|
|
Post by lizziexo on Oct 8, 2012 8:57:09 GMT
Hello!
I am new, so again sorry if I get any of this wrong….
A week ago me and the OH got our Degu (Monster) from Pets at Home, we weren’t really planning on getting any but he was attacked by the other Degus and has bald patched and holes in his ears, and we were told they had issues putting him back with his group, so they put him up for free adoption. I don’t really want him alone forever, but in the meantime he obviously needs lots of attention so he doesn’t get bored and lonely.
We were told he was about 6 months old, and he is very brave with people, but I am TERRIFIED of him getting lost/hurt, so most ‘out of cage’ time is in a giant rat ball, or in the bath (where we’re hand training him) – he is in our bedroom but sleeps through the night.
Do most people give them the room to roam during play time - if so, how do you deal with the stress of not seeing them if they hide under stuff? I panic a lot!
Or do people create play pens for them to explore in?
I don’t think it would be TOO hard to ‘degu proof’ the room, but my terror of him getting stuck somewhere or lost or hurt, or finding a rogue cable, is horrible!
Thanks!
|
|
|
|
Post by Lrak on Oct 8, 2012 9:06:19 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by moletteuk on Oct 8, 2012 11:27:19 GMT
Hi Lizziexo, welcome  It depends what kind of house you live in, how many little holes there might be, how much massive and complicated furniture you have, how many cables etc. Sometimes it's possible to make the bathroom safe, but watch out for pipe cavities, and keep the toilet lid down. Playpens can be really good for taking all the stress away, it's what we use Sometimes you can have a go at dividing a space off or protecting certain areas of a room with big sheets of cardboard temporarily, to see how it goes. |
|
|
|
Post by lizziexo on Oct 8, 2012 12:40:14 GMT
Thanks Molette and Lrak! We're getting him used to us by playing in the actual bath with him, but there are pipe holes behind the loo and next to the bath that I've already clocked (saw someone else had lost a goo down there on these forums I think!) but the bedroom where his cage is in has a lot of expensive music equipment, and space under the door - as much as I'd love to have him running around, I think making the playpen from the forum above is going to be the answer! Thanks guys |
|
|
|
Post by jenowuk on Oct 8, 2012 17:18:50 GMT
We've always given our goos the run of the sofa, and discouraged them from jumping from there to the floor. Now they treat the sofa as their run, and if we're sitting on it at the time, we become their climbing frame! Seems to be a good way for them to learn to get used to us too, as they can explore and climb over us at their own pace. Now when we come home, they're at the door waiting for us to open it, and as their cage is next to the sofa, they can come and go as they want, and they tend to stay out with us all evening. Good luck:-)
|
|
|
|
Post by ntg on Oct 8, 2012 17:27:47 GMT
Ours have a playpen as they're kept in a room with a lot of wires and other than there, two dogs run the rest of the house so it was the only safe option lol. Gandalf sometimes gets special treatment and is allowed to explore the bed but that's because he's the only one we trust to not make a leap of faith!
|
|
|
|
Post by lizziexo on Oct 8, 2012 18:39:53 GMT
We've always given our goos the run of the sofa, and discouraged them from jumping from there to the floor. Now they treat the sofa as their run, and if we're sitting on it at the time, we become their climbing frame! Seems to be a good way for them to learn to get used to us too, as they can explore and climb over us at their own pace. Now when we come home, they're at the door waiting for us to open it, and as their cage is next to the sofa, they can come and go as they want, and they tend to stay out with us all evening. Good luck:-) Hiya! Just wondering how you put them off the jump? Just eyes on them to stop it until they got the message? Thanks! |
|
|
|
Post by stargirlj on Oct 8, 2012 20:23:53 GMT
Welcome, my goos live in my bedroom as well! I block off the room with old wooden shelves that we had lying around. I block off under the bed, the front of the tv stand & cd/ rest of electrical units. That means they get about half the room to run around, I even sometimes leave them in there alone when I'm cleaning there cage and I just pop downstairs to get rid of rubbish.
I prefer this version to making a playpen because they only go where I want them too/ they are safe and also it means I can just restock the old shelves back in the spare room/ shed when I'm not using them.
I tried my boys on the sofa but Dobby threw himself off, luckily I managed to recapture him after 20 minutes and he hadn't come to any harm, plus he didn't eat my nice leather sofa. Lol
Hope this helps.
|
|
|
|
Post by saddlers on Oct 8, 2012 21:54:32 GMT
We have the degus in the small bedroom, I have made sure no holes and have protected the sockets with a wooden surround. We then give them the run of the room.
|
|
|
|
Post by jenowuk on Oct 9, 2012 17:20:27 GMT
Hi, yeah to discourage them from getting on the floor, we keep a close eye on them and tell them 'no' when they get too interested. If needed, this is reinforced by a gentle push away from the edge. When they were little, and listened to the 'no' we would reward them with treats, but now they're happy with scratches:-)
|
|
we are all still learning.
