Adoption of a 6 y.o. degu

[tortuetetue]

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum and this is my first post.

Long story short, I just "inherited" a degu. He is a male and he is about 6 y.o. He seems very healthy, doesn't like to be handled but loves to be pet on the head and under the chin. From what I know, he spent his whole life alone and had very little attention from his previous owner.

I think it is too late in his life to share his home with another degu. However, do you think it would be good for him to have a "neighbour", or would it be too stressful for him?

I am open to suggestions. I just want to offer the best social environment for our new family member. I know he's getting "old". From what I read, degu's lifespan can be anywhere between 5 to 10 years. So, hopefully, he will be with us for a few more years.

Thanks for your help!

[moletteuk]

Welcome tortuetetue

I don't think it's ever too late to try to find a lone degu a friend. I think if you are happy to have a second group then you might as well try the introduction, if it doesn't work out you haven't lost anything. Also if you would be happy with a second group anyway, then it takes the pressure off the introduction.

You have a few different options of which way to go, and they all have pros and cons. You could neuter your boy and get two girls of any age, you need to find a vet you trust to do the surgery, but intros often go more smoothly with a boy to girls. You could get two very young boys, these intros often go well initially, but you can have problems as the youngsters go through puberty. Or, you could look for a second lone male of any age, if both males are lonely they sometimes make friends more easily, but there are no gaurantees, and you could be left wondering what to do with two lone males, but if it does work out you know you have really helped two degus.

Do have a look in our cages section to see the types and sizes of cages we recommend - plenty of space becomes more critical when you are doing introductions.

[lenny05]

it will take time and a lot of encouragement but work at it and you will have him coming onto your hand but do not think it will happen overnight. Also it could be worth trying to introduce a couple of young degus with him and the younger you can get hopefully the easier it will be as goos prefer company.

[tortuetetue]

Hi,

Thanks to both of you for your helpful answers. I will indeed look into the cage section. My little guy deserves a new one.

I also looked at our local SPCA. Seems like there are two young male degus up for adoption (born in October 2012) and two adult females.

As you mentioned, I'll have to consider pros and cons of each scenario. I know a good clinic for exotic animals. However, I'll have to check for their "expertise" with degus.

I really like to idea of getting the two females. They are older and less likely to be adopted than young cute little degus.

Questions on neutering (and sorry if some of them have already been answered in other posts):
1. If I go with young male degus, should at some point have them all neuter to reduce possible aggression?
2. If so, at what age do you recommend neutering the young ones?
3. And should I have the oldest degu neuter before their arrival?
4. Or should I wait and have them all neuter at the same time?

Again, thanks for your help and sorry for all the questions!

Cheers! :-)

[Maravilla]

Hi

As your lone degu is already 6 years old I would not neuter him. The surgery is not easy and always a risk which increases with the age (no matter if we are talking about humans or animals).
Neutering normally does not have an huge impact on aggression as there is enough testosterone produced outside the testicles.
For a six year old I would not look for so young degus. He might appear fit and healthy but you never really know. I lost one 5,5 year old degu who has been healthy all her life but died within 1 day without showing any previous signs of illness. For a 6 year old I would try to find a degu who is at least 3-4 years old.
Females in normal circumstances are not neutered, only boys, so having them neutered is no option.
Older female degus are no option either. Fertility reduces with age but even 7 year old girls can become pregnant which is a huge risk at this age.

[tortuetetue]

Hi Maravilla,

Thank you for your answers. I understand it would be safer to keep him alone, unless I find an older male (3-4 year old as you suggest).

This bring me to my first question: would it provide enrichment to my degu to have a neighbour, instead of sharing his cage with another degu? I am asking since it is always possible that group housing will not work (even if I find the perfect candidate).

It seems like a very safe scenario. But if it just cause stress or frustration to them, then I would prefer to play safe and simply keep my little guy alone. I don't mind at all. I am just studying the different options.

Many thanks!

[deguconvert]

Hello Tortuetetue, and welcome to the forum and the world of degus!

You've had great advice, and I wouldn't be surprised if you feel somewhat conflicted about which direction to follow now. Degus don't often have easy solutions to some of the issues that can arise with them, and as it is with humans, the puzzle is always slightly different according to each degu their individual quirks.

As you have inherited your degu, I am wondering if you have a long familiarity with him, enough to know his history etc. pretty well?

I have two males that are just over 5.5 years of age, so they are near the age of your boy. Over a year ago we lost our third boy, and the two left were so depressed we bought two young pups to be companions to them. It's a long involved story, but in brief, they turned out to be female, had babies, introduced a young male son to them and all was good for a while. Then the young male entered his adolescent stage and he began to take on his elders. At first they just avoided him for a few weeks, but then one day after we had been out, we discovered blood in the cage. It was clear a very serious fight had taken place, and though one of the older males had a sore eye and a couple of other bites, the son was covered in bites and his tail was a mess. We feared he would lose it. That was back in October, and we still have him apart from the elder males. The reason I tell you this is to say that even at his age, your boy may handle himself well . . . but his healing process will be slower. Our young male was doing much better while the older male was still looking rather sorry for himself. Snug dealt out a serious beating to the juvenile, but recovery from it was hard on him. So . . . I guess this supports Maravilla's advice to not introduce other degus . . . but I also think that to bring in some that can sit beside him is worth the try. He may be very glad to have them near by. If not, often just a change of location/or a board placed between the cages in the same room is enough to calm things down.

[moletteuk]

If you're not in any hurry, perhaps keeping an eye out for a single fully adult boy would be the route with the minimum physical risk.

I think if you know a good vet, then they are the best person to talk to about the risks of neutering at his age, I wouldn't necessarily rule it out completely yet.

It might just be me, but I can't help thinking that providing a neighbour that he can't live with if he wants to could be tantalising and frustrating for him.

[Maravilla]

Jan 5, 2013 19:01:05 GMT deguconvert said:

So . . . I guess this supports Maravilla's advice to not introduce other degus . . .

Stop!!! I did not suggest not to introduce other degus!! I am the last person in suggesting such a thing.
What I have said is that I do not recommend introducing females - no matter what age - as the degu is not neutered and I consider having him neutered now a too huge risk and that I would not look for too young males as there could be problems.
So, the only thing are middle-aged males:

For a 6 year old I would try to find a degu who is at least 3-4 years old.

[ntg]

Saying about young ones, our Gandalf is now about 7 and his sons are a year old and we've had no issues (so far). Then again he does seem to be king of the roost. So it is possible to have a 6 year old live well with youngsters but I guess it comes down to his status and the young ones puberty.

On another note I do think he sometimes tires of their exuberance and likes to "retreat" to the top of the cage for a rest.

[ntg]

Do you live near lincolnshire? This has just come up on the adoption board:

deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=market&action=display&thread=16851

[tortuetetue]

HI everyone,

Again, many, many thanks for all your great advices. It is greatly appreciated.

And Newtogoos, I am unfortunately on the wrong side of the Atlantic Ocean (I'm in Canada).

As I mentioned previously, I want to upgrade my degu's cage. I choose one big enough for 2-4 degus, even if he will stay alone for some time.

Right now, he is living in what looks like a large rabbit/guinea pig cage. He has space, but he can't climb much. :*( I will post a message in the cage section. It's propably the best place to this discuss this topic. The pictures I saw in that section are really inspiring! Some people have created an impressive environment for their little friends. The degus must really feel at home! :-D

Thanks again!

[deguconvert]

Where abouts in Canada are you?

[tortuetetue]

Hi Deguconvert,

I'm in Province of Québec, near Montréal.

[deguconvert]

Have you looked at a site called Degus International? NightwishRaven999 is one of the originators of that site and he is not far from Montreal as well . . . or so I think. I'm not exactly sure now, but he is also in Quebec. It might be nice to talk to someone in the area that can direct you a little more specifically about what you can find there etc. Being in Alberta, and having talked with NWR999 lots, I know that things differ greatly between our two provinces as far was what you can find for degus, not to mention other things. He is a good friend!