, I'm sure he'll be just fine |
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Post by skilly16 on Sept 4, 2012 16:08:44 GMT
Yeah there's a fair amount missing on Joey's compared to Polo's. They came from Pets at home, so considering what i've heard about there, I don't want to even think about what it might have been. They're only 15 weeks old The good news is Joey seems to be becoming more trusting, ever so slightly but that's enough for me! |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2012 16:14:42 GMT
I have so many angry stories about P@H, most of the staff really don't understand how to look after degus. Most of the animals are kept in a cage only just big enough for them, mostly to save money. It really annoys me, the animals aren''t kept well but they do have some good toys and food to be honest.
Happy that Joey is more trusting. It's quite funny because when I get my 4 degus in about 22 days, one of them is going to be called Joey. But I will probably name the most outgoing and confident one Joey since he is named after the Friends character.
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I'm sure you will have them both eating out of the palm of your hand, literally and figuratively, very soon! Don't worry about Joey being more reserved, it's just different personalities, it doesn't even necessarily mean he will end up less tame, just give him time.