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Toys
Sept 24, 2005 1:41:35 GMT
Post by deguqueen on Sept 24, 2005 1:41:35 GMT
So I have a pretty big cage for my two degus and I just have a wheel and a log cabin in there which they dont use. They like to sleep behind it where its more hidden. Anyways I was just wondering what kinda toys does everybody else have for their Degus? Mine just use the wheel and sleep all day. I want to have more things that they can do to keep busy but Im not sure where to start. I was thinking about maybe building a few perches for them myself because the ones at the pet store are $10.00 for a plank of wood with a screw in it. I hear they like branches too. If anybody could give me any suggestions on cheap homemade toys that they might enjoy I would love to hear it!
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Toys
Sept 24, 2005 5:50:11 GMT
Post by shigatsu on Sept 24, 2005 5:50:11 GMT
Taisuke and Mario's Toy and Accessaries (for some reason I can't spell that word today @_@) List: Toilet Paper and Paper Towel tubes are great! Our guys love to nibble on them and drag them around the entire cage with them, and eventually completely obliterate them with their urine, chewing and squashing of them, Mopani bogwood (we get our's from our local aquarium store) - is kind of costly (at least for us it has been), but it's great to manipulate nature as it is real dried wood (from the bottom of lakes or other big wets), and good for making ramps and what not, looks really beautiful too, and great as it is extremely tough so it probably can never be demolished so you're not replacing it all the time, and also great because it being so tough ensures that whenever they nibble on it, it's helping to keep their teeth down (as their teeth can grow and grow which is not good).... They also love to sit on it, and it can also be used for dominance reasons, as some of the pieces can look really lumpy and therefore look like a pile of sticks of which I read that (outside of fighting) Degus will gather sticks and whoever has the highest pile is the "boss". Lots of wood chews. Our guys especially love bark on wood. They also love their mineral stones too. Not only are they good for chewing, and keeping their teeth down, but I find that they love to drag them around the cage with them too. We have a big zebra rock infront of their water bottle to help keep their nails from being to sharp (got it at the aquarium store too... I hate paying money for things that I can get for free in my hometown Lee told me that it's probably best to buy them from pet shops and aquarium places as they are specially cleaned so guaranteed (or almost completely <-) to be safe. I've heard that small rocks (big enough to carry, but not too small to accidentally swallow and choke) are great too.... We've been planning on getting them some smaller rocks but haven't yet. Another thing they love to carry around the cage and throw around. ^^ Our guys have these logs, a hole in the middle (hollow) and three holes in the side.... They LOVE them so much! Their first one is almost demolished so we've gotten them two new ones! I've watched them throw these things around, it's very impressive... they're definately strong creatures! ^^ They just love them! (from the pet store) They have a hammock and Taisuke is madly in love with the thing, he gets so excited about going to take a nap in it, it's so cute. He'll start chirping and I swear his face is all aglow, and he HOPS into it and THROWS himself unto his side to sleep, chirping away all the while until he's settled. ^^ I can't think of what else... but I will recommend not to buy/make anything stationary/that they cannot move... We've bought them a few things that stick to the top of their cage or the side and they're next to never touched... They love things they can carry around/throw around and bring with them to another area if they don't want to chew on it where they are. Also, making things, make sure it's kiln-dried pine (I think that's right.... I'm not sure about other woods, and I'm honestly not sure what kind of wood the things we have gotten from the pet shop are, but trust that they are safe), no pesticides.... all that kind of stuff. I'm sorry if I dragged on, and also for my massive run on sentences! (I'm horrible for that ). Hope I was helpful! ^_^
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Toys
Sept 24, 2005 5:52:39 GMT
Post by shigatsu on Sept 24, 2005 5:52:39 GMT
This site has a wood list on it (can't remember what section it is in though :/ I always go through half of the site before finding it ) www.degutopia.co.uk/
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Toys
Sept 24, 2005 21:02:50 GMT
Post by themoosevodka on Sept 24, 2005 21:02:50 GMT
moose has a teletubby (Lala) from mcdonalds that is clipped to the inside of his cage that he likes to nibble on even though it's soft, he also has a plushie toy frog from mcdonalds to act as a playmate because he is all by himself he likes to sleep on it and watch t.v. he also has a budgie mirror with a bell on the end that hangs from the top of the cage, i got it at a pet store and he loves ringing the bell and looking at himself (again to help with the loneliness) he gets twigs constantly to chew on, he has a chinblock to help his claws and wood chews for his teeth, then there is his box filled with cuddly tissue paper and regular paper and a wheel that's too small for him but i put it high in the cage so he can spin it when he gets really bored
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Toys
Sept 26, 2005 2:22:11 GMT
Post by deguqueen on Sept 26, 2005 2:22:11 GMT
i was actually curious about the whole bell thing..i had heard that they like the bird toys like ropes and such but i was wondering if they would enjoy batting at the bell..maybe i should check it out! thanks squeak!
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Toys
Sept 26, 2005 2:24:38 GMT
Post by deguqueen on Sept 26, 2005 2:24:38 GMT
thanks for the link shigatsu...i would like to try and find some wood and rocks outside rather then paying the pet store for things i could get from free....i also made them a hammock myself which they dont seem to care about...they liked it where i had it in the smaller cage but now they sleep in the wheel or in the nest ginger made on the bottom of the cage...maybe ill just find some other place to put it for them
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Toys
Sept 26, 2005 19:31:12 GMT
Post by themoosevodka on Sept 26, 2005 19:31:12 GMT
i was actually curious about the whole bell thing..i had heard that they like the bird toys like ropes and such but i was wondering if they would enjoy batting at the bell..maybe i should check it out! thanks squeak! no problem, im sure two degus fighting and playing with the bell would be more fun than just one
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Toys
Sept 27, 2005 16:57:35 GMT
Post by deguqueen on Sept 27, 2005 16:57:35 GMT
Yeah about the toys thing, Im so paranoid that my degus arent satisfied with their environment. They just pretty much sit there and snuggle all day or sleep or run in their wheels. They dont really play or run around too much, maybe they are older than I was told? I just feel that their cage should be better or I'm not doing enough to enrich their environment. If they were better behaved they could come out of the cage more but Im too scared of getting bit again and going through the hassle of trying to catch them if they get loose again.
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