Post by Sunshinemeg on Jan 29, 2005 21:32:54 GMT
::)Just where do I start with THIS story? 
Well, it started about 2 weeks ago when I came into the room where the degu cage is kept, because I could hear lots of squeaking, and clearly someone was getting very upset! Arrived to find Marmalade with blood all over his face and around his eye!
Took him out of the cage and held him carefully to see what was wrong, and all Marmalade would do was lie in my hands shaking! I was very worried, and sure that he would die from either the wounds, or the shock.
Rushed down to the vets, who are wonderful people are ready to help in emergency cases at the drop of a hat! We arrived with Marmalade wrapped up in a tea towel, still just lieing in my hands not moving at all!
The vet was very gentle and kind with him, and gently unwrapped him from the tea towel. She wiped a wet cotton wool ball over the wound, and after close inspection decided it was his eye lid that was bleeding, and not his eye! Phew!
So we were able to take him home, to be brought back the next day for surgery.
Once back home, we kept him in a seperated section of the cage where he was safe from further fights, and able to relax. Next day, Marmalade spent the day with the vet, having a cut in his lower eyelid closed, and sadly, having to have some of his upper eye lid trimmed away. He came home that evening to his seperated section of the cage, and spent the rest of the night snuggled up in his bed sleeping.
For the next week, Marmalade had to be taken out of his cage twice a day to have a special gel put onto his eye to reduce an ulser that had developed on his eye after he had been scratching at it. This involved having to wrap him up in his tea towel so he couldnt move away, and wiping the gel over his eye. not a nice thing to have to do, but it was working well!
A week later we still hadnt been able to get the three degus back together, whenever Charlie got near to Marmalade he would try to bite him and hurt him! We were very worried we werent going to ever get them back together!
On a return visit to the vet for a check up, we were pleased when the last scabs were gently taken off, and the vet told us she was very happy with Marmalade's progress.
We got home with Marmalade, and as we put him back into the cage we saw he was limping really badly! No idea what had happened, but decided it was best to just leave him for a little bit. Later that day, he still wasnt moving, and if anything he was getting worse!
The following morning when I went to check on Marmalade, I found him lying on his side unable or unwilling to move! A quick phonecall to the vet, and we had an appointment booked for that afternoon.
That was such a long day! We were sure that Marmalade would be put down when he went to the vets, so we felt it was best to just keep him quiet and let him rest. About an hour before going to the vet, we took him out of the cage and had a quiet cuddle with him, thinking that it would be the last.
At the vets it was awfully busy, and to make matters worse we had to wait for half an hour to be seen. I was in a bad state waiting, so greatful my mother had been free to come with me, as I needed someone!
Finally let into see the vet, and after much moving of legs, he decided Marmalade had "cricked his back"!! The treatment was to stop applying the gel to the eye, and to effectively put him on bed rest!!!!!!!!!!!
A week after this latest development, we set up a large area on the floor of the kitchen, in which we could let the degus run around without them able to get down the back of units or anywhere. We began by putting Marmalade into the area, and then added Gromit. They met each other, and instantly started grooming each other! As it was going so well, we added Charlie. This was interesting. He didnt try to be aggressive towards Marmalade, but instead he tried to groom him! However this didnt go down well. Marmalade clearly has a good memory as he didnt want to be nice to Charlie! He chased him away once, this scaring Charlie so much he ran to me and jumped up to be held!!!!!!! However, we perceivered, and put Charlie back with Marmalade and Gromit. They seemed fairly happy, and getting back to normal gradually.
We decided to keep the divide in place, but put all three of the Degus into the main part of the cage.
That afternoon, they werent getting on wonderfully, mainly as Marmalade was tired, and so we took Charlie out for the night, popping him into the small section.
Next day they went back together, and we soon realised that the biggest problem was that Charlie is too energetic for Marmalade, who is really still recovering from his injuries.
Today, they are still together, and things are going ok,. We bought a temporary plastic wheel to keep Charlie busy, and hope he just doesnt really pester Marmalade too much!
So there we go, thats Marmalade's saga!!!
Well, it started about 2 weeks ago when I came into the room where the degu cage is kept, because I could hear lots of squeaking, and clearly someone was getting very upset! Arrived to find Marmalade with blood all over his face and around his eye!
Took him out of the cage and held him carefully to see what was wrong, and all Marmalade would do was lie in my hands shaking! I was very worried, and sure that he would die from either the wounds, or the shock.
Rushed down to the vets, who are wonderful people are ready to help in emergency cases at the drop of a hat! We arrived with Marmalade wrapped up in a tea towel, still just lieing in my hands not moving at all!
The vet was very gentle and kind with him, and gently unwrapped him from the tea towel. She wiped a wet cotton wool ball over the wound, and after close inspection decided it was his eye lid that was bleeding, and not his eye! Phew!
So we were able to take him home, to be brought back the next day for surgery.Once back home, we kept him in a seperated section of the cage where he was safe from further fights, and able to relax. Next day, Marmalade spent the day with the vet, having a cut in his lower eyelid closed, and sadly, having to have some of his upper eye lid trimmed away.
He came home that evening to his seperated section of the cage, and spent the rest of the night snuggled up in his bed sleeping.For the next week, Marmalade had to be taken out of his cage twice a day to have a special gel put onto his eye to reduce an ulser that had developed on his eye after he had been scratching at it. This involved having to wrap him up in his tea towel so he couldnt move away, and wiping the gel over his eye. not a nice thing to have to do, but it was working well!
A week later we still hadnt been able to get the three degus back together, whenever Charlie got near to Marmalade he would try to bite him and hurt him! We were very worried we werent going to ever get them back together!
On a return visit to the vet for a check up, we were pleased when the last scabs were gently taken off, and the vet told us she was very happy with Marmalade's progress.
We got home with Marmalade, and as we put him back into the cage we saw he was limping really badly! No idea what had happened, but decided it was best to just leave him for a little bit. Later that day, he still wasnt moving, and if anything he was getting worse!
The following morning when I went to check on Marmalade, I found him lying on his side unable or unwilling to move! A quick phonecall to the vet, and we had an appointment booked for that afternoon.
That was such a long day! We were sure that Marmalade would be put down when he went to the vets, so we felt it was best to just keep him quiet and let him rest. About an hour before going to the vet, we took him out of the cage and had a quiet cuddle with him, thinking that it would be the last.
At the vets it was awfully busy, and to make matters worse we had to wait for half an hour to be seen. I was in a bad state waiting, so greatful my mother had been free to come with me, as I needed someone!
Finally let into see the vet, and after much moving of legs, he decided Marmalade had "cricked his back"!!
The treatment was to stop applying the gel to the eye, and to effectively put him on bed rest!!!!!!!!!!!A week after this latest development, we set up a large area on the floor of the kitchen, in which we could let the degus run around without them able to get down the back of units or anywhere. We began by putting Marmalade into the area, and then added Gromit. They met each other, and instantly started grooming each other! As it was going so well, we added Charlie. This was interesting. He didnt try to be aggressive towards Marmalade, but instead he tried to groom him! However this didnt go down well. Marmalade clearly has a good memory as he didnt want to be nice to Charlie! He chased him away once, this scaring Charlie so much he ran to me and jumped up to be held!!!!!!! However, we perceivered, and put Charlie back with Marmalade and Gromit. They seemed fairly happy, and getting back to normal gradually.
We decided to keep the divide in place, but put all three of the Degus into the main part of the cage.
That afternoon, they werent getting on wonderfully, mainly as Marmalade was tired, and so we took Charlie out for the night, popping him into the small section.
Next day they went back together, and we soon realised that the biggest problem was that Charlie is too energetic for Marmalade, who is really still recovering from his injuries.
Today, they are still together, and things are going ok,. We bought a temporary plastic wheel to keep Charlie busy, and hope he just doesnt really pester Marmalade too much!
So there we go, thats Marmalade's saga!!!
