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Post by deguconvert on Aug 30, 2016 6:44:05 GMT
Can I be honest? After ALL the babies we had, over about a 9 month span of time . . . nope. I would love to see and enjoy them . . . in someone else's house.
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Post by dops on Aug 30, 2016 11:55:23 GMT
They are adorable! They're really starting to explore, dashing about the cage. I feel for poor Mowgli! Though a load of treats came for her today, lots of flowers and herbs, so she is very happy about that. Although I know I should be feeding Mowgli more than Lemmi, he is such a scrawny little guy that I actually think a bit of feeding up won't go amiss on him either. Another pic, not clear but you can see one of their little tummies as hes lying on his back!
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Post by bouncy on Aug 30, 2016 12:14:47 GMT
Awwwwwwww and possibly a little girl!
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Post by dops on Aug 30, 2016 12:21:27 GMT
will I be able to sex them at this age? Obviously wont be very definite but to get a vague idea! As will start looking for homes for them soon to have it all set up
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Post by goolover on Aug 30, 2016 14:42:42 GMT
I found it so much easier doing the sexing at that age as they are easier to handle. Although very minute, you can still see what they are. I waited to long to sex the last litter (after 4 weeks) and they didn't cope as well with it Would agree with bouncy that you have a little girl there. Very cute picture.
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Post by deguconvert on Aug 30, 2016 18:48:41 GMT
Yes, you can definitely sex them at this age.
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Post by dops on Aug 31, 2016 23:49:02 GMT
i noticed something adorable today! Lemmi has this strange line of black fur above each eye, almost like a mini eyebrow. And I noticed that some of the pups have it also! Not all though, just a handful. I let Lemmi in the cage again today while Mowgli was out and he went straight into the nest and snuggled with them, and there were lots of happy squeaks heard! I do feel bad for him all alone in the big cage.
One of the pups discovered his mums huge wooden wheel today and even managed to run a few steps! You could almost see the realisation of the wheel dawning on his little face.
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Post by Bexi87 on Sept 1, 2016 7:29:53 GMT
They will be off before you know it, all pups in the wheel at once, one lone pup flying across the cage, Mum rolling her eyes at their stupidity...
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Post by dops on Sept 1, 2016 11:13:38 GMT
Mowgli since yesterday has started doing this weird thing. When I open the cage door for her to run around my room (as she has always done), for the past 24 hours she runs around for a bit, then goes back in and picks up one of the pups and starts taking it out of the cage. As if she has decided to move nest. I always manage to interrupt her with the first, as they squeal so loud, but does this mean she isn't enjoying the current nest?
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Post by bouncy on Sept 1, 2016 11:16:05 GMT
If she's used to being allowed out for a run, she's probably trying to introduce them to the same thing.
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Post by dops on Sept 1, 2016 11:33:23 GMT
Oh okay, yeah I'm one kid out of 7 siblings, and a uni student, so I live in the grotty basement but it means they can run free round my room as it's a tip anyway! So Mowgli can be very demanding when it comes to free run time.
Also just booked a consultation at an exotics vet here in London for Lemmi, am considering the possibility of getting him neutered. It would be lovely for him to be able to stay, and be with Mowgli and a couple of his daughters, but am worried about the risk. But at least now I can talk it over with the vet and see what he thinks!
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Post by dops on Sept 2, 2016 10:57:00 GMT
Okay I just want to apologise for constantly spamming this group.... Nobody I know owns degus or has any clue about them so this site and everyone helping has been amazing!
Saying that... I have a few more questions!!
How soon should I be expecting the pups to start depending on solid food? Should I provide a bowl with broken up nuggets near their nest? Is the normal degu nuggets I feed the older ones okay? As for handling the pups, I was thinking of making with cardboard a sort of play pen outside the cage and filling it with a soft blanket and various toys. Then I was gonna get them all out onto the blanket, sex them, let them play and get used to me and the room a bit? All with Mowgli as involved as she would like to be. Or is it too early do you think?
Thank you again!
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Post by dops on Sept 2, 2016 10:57:36 GMT
I did look thorugh some older threads but some of the information seemed a little bit old and I wanted to be sure, apologies!
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Post by winic1 on Sept 2, 2016 12:31:19 GMT
A question regarding her trying to take the pups from the nest when the cage is open, and this is as much for the others who've been through this before, as is is for you--is the nest getting soiled from the pups, and maybe it's time to let her change their location? I know you're talking about her taking them out of the cage, but could she be doing so because they need a new, cleaner place?
Or, she could just be wanting them to take advantage of the bigger space. Not having had pups before (and hoping I'm not facing this in a few weeks), I'm just wondering.
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Post by dops on Sept 2, 2016 12:37:16 GMT
you know, I was literally about to start writing to say that she seems quite insistent that she is going to move the babies. So I think that must be why! As I have been very sparing with the cleaning of the cage as I didn't want to disturb their scent, but she must be sick of it. Thank you Winic1, I was getting a bit stressed about that as have been thinking what on earth could be the reason! That makes a lot of sense, she has v determinedly been taking her babies out and placing them in a new bit and since the birth I haven't done a proper clean out I have just been replacing handfuls of the bedding with clean ones.
Will give it a clean right now
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Post by dops on Sept 2, 2016 16:20:32 GMT
Okay so I cleaned it out and put in a huge amount of fresh bedding etc. Mowgli still determined to move it though! I'm hoping she will settle back in.
Also I sexed them and we have (I think) 4 males and 4 females! Which makes it quite nice and balanced.
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Post by winic1 on Sept 2, 2016 17:22:55 GMT
In the wild, creatures will often move their nest to prevent detection by predators. maybe she just needs to put them in a different spot in the cage, as well? do you have other huts or nest-like choices for her?
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 2, 2016 19:59:49 GMT
Don't worry about special foods for the pups. They have teeth sharp enough to gnaw through whatever they choose to start eating, and they will adapt very well. They are often fully weaned by about four weeks of age. Then starts the more intense but not shocking "behave yourselves!" training from Mum.
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Post by dops on Sept 3, 2016 3:27:38 GMT
When I cleaned the cage I removed the nest which was a sort of huge fur lined slipper which she had given birth in and swapped it for a wooden hut. As you say, the change of scenery seems to have helped, plus she has been super distracted by chewing on it of course! Thank you again. And I put the pup-smelly fur lined slipper in Lemmi's cage and he is so happy and curls up in it all the time. A sort of replacement for him, poor boy!
Uh oh I have a feeling Mowgli is going to do some intense lessons...
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Post by dops on Sept 4, 2016 11:16:09 GMT
Ahh although the pups are adorable, I do wish it was just Mowgli and Lemmi! Mowgli seems to be slightly mollified by the cage clean and new nest box, but not completely. I think she misses Lemmi a lot and loves her pups but they drive her mad as theres so many. She has started bar twanging, so I thought she was bored as of course their free run time is halved as they have to be separate. So I let her out more and more and all she does is go straight to Lemmi's cage and twang those bars :-( And poor Lemmi is miserable! Whenever I let him out he perches by Mowglis cage door and watches over her. And he seems to have lost weight since they were separated.
Not sure what I could do to make them happier really. Am looking at neutering Lemmi, but I read that say if everything went perfectly, he wouldn't be allowed to be put in with Mowgli for 6 weeks due to residual sperm?
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