My four new scared boys.

[Deleted]

So I got my four boys Leroy, Marley, Chandler and Joey at about 5pm yesterday.
I got them from a home that obviously hardly interacted with them and the lady used to always put gloves on to pick them up which was slightly worrying. I'm not going to try to tame them yet, I have offered some treats but they don't really seem interested. The furthest I have got with interaction is a finger groomer on one of them but it looks like the only reason he wasn't running away was because he was scared. Another thing I am worried about is that they don't seem to be drinking. I have two water bottles in the cage but it doesn't look like they know how to use them and I can't put the bottle near for them to teach them because they are still scared of me. So I put a water dish in that has remained untouched. I'm wondering whether its because they are scared that they won't drink but it is really worrying me. Also as soon as I go near the cage one of them wheeps and barks really loudly, I don't even open the cage door and he will start alarming the others. I'm wondering whether this will stop them from ever bonding with me. Anyway, I love my boys even if they don't love me. I'd just like a bit of advice now especially on the water thing.

[Deleted]

Ooh they are all suddenly so excited, none of them are attempting sleep. I put an egg box filled with hay and dandilions in and they love it. One is currently on top of the wheel whilst the other is running. Oh and he fell off the top. Marley is very clumsy.

[deguconvert]

They first off just need time to adjust to their new home. All the new sounds, smells, sights, cage and toys, as well as the trip to your home, will have greatly unsettled their sense of calm. Give them a couple days at least to begin to assimilate all the new information. I think you've done well to put in the water bottles and the water dish. Give them time, and refresh the water dish as needed, and they will drink. The alarm call has to to with all the new stuff, and especially the new you. But you need to understand that even if they had been well and frequently handled by their previous owner, you are still a new and unknown quantity to them, and therefore you need to earn their trust on your own merit. That their previous owner didn't have that trust from them, or OF them, is clear . . . which means that you may have to be even more diligent and patient in your efforts with them. Definitely something you can accomplish though, so keep your hopes up and be determined to enjoy every encounter you have with them. Just be slow and patient and gentle. Go at their pace, not at the pace of your wildest and best dreams.

[Deleted]

Thanks, your brill. They keep warbling which is just so sweet. It's just the fact that they have been here for over 12 hours and haven't drunk anything yet that scares me, I really don't want them to get ill. Do degus usually eat a lot? I think tomorrow I will sit not facing them for a few hours because apparently it helps them get used to you. Today, I am perfectly content just watching them. Wish I could take pictures but they get scared and stopped. LOL. Marley just fell off the hammock into Leroy (I think, hard to tell who is who). Yeah, they are great fun but I'm just so worried about them not drinking.

[Deleted]

Update: Still no sign of them drinking They are so scared of me. I literally walked past to the toilet and they all ran and hid. I have a couple of questions. Do you just put dust bath in the bin after its been used? and basically how do I stop them freezing in terror when they see me. I mean, I knew they would be scared but this just seems to much.

[cherrysparkey]

I think they just drink when you aren't looking, then when they get used to you they'll drink in front of you.

I normally change the sand every so often (depend how much poo and food is in it : I've just made a larger sand pit which fits nicely in our fireplace but uses maybe a bag/bag and a half of chin sand so I can't really replace it everyday.

They just need to get used to you, ignoring them/carrying on with what you were doing might work and not worrying so much. They'll soon learn that you aren't a threat and hopefully wont freeze so much. Our boys still freeze at certain things (mainly big vans that come down our road).

[cherrysparkey]

Oh you could also talk to them while you're moving about so they can hear you and know you're coming near them. They could just be seeing bits of movement and freaking out a bit.

And congrats on your little monkeys!

[dusty]

Don't panic!! It's not been 24hrs yet. They will need time to get used to their new home and find out where everything is. I'm sure they will drink when they need to. There was a lost goo for 6 days on here last week with no food or water and I think he turned out fine
With the dust bath, I don't change the dust each time. I give it a shake and anything solid (clumps of pee, poops, the millet ball they hid fo later) comes to the surface and I just scoop those bits out. Also the dust bath will pick up their scent and yours so they will recognise it as something they have had before and also be bonding with you at the same time. I change it thoroughly after about 4 uses.
They are likely to be rather scared for a few days after the journey and what have you. No sudden movements is quite a good thing to practice, walk past slowly and deliberately while talking to them. If I sit in silence then suddenly stand up they all jump, it's like they forget I'm here ;D Depending on where the cage is you could try a blanket across any vunerable areas. Ours were scared of the shadows at the window after a week they were fine. Oh,and don't shake carrier bags or open fizzy drinks - they don't like it ;D

[Deleted]

Update: I've had a breakthrough! Sort of. They have stopped freezing when I walk past, they sometimes even warble at me, rarely though. Because of my incident when one bit me - I am a bit scared of putting my hand near them so I've been putting a finger groomer on my finger. I have managed to get 3 of them to eat a sunflower seed of the groomer and one to eat one of my hand. There is still one who is very frightened of me and will usually run to the lower levels when I walk past. I think I might try the sunflower seed thing again. It's annoying because they adore sunflower seeds but I know I shouldn't give them very many but it's the only thing that will make them interact with me. Okay so I'm pretty happy at the moment - they still freeze when my mum walks past which is kind of good because it shows that they recognise me. Also one of them has developed a habit where he will run his teeth along a bar for the noise, he just grips on and moves up and down. They also managed to break a little adventure playground I had for them when they were all humping for dominance (three of them at the same time - really funny!) and they fell into it. Yeah - I think they are getting used to me which is great. Because of their constant warbling I think they all have a sweet nature but just a little nervy. If you want to see pics by the way - I have a thread of pics. Well just the ones I managed to get before they realised they were getting their picture taken.
So I have a couple of questions:
1. Even if they haven't drunk it should I replace the water? When and how often?
2. Same applies for food ^
3. How many sand baths should they have in let's say a week?

Oh and thanks for replying last time

[daydreamer3008]

I'm sure they just need a little bit of time to get used to you, and their new surroundings.
They sound lovely though, so congratulations on getting them :')
Your questions:
1) I'm not sure, but I think atleast once every two days, if they aren't drinking it.
2) I'd change it everyday, but if they aren't eating it then I'm not sure because that's a bit of a waste.
3) Probably 3/4 times a week

I'm sure other people will answer them for you, I haven't got goos yet, so I'm not sure... But hope this helps

[ntg]

Ours have unlimited access to their sandbath during free-range time, it became Gandalf's favourite place for a nap so we just let them get on with it. If they started showing signs of overusing it (dry skin etc) I'd start limiting it more.

The food, we're still working on how much they need to be given so that they will eat it all but when we change their food, it will take a bit more shifting as they. Any that's left over gets thrown out everyday to prevent them overeating the grains left over.

At the end of the day it all comes down to personal preference, what one person says will be different to another as we all have our routines. I would change the water everyday if it was up to me but I can't spend all my time at my bfs so instead it gets changed every other day as far as I know... He got annoyed with me for constantly asking if he'd done this or that lol.

[Deleted]

Ahh - well I only got my goos yesterday and I did think it'd be easier than it is. I read so much about them and talked so much about them (as you can see from my 5 stars!) but they are a bit harder when I got them. Suddenly all these questions you hadn't thought of before pop up but they really are fun and I have had another sort of breakthrough. One groomed me! Only for about 3 seconds but it was grooming all the same. Oh and the one I couldn't get to eat anything ate a sunflower seed from me. He was still hiding but he popped his head out - grabbed the treat and ran away to eat it.

[dusty]

I'm not too sure on the water thing, obviously it needs changing but it might depend on the water. Some people suggest boiling water first, but that in my area is awful, others say use bottled water. I think the problem with tap water is the chemicals in it, fluoride etc. When we had fish we used to keep big gallon jars of tap water but let it stand for a while for the chemicals to evaporate, I started like this for the goos but the warmish water that had been standing for 2-3 days didn't appeal to me so now they just have fresh tap water. I change it every other day usually unless the sun has been on it and then it looks horrid.
Food again, everyone has there own ideas. I top the nugget bowl up every day(sometimes twice!) and they help themselves, every 3rd day I give the bowl a thorough clean and refresh anything that is left. They have fresh hay every evening and then alternate nights dandelion / treaties.
If you want some extras on treats for them to interact mine love millet you can get it any pet shop near the budgie food. I break off a ball for each of them and they let me do anything, move all their stuff about without the escapism stuff, let me stroke them while they're eating etc.
Sand bath mmmmm--- some people leave it in all the time, we are trying to sort space issues at the moment so I put it in for about an hour every 2-3 days they also see it as one of their treats so it depends how much attention they have had. They also let me know if they want it by rolling around on the shelves And it is always in the bathroom for playtime - my floor looks like the beach. I have found after a while you will learn to see the difference if they haven't had it, their coats seem to change, put in dust bath they are like little soft babies again
Hope that helps a bit - I'm sure there are others with more advice and more experience than me. I'm loving the learning curve.

[Deleted]

Thanks that really helps. I have noticed the water levels in one of the bottles has gone down so they have had a drink, I'm leaving the water bowl in just in case though. I was thinking about millet and rolled oats seem like a plan. They are all pretty thin at the moment so I'm going to keep with the sunflower seeds for the time being as they do apsolutely adore them. Apart from the shy one but he does like them more than his nuggets. I just saw one drinking then which was great - then he tapped on the bottle so I'm wondering whether any came out. I'll have a look at that later. I have the sandbath in at the moment and I will take it out when they settle down a bit as they are currently extremely active! Yeah thanks

[ntg]

We just give ours tap water, or the cold filtered water from the fridge and some ice cubes on hot days. If you weren't happy drinking the water from the tap yourself I wouldn't give it to them. But I know what you mean about the fish tank water, we have to do that for the water in the dart frog terrarium! To me though, it just makes it go stale which isn't the nicest to drink.

[Deleted]

I was wondering what it meant when there is little tiny bubbles in the water? Should I change it? There is two just grooming eachother at the moment. It's so sweet.

[ntg]

How do you mean with the bubbles? It could just be very aerated which is no big issue.

I've just had a thought, do people from down South give theirs tap water? Just with the likes of Brighton having very hard water with lots of minerals etc in. Surely it would cause furring of the bottle over time :/

[dusty]

I don't think the tiny bubbles are a bad sign, they seem to form just after I have changed the water so I'm guessing its just it settling. It's when the it's got a bit warm n stale the empty bit of the bottle goes a bit misty, then it definately needs changing.
I do wonder if they prefer warm water or cold from the fridge?

[Deleted]

Mine seem to prefer cold. I tried warm this morning and they actually ran away from the water after they tried it. I have a couple of ice cubes in one of the bottle and it's going down a treat ;D

[stargirlj]

My boys prefer their water a day or two old. They don't like it fresh, they always ignore the bottle for ages when it's just freshly been out in. I changed it roughly every 3 days as they do prefer slightly warm, stale water.
With the food, I only fill up the bowl when I can either see the bottom of the bowl or when it's empty. At the moment because they are adjusting to being separated for good, Monty has barely eaten anything and Dobby is living on oats as its the only way to get his antibiotics into him. But when they lived together the food last 2-3 days depending on how much they eaten. They aren't eating the amount it says they should on their bag of food. But they haven't for a year so I just go by they will eat what they want when they want lol.