help! I dont know what to do next?

[kayly]

The doors are on the side, there are two doors so yeah I could put it on its side.just worried that if ethel doesn't leave doris alone again then what??

[moletteuk]

I've done the sums for the cage, on its side with the base plus a full area shelf gives 127cmx48cm x2=12100 which is fine. Stood as it is but with two full area shelves in addition to the base gives 76x48cm x3 = 10900, but the longest length for running is only 76cm which is quite limiting.

I think the best plan at the moment (beyond upgrading the cage) is to work out a way to do temporary separations so that you give them short time outs if necessary, you may need to work out something more comfortable than the hamster cage for the second degu, or she might just get more wound up. The time out can be just for an hour or two or for a day or a few days, just to let them calm down. It can help sometimes to isolate them from each other so they can't see or smell each other, just to let them have the plain choice of getting along or being completely alone, it can help them get their differences into perspective. You still need to swap substrate to keep both cages smelling of both degus.

[jamiee]

I buy lots of chewable toys to keep mine out of trouble and busy. Little homemade toys as simple as cutting a loo-roll tube into circles about 1cm wide, then slotting them together into a ball, can keep degus busy. In pet stores, there are also log toys, or chewable natural balls, which you can get for a relatively low price. Like Moletteuk said, hammocks and houses make great places to sleep and nest in, and provide a place to hide as well. Hope your degus get on better.