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Post by leslielashawn on Mar 16, 2015 17:18:14 GMT
Hello! We recently added two goos to our childcare family. We were told we were adopting 2 females. Turns out one of them isn't as female as we thought. Now I believe we are in a family way. Although this could be a great learning experience for our preschool class, we are worried because mom and pop are from the same litter, hence brother and sister. How big of a genetic disaster are we in for? Any help is greatly appreciated. |
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Post by yasmin on Mar 16, 2015 21:21:17 GMT
From my experience, some babies may be stillborn or die a few days later. Others might inherit any genetic issues that the parents have like major teeth issues, tendency toward cataracts and diabetes.
How far along do you think the female may be? (Gestation is 3 months for degus.)
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 17, 2015 11:34:43 GMT
Welcome Leslie  You just have to wait and see with the genetic issues, inbreeding and accidental litters are very common, they cope much better with it than larger mammals, as Yasmin says, you may get some immediate losses and then there may be problems as the degus age. Have you given some thought to future housing and making sure you don't have any more litters? The female is fertile again immediately after giving birth so needs to be separated from her partner before giving birth. Hopefully you will get at least one pup of each sex who can then live with each parent so nobody is alone. What kind of cage do you have? We recommend at least 1.2 square metres of running area for a pair of degus. Mesh size needs to be fairly small, 1/2" or so, to prevent babies escaping. |
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Post by leslielashawn on Mar 17, 2015 22:19:16 GMT
Thank you for your input. We have a large 3 level cage with very small mesh so we should be ok there. We already acquired a back up cage for Clyde (formerly Clydene) for use when Bonnie's time gets close. We had the same thought of hoping for a pup of each sex and then everybody would have a companion. If that doesn't work out I'm not quite sure where to go after that. We are small town only came upon this set of Degus by chance so acquiring another male and female would be a challenge. Prior to Bonnie and Clyde I had never heard of Degus before. I am a pet person: cats, dogs, birds, fish, rabbits, ferrets, hedehogs, guinea pigs. I've raised them all. I'm in new territory here and am doing a great amount of research as we want to offer our critters the best we can. I suppose at this point it will be a wait and see situation for our babies. If that doesn't work out and we have to find another male and female, how are they at socializing to a new roommate later? Do they socialize well or are they territorial? Again, I thank you.
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Post by Maravilla on Mar 18, 2015 10:58:38 GMT
Actually, I would separate male and female now, and not wait another couple of weeks. You think the female could be pregnant but don't know for sure. So, if she is not, with every day you wait, the risk of becoming pregnant increases.
Can you give some numbers? "Large" is a quite subjective term and in all the years I have been dedicating my time to advising people about degus and their needs, "I have a large cage" often turned out to be a too small cage for degus (and any other rodent). That's why I became pretty doubtful about this word; it is not a personal thing just a matter of experience.
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 18, 2015 14:02:01 GMT
Yes, if she definitely looks pregnant, then the birth could be imminent.
Introductions can be done, but isn't necessarily straightforward, best to wait and see for now what you get in the litter (presuming she is pregnant) and concentrate more on housing and also good diet for the mother.
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Post by leslielashawn on Mar 18, 2015 17:47:54 GMT
Thank you. The cage is 4 feet tall (almost as tall as me), 3 feet wide, and 2 feet deep with 1/2" mesh. We have already moved Clyde although his cage is only a 2'x3'x2' so we will be in the market for another larger cage. we have their cages side by side and they seem to be doing ok.
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 19, 2015 11:07:01 GMT
The large cage sounds like it should be OK if it has some full area shelves in it making the most of the space. Check out housing section of forum for more info and tips.
Good to hear they are coping with the separation. Let us know how things progress.
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