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Post by lessthansign3 on Dec 16, 2012 12:50:17 GMT
Hello everyone! I am a degu noobie, but I've admired them for quite sometime. There's a local petshop, Twin Cities Reptiles, that has a breeding pair. I go there to buy rat food and I always say hi to the degus. Well, I've only got three rats now (down from an all-time high of seven) and I've decided rather than getting more rats, I'm going to diversify and get degus this time. As much as I love my ratties, their shorter life spans are a little hard to deal with I'm still hurting from the loss of my Hamlet, who died months ago now, but he was the sweetest boy. Raised him from his accidental birth when I adopted his mommy Gertrude from the humane society not knowing she was carrying 11 babies in her tummy with her. Eventually had him neutered so he could live with his mommy and aunties because he wouldn't get along with any of the boys I got to live with him (which is why I ended up with seven rats, lol), and he was the BEST rat ever after getting fixed. But I digress... I was at the store last night and saw two baby degus left. I'm not sure if they were boys or girls - I still had to talk my boyfriend into saying yes to degus, so I didn't ask. If they are boys, I've already decided I'm going to name them Wade and Herren after the neurotic armorer and his partner from Dragon Age Origins. I am a dork, yes. They'll start out in a slightly smaller cage and, once they've grown up a bit, they'll move into the bottom of my Ferret Nation triple stack (the top two levels contain my chinchilla ladies Zumi and Lina) where my two dwarf rats, Rosencranz and Gildenstern, are currently residing (they'll go in the smaller cage, as they don't need so much space now that they're getting older). The outside is covered in hardware cloth so bar spacing isn't too much of a concern, but I want to be extra careful while they're babies that they can't sneak out, you know? As for diet, I have to say this - you Europeans are so freakin' lucky, having access to decent degu foods. We have I think all of one brand here in the states, the Sunseed stuff, and it isn't that great. I'll eventually get them on a more natural diet, of course, but to start with I need some sort of staple feed and I'd rather not buy the Gerty Guinea Pig stuff. I don't want that company thinking that food is actually appropriate for guinea pigs - it's NOT (yes, I own guinea pigs, too). I refuse to support a company that produces a product that is harmful to the animal it is advertised for. So, I guess that's it. Any other degu advice would be welcome! Thanks!
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 16, 2012 19:17:39 GMT
Hi, welcome to the forum I came to degus from hamsters because I also wanted pets that live longer too, getting your heart broken every couple of years is just too much. Two degus will really need a double ferret nation, or double critter nation is preferable, because it's a bit wider - they need to be able to get up to a run. They are quite a bit more demanding of space than rats. Have a look through the cage section, you will find some nice pics and threads about the Critter Nation (also called X-trail, Explore, Aventura). We also have a thread about foods available in USA that might interest you deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=food&action=display&thread=15490Have fun browsing around the forum, and do feel free to ask any questions, and tell us about your other pets
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Post by dyzired on Dec 16, 2012 19:28:04 GMT
Welcome! I agree.. One level of the ferret nation would not be suitable for a pair of degus. I live in the US as well and I feed the sunseed stuff because it is all that is available. And I agree it's not the greatest but id say its the best that's available here as just a basic pelleted staple diet. Take a look around though.. There are some great threads about nutrition. Many users here are starting to add more dried and fresh veggies and seed to their diet which is great. I've actually been able to find some things at my nearby publix grocery store. Just have a look around and I'm sure you'll be able to find some things to supplement them You sound very dedicated to your pets so I'm sure you will be just fine! Out of curiousity, where in the states are you? I'm in Florida
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Post by dyzired on Dec 16, 2012 19:30:03 GMT
And also please keep us updated on when you get your new goos would love to see pictures!
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Post by lessthansign3 on Dec 17, 2012 2:35:05 GMT
Well, now that I've actually taken the time to do the measurement conversions, you guys are right - the Ferret Nation is too small... which means I probably can't get degus, because that's the space I have available Um... can I make a suggestion? When you put together your cage size recommendations for folks, perhaps simplify it a little somehow? I mean, I know it's my own fault for being an idiot American and not doing the calculations in the first place, trying to figure it out in my head at a glance and whatnot, but I dunno - for rats and chinchillas and other critters, cage size recommendations usually go by simple width, depth, and height. That I can figure out pretty easily. I guess I'm just bad with numbers, what can I say? I'm sorry, I'm just really disappointed now, both at the fact I can't have degus and in myself for being so stupid... Thanks for the help. Edit: Well I went all mopey-like to my boyfriend and was all like, "Well I guess I can't get degus now..." and he sat down with me to look at the Ferret Nation and the size chart to figure things out. We talked, and we actually came up with a plan to make this work out. We have extra Ferret Nation shelves because we don't use the shelves in the top half of the chins' FN and in the ferrets' FN (they're the old-style shelves and a ferret got her toe stuck in it once so I took it out). So, we're going to use the metal brackets and some wood to build a full-sized second level and a possible third level, giving the cage enough floor space to make it workable. It maybe won't be the perfect ideal, but it'll be a good home, I think. If I were more confident in my carpentry skills I would build a wooden cage like so many are doing. I'd love to build a nice cabinet with a roomy cage for the degus. Sadly, I haven't got the tools nor do I have the know-how to build such a thing. I also don't have room for another Ferret/Critter Nation - I used to have two full ones in my living room and I turned them into one triple stack (the leftover single going into a separate room where the actual ferrets reside) after some of my older rats passed away because it was just too much. I'd like to have room for both us humans and the critters to move around in, you know what I mean? lol So, I hope this solution is okay. I think after I'm done outfitting this cage it will be a degu paradise
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Post by lessthansign3 on Dec 17, 2012 3:36:51 GMT
Oh, and in regards to food! I actually found someone on here somewhere (I forget where) suggest Oxbow's organic guinea pig food - NOT the regular stuff, I know that's bad - and so I took a look at the ingredient list. It actually looks pretty good! No sugars, anyway. Unfortunately, even though Petsmart is supposed to carry it, the one I stopped at didn't have it in. I ordered some on Amazon and it'll be here on Wednesday (yay Amazon Prime!). We'll see how it goes. I've obviously got plenty of timothy hay, as I have guinea pigs, chinchillas, and rabbits already (we get bales of hay from the farm or buy 50 lbs boxes of Oxbow - either way, we get our timothy in bulk!) and I'd like to try drying my own herbs and veggies to add to their diet as well. I've got access to a lot of excellent stuff from my local co-op, and there are a few other weird shops around here I might try to find other good munchies for them as well. As for the ifs and whens of getting the degus, it looks like I'll be adopting a pair from Craigslist rather than from the pet store like I'd originally planned. I actually prefer this, because I'd much rather take in unwanted pets. These babies were from someone who also got degus off of Craigslist but soon discovered both of the girls they brought home were pregnant. Eeeesh! So, they've had a lot of lil' babies to rehome. The plan is to bring them home tomorrow. They have a pair of males and two pairs of females, and I'm going to wait and see who is friendliest before I choose who I want to bring home. If you haven't noticed by the mentions of my other critters (we have 3 cats, 3 guinea pigs, 3 rats, 3 ferrets, 2 rabbits, 2 chinchillas, 1 hamster, 1 hedgehog, fish, and hermit crabs ) my pets are *very* important to me, so I want to make sure I'm doing this right. I don't take getting a new pet lightly, because I know far too many people in this world do just that. So, I want to be sure I'm doing this right. There's not nearly as much information on degus out there as there is on any other critter I've ever brought into my life (and the little there is can sometimes be conflicting), so I'm a little more nervous this time around. I appreciate anyone taking the time to read my word vomit here, because I'm just sort of spewing my degu feelings at the moment. In fact, it's about time I took a break and got some sleep
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 17, 2012 4:25:53 GMT
Welcome to the forum, Lessthansign3! Don't worry about the word "vomit" as you said . . . we've a large selection of people here and some are wordy (like myself) and others are short and sweet with their comments. It doesn't matter either way, we just love to socialize and help each other out. You are right, degu information is hard to come by, especially over here in North America, but this forum has great people and lots of experience combined. You'll get great help here. You have a LOT of lovely little critters!!! Do you ever mix up their names? LOL! I'm always calling our dogs by names of dogs that have passed, or calling my kids by the dogs names. As you can imagine they don't much like it. LOL! It's never on purpose though! Well, I invite you to read through the forum and devour all that is here, and ask any and all questions that you may have. Welcome!
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Post by ntg on Dec 17, 2012 10:44:03 GMT
Hmm I'll be interested to see this ferret nation after your finished! Just make sure one of your levels can fit a 12" wheel or a large flying saucer in! Love your attitude towards animals, wish more people thought like that on a regular basis. Yeah, degu info can be hard to get your head around, one website will say this, another will say that but what the forum tries to do is to take that info and discuss our thoughts on the matter. So if you come across anything (no matter how weird) just ask and somebody *looks to deguconvert* will probably know. A lot of people find degutopia to be a good starting point for info but it is a little outdated at parts, like their cage size recommendations. Speaking of which, the reason is doesn't give a simple dimension is because it's not as simple as that. Say two people have the same size cage 100x50x100cm but one has three full levels and a half level, but the other has two full levels and two halves. The useable area inside the first cage is a whole level more than that in the second cage, making it more suitable for degus than the other. Finally, just a word of advice when going to see your babies, as these were the cause of accidental pregnancy I'd advise you to double check their sexes before you get them, just to be sure you won't have an army of degus a few months down the line. Here's the link to see how you check: deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=beginners&action=display&thread=13070Good luck with your new additions when you get them!
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 17, 2012 11:14:10 GMT
If the ferret nation is 36" by 25", then a full floor area of this size is 900 sq inches, so you need a minimum of two and bit full levels. TBH I thought the Ferret Nation was smaller and narrower than this, I wonder if they changed the spec?? As newtogoos said, make sure you can fit a wheel in
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Post by ntg on Dec 17, 2012 11:23:46 GMT
By the looks of things, on their website, the critter nation is an inch narrower than the ferret nation
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 17, 2012 11:34:27 GMT
I could have sworn the FN used to be around 30" or 32" and the CN 36"
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Post by dyzired on Dec 17, 2012 11:46:58 GMT
And we've been recommending the critter nation? Lol good luck with the cage modding! Can't wait to see pics of the babies! Also post some pics of your other babies! I'd love to see the whole gang!
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Post by ntg on Dec 17, 2012 11:50:21 GMT
They're both 36" long, ferret nation is 25" wide, CN 24" so it's not much really, I'd still recommend the CN purely for the bar space, as it requires less modding that way.
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Post by lessthansign3 on Dec 17, 2012 17:28:24 GMT
Thanks everyone so much! I was originally going to use a ChinSpin wheel, but since things are going to be a bit narrower than I'd imagined, I'm actually thinking I'm going to make one of those cool IKEA saucers I've seen around here. My chins, hedgehog, and hamster all have saucer wheels, so I'm a big fan of the design in general. Plus after seeing a video of a degu on one and seeing it spin around, well, it was the cutest thing ever so I must have my own btw, I forgot to mention this before when asked, but I'm from Minnesota, Minneapolis to be exact It's a little bit chillier here than Florida I imagine. Don't worry though, the house stays nice and warm, so the degus won't freeze The Ferret Nation is slightly larger than the Critter Nation. The only reason I have it rather than the CN is because I got two of them off of Craigslist for incredibly cheap. CNs are harder to come by used. At $50 and $75 a piece (compared to $200+ each brand new), it was worth it, even if I had to mod one of them when I had female rats so they couldn't squeeze out. It obviously isn't an issue for my adult chinchillas nor for my ferrets (although sometimes I wonder with one of them, she squeezed through the bars of another ferret cage - she's the tiniest adult ferret I have ever seen!). The biggest issue I have with them is that they are the old models, and they are a pain in the butt to take apart and put together again. The new ones just snap together, from one I've heard. These ones have screws that have rusted over the years. It was a mess turning our two doubles into a triple! So, if anyone in North America is looking for a good cage on the cheap, Ferret Nations are easier to come by on Craigslist and you can get a great deal. They just require a layer of hardware cloth around the outside to keep little degus inside, and you might end up with an older model which will require a good screwdriver and a little bit of elbow grease
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Post by ntg on Dec 17, 2012 17:37:00 GMT
Lol I guess, on the plus side, that means that it can't accidentally come apart very easily
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Post by dyzired on Dec 17, 2012 18:22:00 GMT
It probably is much colder there! According to my weather app... It's 75 degrees F here with a Low of 64. Nice and cool
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Post by lessthansign3 on Dec 17, 2012 18:41:12 GMT
Lol I guess, on the plus side, that means that it can't accidentally come apart very easily No, these things are NOT coming apart lol! It probably is much colder there! According to my weather app... It's 75 degrees F here with a Low of 64. Nice and cool Ha, it's been really warm here lately - it was up around 36 and raining the other day, melting all that snow we had the other week. Now it's back down to 25 which is normal for this time of year. Come January, we're thankful for anything above zero In February and March, if we get a day when the temps reach 50, there are folks breaking out their shorts
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Post by dyzired on Dec 17, 2012 18:52:05 GMT
Hahah geez. In those temperatures, us floridians are breaking out the fur lined jackets and gloves XD
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Post by lessthansign3 on Dec 17, 2012 19:07:11 GMT
That's why so many of us Minnesotans vacation in Florida this time of year Or you have the "snow birds" - the old folks who move south for the winter and come home in the spring. My grandpa is wintering in Texas this year. Me, I grew up here, so I'm used to it. Now, if I had to spend a summer in Florida, I'd go mad - I can't handle that sort of heat and humidity! My motto when it comes to weather? When it's cold, you can always put on more layers and get more blankets. When it's hot, you can only get so naked in order to cool off
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Post by dyzired on Dec 17, 2012 19:57:53 GMT
That's what I say! Im originally from New York, so I misssss the cold. I can't handle the heat here. And the humidity makes my hair do all sorts of crazy things!
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