jade86
Foraging Degu
Posts: 73
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Post by jade86 on May 19, 2016 18:33:06 GMT
Well Hamish turned out to be a girl! We had our suspicions and are so excited! So far Hamish has had 1 pup whose eyes are already opening! We've baby proofed their home with a mixture of plexi glass and cardboard going around the outside. The nest is unfortunately up quite high and I'm worried the wee one will fall and hurt himself. I read it is ok to put a pillow in the house, is this true? Iv got a 100% polyester pillow which I can put into a pillowcase and if the wee one falls out he will have a soft landing, can anyone advise me on this?
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jade86
Foraging Degu
Posts: 73
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Post by jade86 on May 19, 2016 18:34:11 GMT
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Post by bouncy on May 19, 2016 19:00:36 GMT
Oh what a sweetie!
Is moving the nest box below for a couple of weeks an option? My only hesitation with the pillow is whether they will start to shred and consume?
So, what's Hamish going to be called? And how have you coped with separating the two?
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jade86
Foraging Degu
Posts: 73
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Post by jade86 on May 19, 2016 19:28:58 GMT
I think if we move the nest hammock it will be too distressing for them, Hamish is being quite protective of the little guy aswell, though she is leaving the nest for short spells. Hamish I think will always be Hamish lol we're thinking of names but.....she's just my wee Hamish lol we managed to separate Baldrick quite easily! He went into the top section and we've blocked it off from the bottom half, Baldrick is close to mum and baby but totally separate It was p@h where we got them from and were sold as 2 boys, but thanks to this forum iv managed to sex them (which was confirmed today) and learn all about them
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Post by bouncy on May 19, 2016 22:28:30 GMT
Assuming the box is on a half level, could you temporarily put another half level halfway between the current one and the floor so that it's stepped? This will reduce the potential drop height? Don't be afraid to ask P@H for help for their mistake too (feed, bedding, rehoming etc.). Seeing as you have Baldrick, how about Bob (short for Kate aka Blackadder "Bells")
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Post by deguconvert on May 20, 2016 0:08:20 GMT
What size is the cage that you have them in, honey? I'm really glad you have them separated already, that will help prevent a second pregnancy. Any more babies?
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Post by winic1 on May 20, 2016 0:13:30 GMT
Congrats!
How about Hamishette or Hamisha or Hamish Anne?
(we do silly things like that when we have to change gender of a name.)
And the baby could be Hamrick, or Hamricka. The other way around comes out Baldish, and that's no good unless it grows up hairless for some strange reason.
Our first hamster, who was a he until HE gave birth to four pups, ended up officially named Mrs. Darth Fluffypants Sootplow, (don't ask) but we just called her Mama.
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Post by moletteuk on May 20, 2016 10:12:43 GMT
I just want to check with you that Hamish is acting normally, no signs of agitation or distress, because a single pup is quite unusual, they can sometimes have birthing difficulties and pups get stuck?
A polyester pillow is not safe, if they eat any of it, it won't break down and may block the digestive system. Natural fibre like cotton would be OK, normally we would suggest using lots of deep substrate but perhaps you don't have edging to keep it in place? Maybe you could fit an extra shelf or hammock to make the fall smaller.
If you complain to PAH they will normally offer you a free thickets cage, which isn't good enough housing on its own, but might help you out if you need to do introductions. Once you sex the baby you will be able to make some long term plans for arrangements.
Don't forget to offer plenty of good food for mum and baby, lots of forage, oil seeds and some nuts.
(@dc cage is an Xtrail)
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jade86
Foraging Degu
Posts: 73
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Post by jade86 on May 20, 2016 18:27:23 GMT
Hamish seems to be ok, tending to the baby, running in the wheel, eating and drinking, their hasn't been anymore pups so I hope she is ok? We have them in an Xtrail, Baldrick is in the top half and Hamish with baby in the bottom. We still have the wheel in with Hamish and baby, I read this might not be good for baby? We've taken the pillow out but stuffed a pillowcase with straw and put that underneath the sock/hammock thing they've nested in. We've also added a nesting box on the bottom so hopefully Hamish moves baby down into that. Went to p@h tonight and they gave us a bunch of stuff, wheel, water bottle, food etc Any thoughts or advice is much appreciated! P.s. We're still playing about with names, he wants to call Hamish Himish but I like Hamish lol and as for baby, he like Gomez and I like gizmo!
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jade86
Foraging Degu
Posts: 73
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Post by jade86 on May 20, 2016 19:07:05 GMT
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jade86
Foraging Degu
Posts: 73
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Post by jade86 on May 20, 2016 21:07:25 GMT
I have a couple of questions, I hope you's don't mind? We're wanting to keep them together as a family and so realise we will have to get 1 or maybe even 2 of them neutered (depending on the sex of the pup), we don't really like Baldrick being away from Hamish and baby all the time, could we let him in to see them for some 'supervised' play time? What kind of oily seeds are best for Hamish and are there any other dietary needs I should know about for mum and pup? I normally keep the sand bath in the house all the time (it's in with Baldrick just now) can I do this for the part of the house where the pup is or is this a bad idea? I really appreciate any input from you guys, your really helping me look after my wee goos, thanks
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Post by winic1 on May 21, 2016 0:43:57 GMT
I wouldn't risk it, can you guarantee you would be able to separate them before "something" happened? The wheel should come out of the part where the pup is, being so small, they get caught in/under it and seriously hurt or sometimes killed. Check the rest of the cage for hazards where the little one might get stuck or otherwise hurt. Think of it as babyproofing for a toddler--small, no common sense yet, but full mobility to get into everything and anything.
your straw pillow is a great idea. Just make sure there aren't folds of loose cloth that he could get stuck in. A folded towel also makes a good 'soft landing' for potentially dangerous places.
I've only had boys, so I can't help with appropriate food for mama/babies, but someone else will certainly have advice for you on that.
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jade86
Foraging Degu
Posts: 73
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Post by jade86 on May 21, 2016 1:42:28 GMT
The wheel has came out, I saw the danger when the wee one was underneath it and took the wheel out straight away. Thanks for the advice
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Post by moletteuk on May 21, 2016 10:09:46 GMT
Some good seed choices would be nigella, fennel, coriander, sesame, poppy, linseed, hemp, take a look at the nutrition charts to put together a balanced mix for them, or you can buy ready made mixes from Ratrations.com deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15602/vegetable-seed-nut-nutrition-chartsalso take a look at the feeding guide: deguworld.proboards.com/thread/16425/degu-feeding-guideI can't see a problem with the sand bath. Long term you can only keep one male with a female or females, otherwise the boys are likely to fight, even if they are father and son, so neutering and keeping them all together is only an option if the baby is a girl.
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jade86
Foraging Degu
Posts: 73
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Post by jade86 on May 21, 2016 10:57:06 GMT
Ok, thanks very much for that! I'll have a good read through it I have to say it's disappointing if the pup is a boy, fingers crossed its a wee girl! I bought a metal 'playpen' thing but it isn't appropriate as a playpen for them, so we've actually managed to attach it to the bottom of the enclosure with cable ties so it's baby proof! It's worked pretty well!
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Post by winic1 on May 21, 2016 12:02:14 GMT
She could keep father & son(s) together in a cage separate from any females, right? All-male groups generally work.
But then you'd need at least one other female to stay with Hamish in her cage.
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jade86
Foraging Degu
Posts: 73
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Post by jade86 on May 23, 2016 15:55:07 GMT
I think if the baby turns out to be a boy, he'll stay with Baldrick and we'll try get another female to live with Hamish Just got another wee question, how long should I wait before cleaning out the nursery and are there any tips for doing this? I don't think Hamish will like us messing about in there! The wee pup is doing fine as far as I can see, suckling away and coming out for a wee explore! I don't think mum is eating that much which is worrying, I'm waiting on a seed mix coming from ratrations though so hopefully she'll get stuck into that :/
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Post by Bexi87 on May 23, 2016 16:47:05 GMT
She won't need as much extra nourishment with only one baby to feed so as long as she is eating and they are both healthy it should be fine. Maybe as she is so young help her along with a few extra nuts?
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jade86
Foraging Degu
Posts: 73
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Post by jade86 on May 23, 2016 17:04:15 GMT
Great, thanks for that! I haven't actually gave them nuts before but I'll look into that and try, I'm sure she'll love them! It's the nicest thing seeing mum and pup together, I just feel so sorry for Baldrick being separated
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Post by Bexi87 on May 23, 2016 21:13:04 GMT
Can you get him a heatpad or a safe cuddly toy so he has something to snuggle? You might also want to give him some extra treats to keep him stimulated - maybe fill an egg box with hay and sprinkle some seeds of oats in it? Whilst is tough for him now just remember long term he will be fine you are doing fantastically well!
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