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Post by immaculateconcept on Apr 2, 2016 11:22:28 GMT
Have had Degus for about 6 years now. We started with 2 older rescue ones and have rescued some more as one has passed on. We lost three we assumed due to old age and are now at a Stable 6 "males" (you'll see why inverted commas soon). They've been happy and together for nearly 3 years so we've assumed a new larger cafe and more than a pair have contributed to them being happier and living longer. Plus we probably slightly over feed them. Compared with the recommendations on weight.
Since having the 6 we've had no issues for 2.5 years. So imagine my surprise this morning when I find 4 babies in it.
Help!
Anyone prepared to take a phone call?
I need photos of male / female Degu genitalia as what I think are Degus males. Clearly aren't.
I need guidance on what to do as I suspect he babies are about a week old. So born just after the last full cage clean.
They all seem happy and Healthy. But I'm not sure I want 10 Degus!
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Post by immaculateconcept on Apr 2, 2016 11:58:46 GMT
Baby sizes.
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Post by winic1 on Apr 2, 2016 12:09:33 GMT
OMG! What a both wonderful and alarming surprise! (now feeling the urge to go double-check my three boys....)
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Post by skardsen on Apr 2, 2016 13:58:06 GMT
Afraid I can't help, but those babies are lovely. Are they really that dark? They look almost black.
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Post by Maravilla on Apr 2, 2016 15:25:51 GMT
Uff... I know how you are feeling right now... And they are really cute little monsters. Regarding pictures, have a look The distance is bigger in males (up to 1 cm) than in females (only few millimetres). And in males you will find a skin fold. If you are unsure, try to take photos like the ones shown and post them here. Is it the first time that you have seen the babies? Degu babies start to explore their environment pretty early so it is normal to see them on day 3-4. First thing is to make sure, who is male and who is female (you have to check all the animals as the mother does not spend all the time with her babies) and then separate them immediately. Mother can be pregnant again (you will only know in about 90 days). Then, once this is done, you have to make the cage baby proof: no deep water bowls, no running wheel for the next couple of weeks, make sure they can't escape through the bars or fall down anywhere. Degu babies are very active and fearless so it is up to you to make sure they can't hurt anywhere. And offer mum some more clean nesting material. She will love it. Mommy can get some extra calories in form of nuts or some more oats. She will need them. It is normal that she only feeds the babies 2-3x per day. I would suggest weighing the babies about twice per week to see if they gain weight properly. Problem might be if all look pretty similar. Phone call with me would be difficult... wrong country so it would be quite expensive. But it could help to post your country somewhere. As an extra information: it is very normal that the mum is somewhat "special" or aggressive right now. So don't worry if she is different to her normal behaviour.
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Post by immaculateconcept on Apr 2, 2016 17:26:05 GMT
Afraid I can't help, but those babies are lovely. Are they really that dark? They look almost black. Yes. They are pretty dark brown. With flash at their first bath time.
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Post by immaculateconcept on Apr 2, 2016 17:28:44 GMT
Uff... I know how you are feeling right now... And they are really cute little monsters. Regarding pictures, have a look The distance is bigger in males (up to 1 cm) than in females (only few millimetres). And in males you will find a skin fold. If you are unsure, try to take photos like the ones shown and post them here. Is it the first time that you have seen the babies? Degu babies start to explore their environment pretty early so it is normal to see them on day 3-4. First thing is to make sure, who is male and who is female (you have to check all the animals as the mother does not spend all the time with her babies) and then separate them immediately. Mother can be pregnant again (you will only know in about 90 days). Then, once this is done, you have to make the cage baby proof: no deep water bowls, no running wheel for the next couple of weeks, make sure they can't escape through the bars or fall down anywhere. Degu babies are very active and fearless so it is up to you to make sure they can't hurt anywhere. And offer mum some more clean nesting material. She will love it. Mommy can get some extra calories in form of nuts or some more oats. She will need them. It is normal that she only feeds the babies 2-3x per day. I would suggest weighing the babies about twice per week to see if they gain weight properly. Problem might be if all look pretty similar. Phone call with me would be difficult... wrong country so it would be quite expensive. But it could help to post your country somewhere. As an extra information: it is very normal that the mum is somewhat "special" or aggressive right now. So don't worry if she is different to her normal behaviour. Thanks for all the advice. Turns out I have three boys and three girls. Mum is easy to tell as she's got nipples! Double checked the boys and separated them. Further check at pet store tomorrow. Leaving mum and babies at home for a bit with some oats and peanuts. How on earth have I not ended up with 300 babies if I've had 3 girls and three boys?
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Post by Maravilla on Apr 2, 2016 19:25:45 GMT
Be prepared that all 3 females could be pregnant (again). It is hard to notice until the last couple of days. Are the degus more or less tame so that you could check their weights regularly? This would be the best indicator to see a pregnancy.
What happened to you happens from time to time if owners do not check sexes on their own. They think to have same-sex groups and are surprised after a couple of years that they have not.
The fur of the babies will change in some weeks so the current colour does not say much about it. But they are really gorgeous! Here, we use to call them "peanut hippos" at this age.
What is really surprising (!!!) is that - if you really have 3 boys and 3 girls - there weren't any serious fights among the boys. This would be the normal behaviour as they do not like to share females with other males.
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Post by immaculateconcept on Apr 2, 2016 22:30:47 GMT
Be prepared that all 3 females could be pregnant (again). It is hard to notice until the last couple of days. Are the degus more or less tame so that you could check their weights regularly? This would be the best indicator to see a pregnancy. What happened to you happens from time to time if owners do not check sexes on their own. They think to have same-sex groups and are surprised after a couple of years that they have not. The fur of the babies will change in some weeks so the current colour does not say much about it. But they are really gorgeous! Here, we use to call them "peanut hippos" at this age. What is really surprising (!!!) is that - if you really have 3 boys and 3 girls - there weren't any serious fights among the boys. This would be the normal behaviour as they do not like to share females with other males. We had the normal fisti cuffs every now and again. But since having six. It's been much much calmer than it ever was with 2
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Post by immaculateconcept on Apr 2, 2016 22:32:47 GMT
Be prepared that all 3 females could be pregnant (again). It is hard to notice until the last couple of days. Are the degus more or less tame so that you could check their weights regularly? This would be the best indicator to see a pregnancy. What happened to you happens from time to time if owners do not check sexes on their own. They think to have same-sex groups and are surprised after a couple of years that they have not. The fur of the babies will change in some weeks so the current colour does not say much about it. But they are really gorgeous! Here, we use to call them "peanut hippos" at this age. What is really surprising (!!!) is that - if you really have 3 boys and 3 girls - there weren't any serious fights among the boys. This would be the normal behaviour as they do not like to share females with other males. We had the normal fisti cuffs every now and again. But since having six. It's been much much calmer than it ever was with 2 Ps and yes. They are all treat tarts and hand friendly. They'll all come sit on a shoulder for a snuggle and munch on a treat. All trhe girls are together tonight. But lots of noise the boys are quieter. How big is a normal litter?
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Post by savvy on Apr 2, 2016 22:52:23 GMT
The girls are probably a bit a annoyed that they've been 'found out.'
The little ones are georgeous! As for having ten degus, as long as you keep the boys and girls separate, you may not notice the extra four once you have got over the surprise and they have joined their respective group.
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Post by immaculateconcept on Apr 2, 2016 23:17:23 GMT
The girls are probably a bit a annoyed that they've been 'found out.' The little ones are georgeous! As for having ten degus, as long as you keep the boys and girls separate, you may not notice the extra four once you have got over the surprise and they have joined their respective group. It's the boys that seem more upset! The main issue is that I have one large cafe design for 6-8. So cutting it in half would make it tight for 5 in each. At the moment we've got lots of tribble calls from the "boys" cage back to the girls. But the boys is the old 2 Degu cage kept for introducing new Degus in. Least I know why I have had no issues integrating 3 different groups! vimeo.com/161324083
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Post by moletteuk on Apr 4, 2016 15:21:27 GMT
They look well, is everything under control for now? I think housing is going to be your biggest project, lets hope there are no further pregnancies, but technically there could be another three. Four or five or so is a normal litter size, but it can vary quite a lot.
If one of the females was in charge of the whole group then the boys may need to re-establish the heirarchy for their smaller group, plus the smaller cage will increase tension, plus the dad will be upset at being separated from his wife and babies, so they will probably take a while to settle down.
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Post by immaculateconcept on Apr 4, 2016 15:36:01 GMT
They look well, is everything under control for now? I think housing is going to be your biggest project, lets hope there are no further pregnancies, but technically there could be another three. Four or five or so is a normal litter size, but it can vary quite a lot. If one of the females was in charge of the whole group then the boys may need to re-establish the heirarchy for their smaller group, plus the smaller cage will increase tension, plus the dad will be upset at being separated from his wife and babies, so they will probably take a while to settle down. The "cage" you see in the video is just a large really useful box whilst we re arranged the main cage and baby goo proofed it. At the moment the dads are pretty subdued. As to further pregnancies I'm expecting two more. One of the older females must be infertile. But current mum is very large. And the other younger female is quite large. So more on the way. What age can I sex them reliably? Thanks for all the help
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Post by deguconvert on Apr 4, 2016 16:12:41 GMT
You should be able to sex them now, but some can be a little iffy to identify for a few weeks. I would think by four weeks of age you shouldn't have doubts about their gender.
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Post by Bexi87 on Apr 9, 2016 18:31:16 GMT
Blimey, what a gorgeous surprise, although I can imagine that isn't the word you would choose! The babies are absolutely stunning
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Post by bouncy on Apr 9, 2016 18:42:54 GMT
Blimey, what a gorgeous surprise, although I can imagine that isn't the word you would choose! The babies are absolutely stunning Agree, they are beautiful! They're possibly the only species I know that has to grow into their noses! How are the other ladies getting on? Has there been any more pitter pattering of little paws?
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Post by dops on Apr 9, 2016 18:46:41 GMT
hi! i recently lost a degu, which left my 5 month old male degu alone. i have exams coming and also want to leave some time for him to grieve for his brother, but would be interested in finding him a friend at some point! let me know if you have plans for the male pups. they look adorable!
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Post by immaculateconcept on Apr 9, 2016 22:16:36 GMT
Question. Can anyone point me in the direction of a good guide on the baby goos feeding weaning timescales.
I'm assuming that mum is providing 100% at the moment.
There is hay. There are degu pellets/ feed available in small quantities but the baby goos can't get up a level to the water bottles. When do I need to make the next level of the cage available to them or make water available?
I'm Surrey based so happy to home some pups locally.
I can even now reliably sex degus :-)
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Post by skardsen on Apr 9, 2016 22:24:01 GMT
I think I would break down into manly tears of confusion and joy if I came home to find a litter of degu babies. Part of me wants Finn to have some kids, because he's a strong, clever, and confident degu, but I doubt I could afford, or handle everything that's involved.
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