Is my degu pregnant?!

[mmc]

On the 2nd of March I got two degus, Cocoa and Stripe. Unfortunately Stripe died, so I got two more, Mischief and Marmite, on the 24th of March. They went into Cocoa's cage the next Monday. I am now thinking that Marmite is a girl, as the other two have been mounting him/her and barking afterwards and Marmite is starting to look quite chubby, especially around the flanks. He/she has been sleeping quite a lot, eating lots of hay and has built a nest in the nesting box, where he/she spends most of his/her time. Please help me to tell if he/she is a boy or a girl and, if a girl, is she pregnant? Here is a pic.

[moletteuk]

Here is our sexing guide deguworld.proboards.com/thread/13070/degus?page=1

You can use a piece of mesh or glass or a big glass dish, or sometimes a camera will help to get a good look underneath.

She could easily by pregnant, and if so you need to separate her from the boys before she gives birth because she will be fertile again immediately after she gives birth.

Another member just mentioned that the nipples might become visible a few days before the birth.

Let us know how you get on with the sexing, and we will try to help you make some plans.

[mmc]

Ok, thanks! I will tell you when I get them sexed.

[mmc]

We now have two males and one pregnant female. We are trying to find a cage for Marmite and her babies to be. I think it is going to be quite a while before the babies arrive though, around 2 months maybe?!

[moletteuk]

If she is showing already, I wouldn't think you would have as long to wait as that, but difficult to say. Best to get her separated as soon as you can just in case she isn't already pregnant.

Happy cage hunting, there is lots of info in the cage section of the forum, don't rule anything out, second hand, conversions, linking 2 or 3 cages, DIY build, there was 10% off at Littlepetwarehouse.co.uk a few days ago (making Aventura £135).

[mmc]

Found a good cage on eBay, 70 pounds, bargain!!! Has just arrived, Marmite in it and settling down. Went to the vet, it's turned out she only has about 2 weeks to go!!! She was obviously pregnant in the pet shop!!!

[yasmin]

Good luck – hope all goes well. Please keep us posted.

[mmc]

Babies have arrived!!!! I can count 5 at the moment, and they all seem healthy!

[ilikedegus]

Bit sooner than expected!

Cuuuute...enjoy them while they're tiny!

[moletteuk]

Glad all doing well and healthy.


(If she was pregnant when you got her (gestation 90 days), you should be able to get a cage out of the pet shop for free, depending on the shop, but worth a try!)

[yasmin]

Congratulations. How's mama doing?

[deguconvert]

Awwwwwww! Degu pups melt my heart!! They are just so adorable! Congratulations! Be aware, degu pups are very mobile, basically from the get go, so they are going to be moving around a lot and you need to keep an eye on them to ensure that they don't become chilled. They don't regulate their own body temperature until they are about four weeks old. Also, they are escape artists, so any openings in your cage that are larger than 1 cm are going to be a potential location for egress. You can use cardboard around the outside of your cage to help with prevention.

[saddlers]

Well that was quick!!

[mmc]

They are all doing fine, Marmite has been out for a bit but went back in after 5 minutes. I have noticed the babies putting their noses in between the bars and either Cocoa or Mischief putting theirs through to greet the babies before Marmite comes and puts them back in the nest!!! They are so cute! I wish they could stay small forever.