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Post by adsh on Dec 23, 2016 8:43:46 GMT
Good morning, I have had my Degu's for a couple of months now, and really enjoy them as pets. I am having trouble with one whos become a bit naughty! Since having them I have every two weeks taken them out of the cage and put them all into a tempory cage so I can clean it out replace all the hay and litter up until last week they had been ok with it, obviously they never enjoyed being picked up, but one has taken exception and will bite hard always drawing a lot of blood she will also sound a warning when I am near! I have decided to try and rebuild a positive relationship with them again by hand feeding them before filling up the bowl but she will not come near me Also, could anyone recommend so cage shelves and ladders? They have completely destroyed one of mine! Thanks Adam
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 23, 2016 11:51:06 GMT
Hi Adam, welcome to the forum. I'm going to direct you to our beginners guide so you can check you have all the bases covered, it also includes some info about housing which may be useful to you deguworld.proboards.com/thread/19754/beginners-guide-degu-keepingWhat cage do you have? Most degus hate being picked up and it can be very damaging when you are trying to build a relationship with them to force contact like this. I would recommend you get a cardboard tube like a carpet tube or poster tube to use for moving them, most degus can't resist a tube. You could also use something like a shoe box. Just train them with a treat inside that the tube or box is a good thing. Some degus can be a bit territorial, so there could also be an element of her knowing that getting moved means the cage is going to be cleaned out. Some degus hate cleanouts because it removes all their scents and can cause social upset. If you have a big enough cage it usually works well to clean it in sections eg one shelf every week so it's less disruptive to them. Degus are very smart, I can recommend studying their behaviour and thinking about things from their point of view and then doing your best to respect their wishes, within reason! This will help you build a good relationship. I make my own shelves and ladders, I make shelves out of melamine faced board that I then edge with softwood battens so they can't chew the board and all the mess stays in. For ramps I use softwood planks, something like 120x 15mm and then cut grooves in it for grip with a saw.
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Post by charliekhris on Dec 23, 2016 12:29:51 GMT
We've found that replacing the bedding and litter in sections like moletteuk said works well to avoid them being too upset after each cleaning. We have a two level cage, so i coerce the goos up to the upper cage, and close it off to clean the lower cage and then the other way round. It works much better than taking them out of the cage to clean it, and not grabbing them keeps them from getting afraid of you. The tube trick is also super good, they cannot resist going into a tube. So just hold it somewhere close to them and when the goo is in then just cover the holes on either end and carry them to wherever you need to put it.
It sucks that your goo is that suspicious of you, but yes, just go back to square one with it and not putting your hands anywhere near it. just talking and letting it become comfortable with you being near. Then slowly build back up to hand feeding. This is what we've done with our degus, and had to do the same when one of our goos had babies, and had to build that trust with the babies too.
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Post by savvy on Dec 23, 2016 17:45:40 GMT
Welcome to the forum.
When I clean my cages, I do it a section at a time with the boys still in it, I just block them out of the section I want to clean. This way they are never picked up or removed from their own territory.
I also never remove all of the old substrate so I'm not completely irradiating their scents etc. Think of the cage as their Facebook page where they can leave information for each other. When that section is cleaned they have the free run of the whole of the cage for about 30mins before I block them in the now cleaned area. I always hide a treat in the clean section as well such as a peanut so they know they will be rewarded.
I have had Dixie for over a year now and have always cleaned the cage like this. Bumblebee has only been with me for a month so we're still very much settling him in. He isn't that used to human contact yet, so I'm still getting him used to having a human near him.
I would say that the bites you're experiencing are warnings that she really doesn't like being picked up and taken from her cage. Please remember that they are a prey animal so anything that feels to them like a threat will be dealt with in the appropriate manner for them. If you are picking them up from above, they will view you as a predator so the trust will very easily break down. You now need to go back to square one.
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Post by spottydegu on Dec 23, 2016 18:33:57 GMT
Sorry I had to.
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