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Post by deguconvert on Jun 18, 2016 20:56:29 GMT
I am so, so sorry, Randomname! What a heartbreaking loss for you . . . again! I know, there is the loss of bits of heart with each one, and it is hard to feel like you can do it again. One of the things I have been learning about the heart, is that when we are willing to continue to love, even after losses, the heart grows, it increases, and it makes room for more love and more life. Doesn't remove the pain, and we wouldn't want it to, but it makes love that much more precious. Sending you hugs, love!
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Post by yasmin on Jun 19, 2016 3:33:22 GMT
Oh no – I was looking forward to hearing more about JonBon. My sincere condolences.
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Post by randomname on Jun 19, 2016 10:20:34 GMT
Had to move his cage today, can't bear to look at it all empty in the corner. Going to pour my love into the other furry friends ("I'm gonna love them, & hug them & call them George" LOL) & focus on them. Did the (unnamed) degu cage clean yesterday - he was fine about it. Lots of new toys, some kitchen roll (he did like that, so thanks for the suggestion) He seems very keen to interact with me & my eldest. Looks bright & happy, but definitely needs a friend. And a name!!
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 19, 2016 10:32:56 GMT
I'm so sorry about Jon, it's so hard and never gets any easier. They become family members and we love them so it always hurts like hell when they go. I can relate to the guilt, even if my head tells me I did everything I could, there is always a piece of my heart feeling guilty. Try and be kind to yourself these next few days, you really did do everything you could.
I can't really offer you any statistics on introductions, just a viewpoint based on many years reading about experiences on the forum. Male to female intros do have quite a lot higher success rate to the degree that if a same sex intro is instantly successful we always get the person to double check the sexes, they are particularly recommended for degus with previous failed introductions, degus with social issues, or if the owner absolutely needs the best chance of a good result. Single adult male to single adult male has the advantage that both my be lonely and lower their standards of acceptance, but this doesn't always happen. You also have the advantage you are simultaneously helping two singles so are doing double the good. Single adult to pups is traditionally recommended because you have a good likelihood of instant acceptance if the pups are young enough, but you are quite likely to have problems as the pups go through puberty at 3 to 18 months.
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Post by randomname on Jun 19, 2016 11:38:02 GMT
Only rodenty people understand, thank you all for your kind words. I guess I just want to acknowledge how important Jon was, how unique. He wasn't "just a gerbil" he was a person. A friend I'll miss. All of them have been, & will be, part of the family - the commune of friends. I just feel it's totally unfair a lot of critters only get a few years of time allotted to them. Makes me so mad sometimes.
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Post by dops on Jun 19, 2016 11:50:52 GMT
i am so sorry for your loss, it is so hard and even how small they are they take up such a big space in your life.
I am not very experienced with degus, but I introduced a pup to my lone male of about 6 months around Easter time. ALthough there were lots of spats at first, it was obvious from the beginning that they were both very interested in each other and keen to meet. So on the whole the fights were only when they got a bit overwhelmed, but as they were both clearly pining for other degu company they got past it quite quickly! Obviously every case is different, but thought it might be of some comfort.
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Post by randomname on Jun 19, 2016 11:52:02 GMT
Ok, so a weird thing just happened. Degu has met the cat (Eddie), the jack russell (Stan), & people - been curious & friendly, but quiet. He saw Jon Bon Gerbil across the room & was chirping at him, briefly. He hasn't been very talkative at all, just a couple of random shouty squeaks over the last few weeks. BUT I just let Minnie, the hyper, noisy (but very very sweet) Romanian rescue into the room. Degu immediately starts running round the cage, trying to see her, shouting really loudly, non stop. Minnie went over nose to nose (very calmly for a change) & he continued chatting. Not quite a greeting warble, but not far off. He wasn't angry, upset or aggressive. Minnie wandered off into the kitchen & he ran round looking for her, shouting again. She came back in & he ran to the bottom corner to greet her, really happy sounding, his body language said he was excited & happy. The weird thing is - Minnie's coat is degu coloured!! (it's a bit darker than the photo suggests, but it's brown with black tips) Could it be he sees her as a giant degu?!! I'm totally convinced. That's the most animated I've seen the little guy!
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Post by randomname on Jun 19, 2016 12:02:57 GMT
dops, how right you are. The tiny ones are the biggest personalities, they make their mark on you, as any friend you love does. I had a moment like that with my rabbits. The old boy was very aggressive all his life (8 years) & I thought it was a bad idea to try, but he's surprised us all, & they are all so happy together. He's a different bunny now. Hopefully these introductions will go as well, & I've got you guys if they don't! I'll be crying on your shoulder & asking advice I'm sure. Just need to find a friend now. I've phoned a few local rescues & the RSPCA but none have degus (Is that a good or bad thing? There were hundreds over the last few years, now there's none.) I'll keep looking. Or maybe he'd like to live with my dog! Honestly never seen anything like it! Maybe I should bring the 2 girl rabbits in to see him - they're both agouti coats too - he'll probably think they're giant degus too! He must be very lonely or a bit dim I guess.. maybe both!
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 19, 2016 15:56:44 GMT
Maybe there could have been a similar looking or smelling dog in his previous home?
Have you checked out the facebook degu rehoming group? Pets@home rehoming section could be an option (I know they can be a bit dodgy but still better than buying).
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Post by randomname on Jun 29, 2016 10:42:58 GMT
UPDATE Have named him - BB (after the blues singer,BB King, who said it stood for Big Boy!) (about time after a month!) He seems to be eating much more. He just doesn't like hay or nuggets. Am going to have to be creative with his diet, & keep eye on his weight, but he'll be fine I think. I had forgot to mention that when he came to me, he had a bald tail. No inflammation or scratching or any damage, just hair free. He's starting to get some hairs through, so am assuming it was bad housing or diet. He doesn't stink at all now, is looking shinier & more healthy generally. He's still in love with Minnie, & he loves my eldest. He begs for attention & has a particular spot he goes to in his cage to say hi to us (& beg for treats) Seems friendly & much calmer now. He's taken to sleeping on top of a fake fur tunnel I gave him. It dips in the middle & he looks like he's cocooned in the middle of a pile of friends - I think the sooner I can find him some friends to adopt, the better, maybe some baby boys I've got my eye on. From "never having goos again" to maybe having 4 in less than a couple of months - typical! (Long as it wasn't a pregnancy I suppose it's ok)
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 29, 2016 14:40:08 GMT
Oooh, I love a bit of blues, good name (I didn't know that's what BB stood for!), glad he's settling in quite well.
If you tell us a bit more about what food's you have tried and what he will and won't eat, we can try and make some suggestions. Is he eating any forage at all?
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Post by randomname on Jun 29, 2016 18:09:31 GMT
moletteuk He seems to like most seeds, oats, JR farm degu snack, fenugreek crunchies, a nibble block with seeds & herbs & JR farm nibble ears. He has ignored 2 types of nuggets (one was Versele-Laga Chinchilla & Degu Complete, not sure other one - threw packets out) all the hay (tried redigrass, marigold hay, peppermint hay, dandelion hay, Timothy hay, meadow hay, orchard hay, Excel herbage) He also ignored dried stuff like cactus flower, rose, mallow, dandelion root, cone flower & green oats. He ignored the hanging treat things (JR farm ones I think, grain free, dandelion) & I find that weird - ALL the critters have loved them, except him. He likes nuts but I've only fed him a tiny piece once a week. He seems to eat fresh herbs ok (thyme, basil, parsley & coriander) I've just put a pile of forage in - some hay, seeds, flowers & treats - am hoping when he's digging through for the bits he likes, he'll try other things. I've just got an order from ratrations - the seed mix, some hazel leaves, a hugro forage mix & a degu forage mix. Hopefully he'll like them. He definitely likes the seed mix. How much can I give him each day do you think? Have also ordered a different brand of hay, some millet, some dari & some JR farm degu food (my previous degus loved it, so hoping he does too) from zooplus. He has eaten fresh celery, cucumber, carrot & cabbage but only tiny, tiny pieces. Am very wary as my previous ones didn't eat fresh anything - I was always advised by (well meaning, but ignorant) vets not to feed anything other than dried grasses, flowers, herbs etc. Am trying to buy stuff with different textures & smells to see if I can stimulate him to try it. His behaviour is changing - he has started nibbling this week. Hadn't done it 'til now, but I can hear him stripping all the bark off the wheel as we speak. Maybe he just needs some more time to try different foods & find what he likes? Maybe he just doesn't know it's food yet? I can't see anything wrong, I've watched him eat & it looks normal. I did give him a rosehip earlier, he did seem to struggle to crack it open, but was fine once he was in. (he did like it, but again, I'm wary of over feeding him them - how often can I give him one? Sorry for all the questions - I've already picked up loads of good advice on this forum, now I'm demanding more!
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Post by Bexi87 on Jun 29, 2016 21:02:56 GMT
I think they are like toddlers in a way - they'll randomly try something one day after ignoring it for weeks!
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Post by randomname on Jun 30, 2016 5:30:52 GMT
I think they are like toddlers in a way - they'll randomly try something one day after ignoring it for weeks! Hahaha how true. I was thinking back to when my youngest son was little, he had sensory issues & refused to eat most food (except pizza!) A nutritionist told us to just put his food out, one day he'd try them, & not to make a fuss or get angry. For years he restricted himself, but now he's 16 he'll try a lot of different foods & he looves a vegan Mexican meal! He still won't eat certain things, but he'll always try something new. Maybe BB is the same? I suspect he was given a muesli style mix in his previous home, no hay or forage or treats. He just has to get used to all this new stuff I guess. I have noticed he buries his food in the corners of the cage & sometimes pees on it after burial. None of my other goos did that. Maybe he's had to fight for food in the past or hasn't been fed much (he is a bit underweight) so he's stockpiling? Will this cause problems when he gets friends do you think?
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Post by Bexi87 on Jun 30, 2016 6:28:53 GMT
2 of mine always bury food, I think as long as they all have a food bowl each if should be fine. He's obviously had a really tough life so it will take him a while to unlearn those behaviours
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Post by randomname on Jun 30, 2016 12:53:08 GMT
Good to know @bexi87. Hope he relaxes a bit about it one day. Will keep an eye on it when I do introductions though.
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 30, 2016 15:38:13 GMT
That seems like a really mixed bag of hits and misses on the food front! There are some encouraging things there with him liking the fresh herbs and veg. Have you tried any other fresh forage, maybe you could sneak a couple of fresh dandelions and a few blades of grass or some tree leaves in with the fresh herbs? You could also try growing some of the seed mix seeds if you have somewhere to do this. I think there is a reasonable chance he will decide to like more things when he settles in more, they do tend to change their minds, and they also do have their own safety procedures and if he has never even seen a lot of what you are offering it will take a while for him to figure it out. If he doesn't take to any pellets this isn't a problem, but you will need to give some consideration to vitamin and mineral content of his whole diet. In particular he will need a vit D supplement either a synthetic one or a UV lamp to allow him to make his own. Energywise he can get plenty of calories from the seed mixes, max amount per day is about 1.5 tsp. Be careful not to feed many grains, you need to keep an eye that he is getting enough calcium. Generally the key to a homemade diet is that it should be based on eating lots of forage, so that is where you problem is going to lie until he accepts more forage. For more info on the vit D supplement see this site (the 100% natural diet is still quite new and there is debate around the supplementing so we don't tend to get into that on here) forum.degus-international-community.org/viewforum.php?f=34
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