ianl
Newborn Degu
Posts: 7
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Post by ianl on Jan 6, 2015 18:43:29 GMT
Hey everyone, my name is Ian and I'm totally new to keeping degu's. My other half decided that getting a group of 4 male goo's off gum tree would make a great pet for our boy. As soon as I found out what she was doing I started researching as much as I could. The seller told us they came with a cage but didn't say how big. It turns out its tiny. It's the basic chinchilla cage that pets at home sell. I have been reading up like crazy on what the best way is to build a bigger cage. I know the minimum should be 100x50x100 but I'm going to try and go a bit bigger than that. If anyone could point me in the direction of some good guides to building a wooden enclosure it would be gratefully appreciated. I have a rough idea what to do but need some help with the technical bits. Ok so the goo's seem to be in ok health. They are all plump so it seems they have been eating well. The only thing I have noticed is that all of them seem to be balding on their tails. We have had them for 2 days now and they have been doing a fair bit of fighting. There is a lot of mounting aswell. I'm assuming this is because they are in a new environment they are trying to change their pecking order. I am the kind of person who wants the best for his animals so all the help you guys and girls can provide me with will be greatly accepted.
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Post by moletteuk on Jan 7, 2015 11:25:15 GMT
Hi Ian, welcome to the forum and to the world of degus! The balding tails isn't too worrying, just keep an eye on that. The squabbling could well be because they are unsettled at being in a new place, there is also a chance they have been squabbling for a while, but in any case some time, patience and a nice big cage will help. You will need a bigger cage than 100x50x100cm for 4 degus. Our cage size recommendation for 4 is 19,000sqcm, so this is about 4 levels at 100x50cm, so with a shelf size of 100x50, the cage would work out around 140cm tall (allowing average of 35cm between shelves). Of course you can make the shelves longer or vary other dimensions too if you want. Cage size guide deguworld.proboards.com/thread/9396/forums-cage-size-recommendationsThe best starting places for cage ideas is the 'show us your cage' thread deguworld.proboards.com/thread/6918/show-cage?page=32And the materials guide deguworld.proboards.com/thread/17316/cage-materialsAlso check out the blog section for some cage building blogs. Everyone has different ideas about the best way to build a cage, often you are balancing cost with longevity and ease of cleaning. Just ask if you have specific cage building questions or want to discuss pros and cons of anything in particular.
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Post by saddlers on Jan 7, 2015 15:10:55 GMT
Ian welcome to the forum, Molette has given you some great pointers to get you started, and I would echo the comments about the squabbling
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ianl
Newborn Degu
Posts: 7
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Post by ianl on Jan 7, 2015 16:19:21 GMT
Thank you for the welcome and info on cage size. I'm totally willing to build as big as necessary. I think my other half is deeply regretting getting the goo's now since I've told her my plans for their enclosure. I've been reading through the show us your cage posts and it is extremely helpful. Quick question, is boys mounting boys normal? I mean they are full on going for it.
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Post by moletteuk on Jan 7, 2015 16:34:19 GMT
Completely normal, you might see all kind of sexual activity from them, especially when you have children or polite company in the house! BUT do double and triple check they are all the same gender ASAP. Sexing guide deguworld.proboards.com/thread/13070/degus?page=1 If they aren't tame enough to hold, you can use a big glass dish or mesh or similar and a camera can help.
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ianl
Newborn Degu
Posts: 7
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Post by ianl on Jan 7, 2015 16:59:13 GMT
Double checking was the first thing I did. They are all male. And you are completely correct. The whole time my son was in the room they were at it like rabbits. He just thinks their fighting so it's ok.
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 8, 2015 16:54:13 GMT
Hello Ianl! Welcome to the forum! You've had some great advice already, so I'll not be adding anything. Sounds like you have a great start, and I am looking forward to seeing what you build for your degus!
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ianl
Newborn Degu
Posts: 7
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Post by ianl on Jan 8, 2015 21:12:34 GMT
So I have measured up the area where I can put their new enclosure and have decided that I'm going to build a 150lx100hx50d with 2 extra platforms 150lx45d. Does this sound good? It works out at around 2100sqcm
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 9, 2015 17:38:33 GMT
I think that sounds pretty good, but I do have a question for you. Do you think you could bring your depth up from 50 to 60? That just makes for a better depth for them.
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ianl
Newborn Degu
Posts: 7
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Post by ianl on Jan 10, 2015 17:06:44 GMT
I would love to but unfortunately there just isn't enough room to come out any further. The enclosure is going in the last available space in my living room. I am contemplating building a fold away enclosure that will be about 2m square that I can put out in the middle of my room so I can let the goo's out without them running under my sofa or aquarium. Basically just 4 long boards about 30cm high connected with hinges that can be unfolded into a big square and left on the floor.
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Post by Karma on Jan 10, 2015 17:16:20 GMT
30cm is way way too short - my degus can jump up and over 1 1/2 - 2 feet easy. I would make the playpen at least 30" high to 36" high to ensure they can't get out. The little buggers do take over a lot of room ..... My two stole a full bedroom from me when I moved into my new house lol. I get a shelf in the closet for my candle boxes and a small pathway from the door to the closet so they don't get into the closet when I open it lol.
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 10, 2015 18:00:47 GMT
I wondered if that would be the case, since you had said that you measured everything, but I thought I would ask anyway. I agree entirely with Karma, you need to have a much higher wall for your playpen. Degus are skilled jumpers . . . at least they can jump high, lol, and better for you to go too tall than not tall enough. Save yourself from any frustration, or accidents with your degus.
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Post by moletteuk on Jan 11, 2015 13:48:01 GMT
Proposed cage size sounds good. It actually doesn't need to be quite so tall for 3 levels, or if you are happy with the height, you could squeeze in a fourth level if you wanted to. Here is our playpen thread, it contains some discussion of appropriate heights. My degus are fine at 60cm height but some need 90cm. deguworld.proboards.com/thread/7310
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ianl
Newborn Degu
Posts: 7
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Post by ianl on Jan 11, 2015 16:52:40 GMT
I will take this all in to consideration when building the pen. I'm half way though building the cage atm and all seems to be going well so far. All that is needed now is glass for the front and its done. I might put another level in at some point as there does seem to be quite a big gap between levels. The only bonus I can really see about having such big gaps is the fact I can put 2 wheels in so there will be a bit less squabbling over the one wheel they have at the moment. Also the option of having nice long branches between levels is a bonus and plenty of room to put hanging baskets and the like.
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ianl
Newborn Degu
Posts: 7
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Post by ianl on Jan 11, 2015 16:55:32 GMT
I would just like to say thank you to everyone that has taken the time to respond to this thread it has been much appreciated. Also thank you for not shouting at me about the cage they are currently in. I was ready for a right bashing when I came on here saying I have 4 goo's in a tiny cage. I guess maybe I'm a bit too used to the aquarium scene where people just seem to shout straight away about how aweful you are before finding out how you got to the point your in.
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 11, 2015 20:19:16 GMT
We have definitely been in that place where shouting has happened, but we have worked really hard to remember that life happens, people are often misinformed through their pet store or from other sources, and it doesn't take much sometimes for things to roll completely out of control. We have such a SUPER group of moderators and helpers on here! I have been here for a while now, and they really are the best and most dedicated of all I have worked with. We have learned that kind understanding goes a lot further than does condemnation, and I am so glad you have benefitted from it. So . . . thank you!!
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