Loving home needed, hampshire

[amiileigh]

Hello, I have two little ladies that I am possibly looking to rehome, just wanting to see if anyone is able to take them, or willing too as one is a little poorly.

A bit about my girls: I originally got my four girls from pets at home 6 years ago. One sadly passed away aged two. My next one put up a huge fight to survive, she had an op on her teeth and numerous medicines but this didn't help. However, she was happy and eating, running out the cage for treats until the very end, hence I did not have her pts as she was always so, so happy, just looked a little worse for wear.

Unfortunately it looks as though Degu no. 3 is currently heading down the same route as my previous little lady, which is why I'm unsure if anyone will want to rehome a sick Degu. I cannot afford the hefty vet bills at the moment so I'm sticking to my mantra of if they're happy and eating etc then they're OK. She never looks in pain just has the odd sneeze attack. She also had an incredibly over groomed tail thanks to her cage mate.

No. 4 is totally happy and healthy.

My girls do not have the largest cage, however they regularly have free reign of the spare room.
They will hang out the cage door when opened waiting for little treats and head rubs. They're very friendly. I adore these little critters.

With no. 3 being poorly, I am thinking now is a good time to rehome them as a pair, so they have each other for comfort, but can be introduced to a new pack as I do not want no. 4 to be alone. I will miss them greatly! But I want what's going to be best in the long run.

They do have names! No. 3, the poorly girl, is Ceeley, and no. 4 is Lady

If anyone is able, willing and happy to take these ladies so they can have new friends to snuggle, and is happy with a poorly gu, please please get in touch.
Or if any one has any other advice to offer about poorly degus, lone degus or rehoming, then that is also welcomed.

Thank you for reading!
Amii x

[Deleted]

Hi Amii! Thank you for posting your ad here.

Is there any way you could give us more details about your sick degu? I think if people actually understood what you know to be wrong with her, it'll help people be able to make a decision better. Poorly can range from having minor teeth troubles to, well anything really, like strokes other neurological problems. It sounds like she has a problem with her teeth?

Are you sure you want to rehome them both? We will always help with introduction processes, helping you modify a cage, built extensions and so on so they have enough space and so forth. It sounds like you love them both very much. I just want you to give it a little think before definitely deciding on rehoming your girls, especially as they're at least 6 or so.

Ideally you'd need to rehome them with someone who's got 3/4 degus already because if your poorly girl unfortunately passes, your other girl Lady might not live for many many years. It's always better to have a specific number of degus so that if some pass away, you won't end up with one on its own x

We will help as much as we can! X

[amiileigh]

Thank you for your reply.

Poorly degu: she is generally ok.
Now and then I'll go into see her and she is bloated and sounds a bit squeaky, but this usually goes down quite quickly.
She also sneezes and occasionally she'll breath out of her mouth.
Now and then she will also grind up a bowl of their nuggets into powder.

She has had antibiotics to clear a chest infection.

All the above happened with the one who passed away, she then had the op on her teeth but it only solved problems for a few days, so I'm not sure how much it actually helped hence my reluctance to go ahead with this again with my poorly girl.

I know they live best in groups, which is why I would love to rehome them to someone with degus who can introduce my girls to theirs.

I have been thinking about this for a while and it's a tough decision but I feel like rehoming them is going to be the right choice for us as I'm not quite in the position right now to be able to do introductions/cage extensions etc and I never want to have a lonely Degu as I know they need their buddies!
X

[Deleted]

I totally understand! I'd love to take them but I already have 5 now including 1 boy and I'm not even supposed to have pets in my apartment!

I hope you find a loving home.

Thanks for filling us in a bit more on her health x ❤

[deguconvert]

It sounds like Ceely is having trouble with her molars. They could be quite over grown and need to be filed by a veterinarian. Depending on how they have grown, they could obstructing her throat and making it difficult for her to swallow, and she could have overgrown roots that might be interfering with her nasal passages. Have you noticed if she has lost weight? Do you ever weigh your degus? If you can do it, would you consider taking her to a vet? We have a list of vets that have great reviews by other degu owners. I'll post the link to the thread here. deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15521/vet-guide

[amiileigh]

Emily - thank you! And I hope you never get caught with your little critters!!

Degu convert - Hello, this is what they beleived was wrong with my Degu that passed away who had exactly the same symptoms. The procedure cost me around £250 (and didn't help, though I guess each Degu is different!). She has lost a little weight but she was quite a chubby Degu before hand, so she's not currently underweight. It's pay day soon though so I will try and put the money aside and get her back to the vets with this as a suggestion. The vets I take them too seem semi clued up on degus but I will have a look through the list in case there are anymore nearby with better Degu knowledge thank you x

[deguconvert]

If that is what happened with the other, you must view the suggestion with some hesitation (to say the least). It would be great if there were a vet in that list that is near you and could give you skilled help. I really hope we are in some fashion able to be of help to you.

[moletteuk]

We have a couple of members who use Downland Vets, who have 4 or 5 surgeries deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15521/vet-guide?page=1

I'm pretty sure that animalmadchloe has said that a follow up molar treatment with gas anaesthetic is only about £60.

Degus commonly need work on their molars, they can start to grow a bit lumpy and throw off spikes called spurs, if the problem does not come on too suddenly or at too young an age, degus can live happily for many years with 4 to 6 monthly treatment, although timing will vary a lot. They can also have overgrowing roots which is not possible to treat beyond feeding a high forage and high calcium diet, but again they will often survive quite a long time after diagnosis. Many vets will have a go at taking a look in the degus mouth without an anaesthetic to get an idea if there are any visible spurs, this does not cost much at all, £20 or whatever the usual plain consultation fee is.

[amiileigh]

Update: little Ceeley sadly passed away yesterday so now just looking for a home for Lady. I've had a message from someone regarding her, so fingers crossed she's about to find her home and a new pack of girls to love her the way her sisters did
X

[ntg]

I'm so sorry for your loss amiileigh. I hope Lady is doing okay and that everything goes well for her in her new home!

[bouncy]

Not sure where you are in Hampshire, and I know it's too late for Ceeley, but there's also an excellent vet in Andover, who is a goo specialist, carries out active research, and has kept them himself.

[amiileigh]

That's fantastic to know, thank you

[bouncy]

Oops, helps to know it's Anton Vets. One of mine is coming in with me on Tuesday for a molar burr

[deguconvert]

I am so sorry that Ceely has passed, and I deeply sorry for your loss!

[amiileigh]

Thank you everybody.

Lady seems to be doing OK, she's looked a little lost a couple of times but luckily she's super tame so has been spending a lot of time hanging out in my pocket while she waits for her new home.