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Post by darling on Apr 14, 2015 14:39:38 GMT
So I went into pets at home to get some guinea pig food and they were taking a Degu out the back to be put down, so he has a stumped tail and some toes missing but I demanded they gave it to me and they did... free apparently he was in unsaleable condition.
so need some help got him in a cage and got some hay and their pellets also added a chicken leg bone and carrot to see if he likes it and need some advice on shopping.
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Post by moletteuk on Apr 14, 2015 15:49:39 GMT
Hi, welcome to the forum.
That's awful! I thought cases like that went into the 'adoption' area! I don't suppose he had any brothers left in the litter in the shop? If not you will have to tackle introductions to find him somebody to live with. The other thing to note is that PAH are hopeless at sexing, so do check for yourself he is a boy and that anybody you get to live with him is the sex you are told.
Degus are vegetarian so take the chicken bone out ASAP and have a wipe round with some pet safe disinfectant becuase they might not have much resistance to meat bacteria.
We have a ton of information around the forum, so work your way through the sticky threads at the top of each forum, there is quite a bit to learn, degus aren't all that straightforward at first.
The main things are that he will need a big cage, two degus need a minimum of 1.2 square metres and the cage should be 1m (or very close) wide. The other thing is diet, the have forage based diets, hays, grasses, flowers, herbs, wild/ hedgerow plants, tree leaves etc, and then pellets and/or seeds. Also, the introduction may be long and involved.
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Post by ilikedegus on Apr 14, 2015 16:14:08 GMT
...and darling, don't be afraid to ask questions. We are generally pretty friendly and non-judgemental.
Well done for rescuing him.
I guess you have guinea pigs!
Degus are much more like piggies than rats, though NOT the same. as Molette says, meat isn't in their wild diet.
Fruit is also a bad idea, too much sugar for degus.
BEWARE that degus chew like nobody's business, so watch curtains, skirting board, sofas, electrical cables...
If you have access to dog-free dandelions, he will (probably) like some leaves and flowers (just because it's an easy plant to find in the UK, there are plenty more!)
If you decide you can't keep him after looking into his care, do post on the adoptions thread, giving your location. Someone may well take him on.
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Post by moletteuk on Apr 14, 2015 17:00:47 GMT
Also to put your mind at rest, the degloved tail is nothing to worry about once healed and very common, even the loss of toes isn't that unusual either through injury or fighting and again not usually a problem once healed.
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Post by darling on Apr 14, 2015 17:49:25 GMT
He is missing hair to and well I love him but he is not a pretty boy bless his heart.
I took the chicken bone out and wipped round with cage cleaning wipes.
Bought him a large wooden Karlie wheel, three log bridges to chew and cut some apple wood off the apple tree outside thats never been touched with pesticides in the 46 years my grandparents have lived here so I know its safe.
I ordered some degu treats from zooplus as well as a mix of flowers and such.
We have dandelions in the lawn thats fenced off from our dogs so thats great.
As for introducing someone to him I want him to be healed up and at full strength first.
There was no others in the shop from his litter otherwise I would have had them to sadly.
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Post by moletteuk on Apr 14, 2015 18:45:47 GMT
OK, I hope he perks up and settles in with you well. Hair loss may just be overgrooming but we have seen cases of fungal infection from PAH so watch out for the skin not looking right, if you have GPs you are probably familiar with this type of thing.
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Post by darling on Apr 14, 2015 19:46:37 GMT
been to the vets with Darling, just got in, he had ear mites, fleas and the vet did spot on and gave me ear drops for him, he was furious with P&H and said I would need to get him company but to give himn atleast a week to get over his stress and conditions then get another but keep it seperate till they get on.
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Post by ilikedegus on Apr 14, 2015 20:06:08 GMT
I can see you're already in love with him, buying him all that gear ;-)
Glad you got him to the vet for a check up. Poor little chap having all those itchy passengers!
DID THE VET CONFIRM IT'S A HIM?
How is he with you? I bet you are good with animals, but is he scared, quite relaxed and curious or somewhere in between?
Read the introductions section of this forum...it may be that you can find a very young boy (5-6 weeks) from someone who's had a surprise litter, it can be very easy to introduce babies to an adult (though there would still be dominance struggles when the baby/babies reach puberty).
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Post by darling on Apr 14, 2015 20:11:33 GMT
The vet confirmed its a him and he is uhm... well endowed.
I always take new animals to the vets the same day as getting them its a precaution to catch any faults before they are passed on to other pets.
He is nervous but curious he has had a cuddle but dislikes being picked up so I have his cage on my desk and he comes and goes as he pleases.
I am going to give him the time to establish the cage as his, to get well then do introductions in the bathroom which will smell strongly of humans not animals so neutral for them.
Even considering getting another one tomorrow if I can get a ride so fingers crossed.
Also I cant have children so for me the animals are my kids so I spoil them rotten.
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Post by ilikedegus on Apr 14, 2015 20:16:16 GMT
We don't have kids, which makes vet's bills and other pet spending more bearable.
I look forward to hearing more about Darling.
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Post by darling on Apr 14, 2015 20:37:07 GMT
 Caught his magnificent side without his missing toes on show, his tail out of shot and his missing fur on the other side so in this he looks pretty amazing so good timing. |
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Post by klbishop on Apr 14, 2015 22:14:41 GMT
what a dude !
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Post by ilikedegus on Apr 15, 2015 12:06:58 GMT
Awww. Very handsome without the missing bits (and few of us on the forum would reject him because of those anyway).
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Post by darling on Apr 15, 2015 14:43:25 GMT
Well today Darling got company
we went shopping in a large garden center qand it had a pet center and there were two tiny tiny boys in a cage there
I am normally a rescue only girl but they bound over to the bars and it seemed to be fate
Bought them home introduced them to Darling in the bath and he ran over and I held my breath and he started grooming them
whilst my gran watched them I scrubbed out the cage and then put them all in together and I am watching them closely
So far he has shown them to the water and food, groomed them multiple times, he did hump them but it was only once each and then he groomed them afterwards so everyone seems okay but will be watching closely and have a spare cage just incase.
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Post by deguconvert on Apr 15, 2015 15:13:23 GMT
Awwww! Love the picture, and love that he has so quickly accepted the two new boys, congratulations! You are certain the two new ones are male as well?
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Post by moletteuk on Apr 15, 2015 15:45:55 GMT
He looks very sweet, I'm sure he looks sweet with his unfortunate modifications showing too!
I was going to say to wait until he has completed his mite treatment before you do any introductions, but I'm a bit late! Mite treatment is 3 doses at 7 to 10 day intervals, so do make sure he gets 3 treatments and watch out for the two new guys getting infected.
Anyway, I hope they all settle in together.
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Post by darling on Apr 15, 2015 19:38:45 GMT
He has become very aggressive with me! which is okay because he doesnt want me touching the new boys. Also I took them to the vets on the way home and got him to check before putting them in, I dont trust pet shops.   One of the newbies is very very shy so he is always hiding behind Darling. |
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Post by animalmadchloe on Apr 15, 2015 20:23:38 GMT
What a bunch of cuties well done you, I would say now you have three you need to look into getting a much larger cage fairly quickly before the squabbling beings and they fall out and end up separated xxx
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Post by darling on Apr 15, 2015 22:15:38 GMT
Already done got a bigger cage this evening its all set up.  |
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Post by deguconvert on Apr 16, 2015 3:42:29 GMT
I am thrilled that you were thinking ahead and had gone out and got them a larger cage. So I am really sorry to have to tell you that the cage you so happily/victoriously brought home is not suitable for degus. Degus are HUGE, and I mean seriously dedicated Olympic sized champion chewers, and plastic is no hindrance to them at all. They can chew their way out of that in a matter or hours, or even less. The shelves may (you could read "likely") well suffer from the same treatment. Hopefully they will not for a good while, and will give you the time you will need/want to find a cage more designed for their specific needs and requirements. I am going to point you to some reading about degu caging needs and requirements with the following links, and I hope it will be helpful and not thoroughly overwhelming. deguworld.proboards.com/thread/9396/forums-cage-size-recommendationsdeguworld.proboards.com/thread/18718/guides-diy-cagedeguworld.proboards.com/thread/18717/improving-metal-cageAnd just so that you can see what other people have done with their cages, from the simple to the extravagant, there is this link. deguworld.proboards.com/thread/6918/show-cage |
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