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Post by erika on Aug 7, 2005 20:10:50 GMT
Ok - so I finally picked up Dali's new buddy (Chili) from the rescue lady. But he seems to be a bit frought with problems. He was beat up a bit by the other males from his litter so he had been separated from them. She said she didn't notice but I noticed when I picked him up that he has a chunk of hair missing the size of a nickel on his neck. No cuts there, only missing hair. Do they pull out each other's hair when they fight? He also has nick's on his ears and seems to have oily hair and oily ears. Gave him a dust bath which seems to have helped. My other concern is that he drinks a TON of water and pees TONS on EVERYTHING in his cage. At first I thought he was just marking over Dali's scent (he took over Dali's old cage - I did clean it out but...) but now I worry that he is diabetic??? Should I let him drink as much water as he wants? It does have vitamins in it. Plus he's much more hyper active than Dali. Ok - now I have noticed that he seems to be poopin a lot too. He seems to be healthy otherwise, very alert and good appetite since the first day. Any thoughts?
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Post by xdegudivax on Aug 7, 2005 22:43:50 GMT
Wow..Maybe he was dehidrated?..Maybe he was never given enough to eat or drink..And I think they do pull hair when they fight..Mine like to make like they're trying to punch one another..it's sometimes funny to watch.
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Post by erika on Aug 8, 2005 1:02:11 GMT
Maybe, it is possible he's just dehydrated. but I mean it was alot! Can a diabetic degu live in the same cage as a non-diabetic? I mean it is so much urine! Should I keep them separate permanently if it stays the same?
How long do you think before they can try hanging out in the same cage (if the peeing slows down)? 1 month?
Thanks
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Post by xdegudivax on Aug 8, 2005 3:03:25 GMT
sure they can..diabeties isn't something another can catch >>...to introduce chili to the others..try having their cages together..this way they catch eachothers scent..
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Post by Aimeelou on Aug 8, 2005 11:47:51 GMT
Hi Erika It does sound alot like Diabetes, with all the drinking and weeing, or like Diva says, severe dehydration. A Degu can servive quite a while without water, only if theyre given adiquate greens and such. Ive read that some breeders dont give there Degus any water, because they get all the water they need from their diet With alot of males in one cage you can expect things to get a little rough. Males tend to constantly argue over whos to be the boss, and 2 strong willed males are going to give it all they can! The fur thats missing, is from the dominant male mounting him from the back, and ripping the fur out from the back of his neck (i know- ooer!) But dont worry to much about it. Let him drink as much as he likes, but if he gets worse, i would take him to the vets just to be on the safe side. Aimee
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Post by Sunshinemeg on Aug 8, 2005 14:12:44 GMT
Dont panic if you DO have a diabetic degu, as I am sure that a visit to the vet would help you sort out anything. As Aimeelou said, keep an eye on things, and if there is no improvement in a few days, visit the vet to put your mind at ease. The bad condition that your new degu is in, could just be because he has been rescued, and is a stressed from all he has been through. You are right to be concerned, just give him a couple of days and then see a vet.
good luck
meg ;D
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Post by diet otaku on Aug 8, 2005 16:09:55 GMT
this makes me wonder, should i be concerned if one of my degus is drinking a lot and NOT weeing everywhere? it just seems that sometimes rumble will drink from the water bottle for several minutes straight, but there doesn't seem to be an excessive amount of urine or feces anywhere.
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Post by xdegudivax on Aug 9, 2005 17:06:16 GMT
Hmm..That..I think would be a cause for concern..Mine poop like crazy!..But yea..Not peeing alot..could mean something...but don't go by what i say..wait until you see what others say too..Rumble could just be constipated :-\
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Post by diet otaku on Aug 9, 2005 22:05:01 GMT
oh he's a pooping machine, and it's not that he NEVER pees... he seems to wait until he's sitting on my shoulder to do so. e__e but he seems to drink more than he pees. i dunno, maybe that means he's actually absorbing the water and staying hydrated instead of it just going right through him?
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Post by erika on Aug 10, 2005 1:38:22 GMT
Thanks so much for all your advice. The rescue lady i got him from said that the other two Degus also had bald spots on them and said that she found out Degus are prone to ringworm (fungus) Anyone heard of that with Degus? I have heard of rinworm but not for degus. Anyhow, she found a preventative/ cure for that one...being Tinactin. Apparently you put 1 tsp in their dust bath and they roll around in it. It's the 1% tolnaftate that works. As for the peeing, yes they poop sooo much. Again, Chili the rescue poops more too. Or maybe it's just that he poops and pees more visibly. He goes to the washroom on top of everyhting. Dali seems to just go on the floor of the cage in the shavings. Chili goes on the branches, on the wood hut he has, and even on top of the toilet paper roll!? I have no idea how he did that one without squishing it?? It just seems so much more unsanitary yah know? They chew on all those things and if they are prone to mouth infections... He does seem to have slowed down a bit...i think. We'll see. Thanks again, Erika
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Post by diet otaku on Aug 10, 2005 2:28:55 GMT
that could very well be. most of my degus' waste goes one of 3 places: the bedding, the dust bath or the chin-chiller. sometimes they pee in the wheel too. but yeah, i really only notice the chin-chiller...
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Post by Sunshinemeg on Aug 10, 2005 16:23:07 GMT
quick question, what is a chin-chiller? meg
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Post by xdegudivax on Aug 10, 2005 19:23:33 GMT
That's what I ment to look for while I was at the pet store today!..A chin-Chiller..is like..a cooling plate I think..they can lay on it to keep cool...
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Post by diet otaku on Aug 11, 2005 0:00:20 GMT
a chin-chiller is basically a rectangular slab of granite. granite naturally stays cooler than room temperature, so for animals like chinchillas with a lot of fur, it provides a good place to keep cool in warmer weather. i will probably take it out in the winter and put something warm and snuggly in its place. something else i noticed - when i've first filled up the dust bowl, the degus will often jump in and drag a lot of it out because it gets stuck to their tails and such. because the chinchiller is right next to the dust bowl, it gets covered in a thick layer of dust, which the degus will then roll around in. it's like they use it to get those hard to reach places or something.
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Post by Sunshinemeg on Aug 11, 2005 13:33:11 GMT
ooo, like the idea of that, may have to go looking, see if they do them in the UK
meg;D
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Post by xdegudivax on Aug 11, 2005 19:11:32 GMT
I'm probably going to look online for one...
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Hanlou
Burrowing Degu
Basil
Posts: 284
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Post by Hanlou on Aug 14, 2005 22:46:26 GMT
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Post by ra on Aug 15, 2005 20:03:18 GMT
Erika - It sounds as though Chili might be trying to mark "things" in the cage as his. Remember the male Degus will spray their mate to mark them, so it would not surprise me if he were peeing on things he could claim for his own like branches or the toilet paper roll.
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Post by diet otaku on Aug 15, 2005 20:54:29 GMT
come to think of it, i have noticed my degus peeing on the wooden chew blocks i give them - i thought it was just by accident since they're always on the ground, but it could very well be them marking them.
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Post by Aimeelou on Aug 16, 2005 7:49:39 GMT
Yes, my boy Taco likes to spray it all down my wall....
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