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Post by NightwishRaven999 on Jun 29, 2011 20:40:29 GMT
Hello ! Welcome to the forum. From the video, your degu seems to live in a roomy cage. You should consider finding Sidas one or two degu friends. He would be much happier living with others of his kind. What do you think about this ?
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Post by yasmin on Jun 30, 2011 14:47:43 GMT
Hi. My name is Yasmin. I have just adopted 4 degus from the Ottawa Humane Society. I have done alot of reading on them but this is my first time taking care of them. I think they are sisters: Azure and Lilac are about 3 years old and Peridot and Sienna are about 1.5 yrs (this is what the OHS estimated). I don't know what their past has been like but they are right now in a too small, inappropriate cage. I will be purchasing the Midwest Critter Nation Cage for them in a couple of weeks. They also have a wheel that is too small for them and I was thinking of getting them one of those Flying Saucer, steel exercise wheels designed for Chinchillas. I hope they will use it. Any advice on how else to set up the cage, etc. would be appreciated. Question: how often and how much fresh vegetables (dandelion leaves, sweet potato, etc.) should they each have per serving? I have read that too much can give them diarrhea.
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 30, 2011 17:21:16 GMT
Hello Yasmin, and welcome to the forum! This is a great place to learn about degus and to discuss any questions or situations that come up. If you haven't already, have a good look through the thread titles on each of the different boards, there are very likely topics that you will want to know more about.
The fresh veg question . . . well you need to go easy on them, too much can definitely result in diarrhea. Not sure how much that is exactly, but I wouldn't give more than say a 1/4 cup to each degu each day (60 ml). I may be erring on the rather cautious side here, so if anyone else would give more than that, please pop in and say so.
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Post by fred on Jun 30, 2011 17:58:00 GMT
Hi Yasmin, welcome to the forum! It's great you have done a lot of reading, for all remaining questions this forum is the right place. For your cage set-up I suggest to have a look at the cages in this thread deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Cage&action=display&thread=6918 to get some ideas, and ask us about any specifics. I think that flying saucers may be better for their play area once they get out of the cage, for the cage I would recommend a degu-suitable wheel. This site www.degutopia.co.uk/deguveg.htm gives you a summary of suitable vegetables. Since you don't know anything about the history of your degus it may be safest to stay largely clear of vegetables that contain sugar. Regarding those that have been suggested to cause bloating and diarrhoea when fed in larger amounts, this is probably exaggerated for most of them. For example they can have dandelion leaves and flowers as much as they want. However, since your degus may not be used to these greens, I would start with small amounts and increase when you see they are fine with it. They can be very picky, so you may have to try a few to find out what they like. Once your girls have settled in we would love to hear how they are doing and see some pics.
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Post by yasmin on Jul 11, 2011 20:56:36 GMT
Thanks for the links and advice. The vegetable guide is very helpful. Also, the cage link is inspiring. I will be ordering the new cage next week and will try and send pics once it's set up. As far as wheels go, I'm having trouble finding an appropriate one like those I see in photos on this site. I have purchased a larger cheap metal one but it's a bit wonky and the metal is mesh-like, which is not optimum for their feet. However, they are using it – often three at a time. I will order the flying saucer and see how they take to that as well, and keep on searching for a solid metal wheel. (If anyone knows of any Canadian supplier, please let me know.) Meanwhile, I continue to explore the different boards/thread titles. Cheers.
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Post by NightwishRaven999 on Jul 12, 2011 1:32:03 GMT
Hello Yasmin ! Welcome to the forum From your posts I assume you live around Ottawa... Very happy to see someone on here who doesnt live very far from me.
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Post by yurrahoot on Jul 24, 2011 14:41:27 GMT
Hello!! New Degus owner here. Well long story short. We already own one exotic pet (beardie), I was in a reptile/exotic pet store and saw the owner and a friend playing with these adorable lil critters. So I had to ask what they were and he told me. Well, we bought them. I was looking up care and needs for them then we went to petco who totally sold me the wrong cage for 100 bucks (full of plastic) The first hour one of them found a way out and escaped. The wire mesh is WAY too big he just squeezed right through. We have named them Milo and Marlo, still very young. Since I am an avid animal lover and want to make sure they are getting the best possible care I can, I have been reading a lot on care and attention. I am about to journey to Home Depot and make our own cage and just eat the 100 bucks on the one we just purchased from petco (Anybody wanna chinchilla cage used for about 2 hours?) Glad I found this website, its full of information I can use to make lil "M&Ms" life better Any cage tips?
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Post by fred on Jul 24, 2011 15:13:17 GMT
Hello and welcome to the forum!! This is the page you need to build your own cage:http://octodondegus.weebly.com/index.html. In the “Show Us Your Cage/s” thread on this forum you find a number of examples to give you some ideas. If you have any specific questions just ask.
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Post by emz on Jul 24, 2011 18:11:33 GMT
Welcome yurrahoot. The best tips are to give them a lot of floor sp[ace and not overly worry about vertical space as due to how active they are horizontal space is much more important. The rest can be found on the cage's board.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2011 14:07:29 GMT
Hello everyone, I thought I'd introduce myself properly I live in a small town in southern Norway with my boyfriend. We have been wanting to get pets for some time now, and we have settled on degus. I think they will be great pets for us, since they're so active and curious =) Since I am taking a masters degree I spend a lot of time at home and want a pet that would appreciate attention and play. I have done quite a bit of research, although sadly I didn't find this website until we had already bought a cage. It's not all bad though; it's 115 cm tall, 80 cm wide and 60 cm deep. I have two main levels in addition to the floor (made from kiln-dried pine), and then two corner platforms at the top. Each level does not go all the way across, and I've put them alternately on the back and front cage wall so that there is lots of space above each level, while simultaneously keeping them from falling all they way down to the bottom if they should slip. I'm working on creating ladders and bridges so that they can run around it all. On the bottom level I plan to have a digging box, some tunnels and stumps, a good amount of hemp bedding and lots of hay that they can use for tunneling. I have one running wheel right now, but I'm going to get another one before the degus move in. The cage is all metal and I have no plastic objects in there. I know the cage is far from perfect, so once I have the money and opportunity I'll make a nice wooden one. But for now, this will have to do =) I have degu-proofed my hallway (it's L-formed and quite large) and I'm going to let them out to roam there every day. The hallway floor is all stone tiles, so that should be good for keeping their claws short aswell. As you've probably guessed, I haven't got the actual degus yet. I am unsure whether to get two or three. I would like three, but I don't know if my cage is big enough. Any thoughts on this? =) And I also have to thank all the contributors to this site, the wealth of information here is great and has made my life as a future degu owner much easier Storm
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Post by fred on Sept 18, 2011 15:23:00 GMT
Hello Storm and welcome to the forum! It is good to hear that you have been doing your research into degus and that you found the information here helpful As you already found out, your cage is a bit on small side (with regard to length) so it is particularly important that the inside is cleverly arranged. You have already described it well but it would be good if you could post a picture. We may then be able to make some useful suggestions. It is sometimes better to have less in the cage so that our degus have more space to run around. If you can let your degus run in your hallway regularly, you can offer them some things there, such as the sand bath or the second wheel. With regards to the question of two or three degus, it would also be good to have more information. Do you know where you will get your degus from, i.e. babies or will you be rehoming older ones? Also do you already have an idea whether you want to get boys or girls?
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Post by yasmin on Sept 18, 2011 16:52:33 GMT
Response to taz13's question about sand for the degus.
I'm in Canada too. For their sand baths, I buy any brand of sand that is made for Chinchilla dust baths. You can get this in most pet stores. For the rest of the cage, I use CareFresh bedding. I wouldn't use builders' sand or children's sand because you don't know what's in it and I am paranoid about my degus getting sick.
For chewing, I give them apple tree sticks that you can also find in most pet stores, and a pumice stone. They also chew on their nesting boxes (also bought from a pet store); they're made of pine and are safe for rodents to chew.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2011 17:12:55 GMT
Thank you, Fred Here are some photos of the cage that I just took. As you can see, there are still ladders missing, and I am in the process of making a rope bridge that connects the two upper platforms. It's in the freezer right now, getting rid of any unwanted parasites All the platforms are movable. The house, wheel and branches are all securely fastened to the walls, but they are easy to move aswell. I am not yet sure where to place a staircase to the top platforms, or whether I need one for each platform. I would like the degus to be able to run from the lowest point to the highest without having to make weird turns. As for the degus themselves, I have to get them from a pet store that in turn gets them from a breeder in Sweden. I have looked for local breeders and also for degus available for adoption, but the few that I have found are so far north in the country that I simply can't afford to travel there Same goes for Sweden and Denmark I'm afraid. So the degus we will be getting will be approximately 7 weeks old. I would like to have females, since they seem to often go better together. It's also nice should I want to take up degu breeding in the future (I breed horses right now). Storm
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 18, 2011 18:31:01 GMT
Hi Storm and welcome to the forum!! It is lovely to meet you!!
If you have been reading on the forum much, you will have already discovered that one of the priorities for degu cages is to supply a lot of running space. Your cage would be greatly improved if you were able to extend your two levels to go all the way across, thus making two complete levels, as well as the bottom floor level. You can cut an opening through the levels to place a ladder next to and there by provide access between the levels. This will greatly increase the overal running space for your degus. Being as young as they will be, you could house three degus for a time, in the space you would be creating by turning the long shelves into complete levels.
I can tell you are very excited about getting your degus. They are wonderful little animals to get to know and love. I look forward to hearing more from you.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2011 18:47:11 GMT
Thank you, deguconvert I'll try to make new levels that go all the way across, I just have to get some tools first =) Do you mean that the cage will not be big enough for three adult degus? In that case I'll rather just get two, seeing as I won't be able to get a wider cage until I get a bigger apartment =)
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 18, 2011 19:20:11 GMT
Well, I'm not completely sure of this . . . Fred has a method of calculation that will determine how much running room you will have, but I am NOT a mathmatical . . . anything . . . so am not sure how to figure it out. Hopefully Fred will be on, have a read through here, and would then be able to tell us what having three complete levels in your cage would accomodate . . . 2 or 3 adult degus.
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Post by fred on Sept 18, 2011 20:28:40 GMT
If the two larger ledges can be replaced by full levels (which I would consider essential, whether the cage is to house two or three), the available running area would fall right in the middle between the suggested minimum values for two and three degus. However, the calculator is only a guideline, so it is a judgement call for you.
You mentioned that at some time in the future, you want to build a nice wooden cage. My prediction is that when you observe your degus running around your hallway, you will want to do that sooner rather than later. I hope you will then be able to add at least another 20cm to the length of the cage.
In the meantime there could be easy and cheep ways to extend your present cage. For example, we have several members who put a second hand bird cage on top of their existing cage. While this doesn't increase the running area per se, the “penthouse” can accommodate a hammock or a wheel, thereby freeing space on the three levels.
If you think you can increase their space in the not too distant future, my personal suggestion would be to go for three.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2011 21:35:03 GMT
Well, some time in the future isn't all that soon I'm afraid. The cage I have now just fits into my apartment, I don't have room to enlargen it. (Not sideways, at least). I do, however, not plan to stay here for more than two years, but that isn't exactly in the near future.. Anyway, I'll be going shopping for more lumber tomorrow to make two full levels, so I can probably have that ready in a day or two. I've lowered the middle shelf to match the lower one already, all that needs to be done there is to fill inn the gap. It looks very nice, and I'm glad for all the extra space to put toys As for the number of degus, I think I will go for two. I don't want to have three if there really isn't enough space for them - I'd rather that the two I get can have more space to share. Thank you very much for your advice, I know my future degus will have a happier life now
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2011 20:31:14 GMT
A little update: We completed all the improvements on the cage today, so now there are two full levels in addition to the base floor and the two platforms on top. We went to the pet store to order our degus (that sounds awful..), but when we got there we discovered that they had two degu girls for sale. They had been together as young, but they had started fighting very badly (one of them had even lost most of her tail) and the store had separated them. My boyfriend and I felt so sorry for them, they were sitting in tiny cages and their running wheels were too small. So, long story short, we decided to take them home. I've separated the top and the bottom of the cage with wire mesh, so they can see and smell each other. I'm going to follow that guide posted here on reintroducing them, I believe they will go together again if I only give them time. I'll take some pictures of them and the improved cage in a day or two, I'm leaving them alone to get aquainted with their new home for now Storm
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Post by fred on Sept 20, 2011 17:38:14 GMT
It is so good of you to give these two girls the opportunity of a better future I hope once they have settled in their new, so much better environment, the reintroduction will go smoothly. We are looking forward to see the pics.
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