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Post by mack123 on Feb 1, 2013 1:47:36 GMT
my new degu "skittles" he is 2 months old just a baby I was wondering if its normal for him to nibble on my fingers ... And when i try the squeak warning for him not to do that he.keeps doing it... And also howmanytimes a day should i have him out of his cage .
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Post by bluedreamer on Feb 1, 2013 9:40:14 GMT
Hello and welcome ;D Yes, it is normal that Skittles nibbles your fingers... He is grooming you, just pull your finger back and forth so he does not have time for proper bite I am pretty sure it is a degu way to show affection so it is a nice thing... You should let him out whenever you can and whenever it is safe... Degus are cute little explorers and really enjoy their time out.. I let my degus out at least once a day, of course if possible... Just a question, is he alone? Degus should always be kept in pairs or groups...
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Post by mack123 on Feb 1, 2013 14:36:43 GMT
Yes but where getting A friend for him sometime haha he could use one. And i put a artical of clothing in his cage so he.gets uses to my smell i think im doing pritty good for a first degu owner and thankyou for thehelp gonna up load a picture of him soon verry cute
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Post by mack123 on Feb 1, 2013 15:30:55 GMT
He has been drinking alot of water lately and been grooming himself alot lately i only had him for 3 days should i be conserned ?
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Post by ntg on Feb 1, 2013 15:49:35 GMT
If you've had him for 3 days, you can't really say if it's an abnormal amount. Grooming is a large part of degu life so you see it happening quite often. If he's overgrooming you'll find patches of fur missing but it should grow back quickly. How much water would you say he's drinking?
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Post by mack123 on Feb 1, 2013 16:58:16 GMT
I have one of those bottles that hangs on the side of the cage he drank about 7ml in 1 1/2 days should i remove.it.evry once ina wile ? .. And i feed him guinipig pelets( extrusion) brand ... How much should i feed him and ine the.morning and the.eveming ?
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Post by ntg on Feb 1, 2013 17:52:25 GMT
I personally wouldn't say that's a lot of water, but definitely don't limit the intake. Which brand are they? And it's entirely up to you, some people do it once, others twice and some people with pellets just make sure they keep the bowl topped up so they can eat them freely.
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Post by mack123 on Feb 1, 2013 18:12:52 GMT
Extrusion and he loves to sit.in my hand wile i wqlk around when i put him back he comes out of the of the cage.agen haha
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Post by ntg on Feb 1, 2013 18:32:47 GMT
Sorry, I can't find a brand called extrusion, are you sure there's no other name? Living World? Beapher? Anything like that?
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Post by mack123 on Feb 1, 2013 18:43:51 GMT
Yeah its living world didn't see it have it clamped to stay fresh
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Post by ntg on Feb 1, 2013 19:02:45 GMT
Lol no bother, I just wanted to check the ingredients for molasses or any other sugary nasties. I can't see anything particularly alarming. Have you supplemented hus diet with anything? Dandelion, veg, flowers, straw, herbs?
By straw I meant hay, my minds went to mush!
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Post by mack123 on Feb 1, 2013 19:05:52 GMT
Would ot be ok if i have him a coupl of blades of grass ? Even though its winter theres a coupl patches of green grass
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Post by ntg on Feb 1, 2013 19:09:15 GMT
As long as it doesn't have pesticide on it it should be good, if he doesn't like it you could always stick it next to the radiator to dry out and then try it again?
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Post by mack123 on Feb 1, 2013 19:12:35 GMT
Ha ha ok where agenst pestaside ... thanks alot for you help
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Post by mack123 on Feb 1, 2013 19:14:20 GMT
im shure skittles will love it if only it was summer than better grass
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Post by mack123 on Feb 1, 2013 19:19:44 GMT
great news he likes it .... cant wait.till i get him a play mate im gonna call him/her blaze or smarties ha ha
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Post by mack123 on Feb 1, 2013 19:27:06 GMT
and i it possible if i can get your facebook account if you have one ? so i can im you
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Post by ntg on Feb 1, 2013 19:34:43 GMT
If you join the forums fb page then I'm in charge of it with a couple of other knowledgeable people on here, just you can probably get a better spread of info then incase I forget something as we can all see what each other have said and add things that I might forget (I am very absentminded) I'll find the link for it and then, if you'd still prefer my account then I can add you on it
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Post by ntg on Feb 1, 2013 19:37:12 GMT
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Post by moletteuk on Feb 1, 2013 20:13:00 GMT
Hi Mack, 7ml isn't very much water at all, so no need to worry about that.
Living World Guinea Pig food is safe for degus, so that's OK, but it's important to supplement their food with extra vegetation, leaves, herbs, flowers of all sorts. Do have a look through our sticky threads in the food area for lots of information. So the grass is a good thing, and you might find all sorts of plants he would like once spring gets on the way, things like dandelion, plantain, tree branches and leaves (see safe wood list), marigold (calendula), parsley, all kinds of hedgrow and garden plants.
Once Skittles has settled in and and you are sure you have a good sized cage (see cages forum area), you could look for another degu from a rescue centre, or in local adverts, it depends where you live?
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