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Post by deguconvert on Jun 8, 2017 3:44:13 GMT
This is exciting!!! (Rapid hand clapping and dancy feet, LOL) Things are sounding good!!
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 9, 2017 19:01:18 GMT
Fingers crossed
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Post by misscatafer on Jun 9, 2017 21:05:54 GMT
Over the past few days we have noticed the squabbling between Bella and Hermione seems to be intensifying near the mesh... They have been kicking each other and clashing a lot more violently than before. It still seems OK for now and within normal Degu limits... No injuries and lots of warbling/squealing when they come together, but I think Hermione may be trying to challenge the hierarchy a bit more, or Bella is becoming more possessive over Boo, should I be worried? I guess this was to be expected as the relationships strengthen, but is there a chance they could injure each other or their relationship be sabotaged?
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 11, 2017 12:31:23 GMT
Could you make the mesh barrier into a solid one? Just for a day or two to see if that calms them down.
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Post by misscatafer on Jun 11, 2017 15:39:47 GMT
It seems to be calming down but I will consider putting some cardboard or something in between the two wires so they can't see each other. Maybe it's their time of the month or something, they are going back to the usual behaviours l, I am hoping to try another face to face with Bella and Boo on Tuesday if things continue to be OK.
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Post by misscatafer on Jun 12, 2017 18:30:27 GMT
Feeling disheartened today, we did a face to face last night in the hallway...immediate fighting then they both had a stand off for dominance.. Clashed once more then Boo just cuddled up to me absolutely petrified of Bella. Strangely Bella also chose to sit on my opposite knee and have some fuss (very unusual). This morning we thought we would try in the play pen to see if the environment made a difference... Instant FBOD, Boo has a graze on her leg and a bite on her nose literally from a 5 second interaction when I had Bella out in the play pen again she has been really lovey with me, sitting on my shoulder or arms which again is unusual, Hermione has been super aggressive towards Boo in the cage. Just about to give up with it all.
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 12, 2017 19:47:19 GMT
Don't give up yet, love. Though, I totally understand why you want to. The discouragement that comes with the effort to unite strange degus with each other can be/often is overwhelming. You can feel like you are making things worse and that you are totally failing. So many of us have had the same or very similar experiences. Why don't you give it a bit of a break . . . let them just live beside each other without intros for a while, say a month?
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Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Jun 12, 2017 19:57:26 GMT
Definitely give it some time. I think of it as kinda like the Big Brother house. You've got a pile of strangers lumped into a house, with nothing in common except they applied to go live in a house with a pile of strangers. How often do they have fights and kick off? Loads. And that's with them being "rational" human beings. You've got almost the same situation with degus, except they haven't applied to live together in the house. We as responsible pet owners are asking them to live together, and it takes them a while to get to know each other to say "yeah, ok, we'll live together" - but if you force it, you get the BBH scenario, with the added bonus of them not caring about committing murder in front of an audience Give them a month or so before you try again. It's so hard to not be impatient, but rushing them makes it more likely to fail, that I've noticed from the forum.
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Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Jun 12, 2017 19:58:53 GMT
Fail or take way longer, I should say.
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Post by misscatafer on Jun 12, 2017 20:41:05 GMT
Yes OK, I agree that things are being rushed. Tonight Bella and Hermione have had a right scrap in the cage, I found some pulled out fur which would suggest things are getting nasty. I've put them both in the playpen for some time out now.
Hermione has put on 20g since we have had Boo, she is so beefy! That's in comparison to Bella who has only gained 1g. It's because she hasn't had the second wheel to exercise in, Bella hogs the tic tac all day and she isn't bothered about the lazy susan. But I think Hermione is seriously eying up the top goo position, and now she had the muscle to do it!
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 13, 2017 14:45:54 GMT
If you think that having the two cages so close is catalyzing the situation, don't hesitate to move them apart. Sometimes as little as 3-5 cm makes a world of difference.
How old are Hermione and Bella? Are they between the ages of 6-18 months?
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Post by misscatafer on Jun 13, 2017 17:37:20 GMT
Well the bickering has continued today so we have put cardboard in between the mesh barrier so they can't see each other, it seems to have helped and now all three goos are pottering about their business away from the mesh. I have also bought Boo a cuddley toy for some company as I'm not going to attempt to get them together for a good while now. Hopefully this 's is just a set back and they will calm back down in a few days. Yes I estimate Bella and Hermione to be between 10 - 18 months old, bad time to try intros!
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 14, 2017 10:30:47 GMT
Sorry the meet was so disappointing.
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Post by misscatafer on Jun 14, 2017 14:26:26 GMT
Thank you Molette, things have calmed down today which is good. Boo seems to have really taken to her new friend, she has been grooming him, tucking him in with some bedding and being generally protective of him, aww!
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 14, 2017 14:32:52 GMT
SO CUTE!! Lovely!
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 15, 2017 10:13:10 GMT
Awww that's so happy/sad/cute!
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Post by goolover on Jun 15, 2017 22:07:15 GMT
Beautiful. Does doggy have a name......I would call him Wilson
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Post by misscatafer on Jun 16, 2017 8:34:27 GMT
Well the toy is called 'good boy' we have been calling it Goo boy! But our friend has very kindly picked up some ikea toys for her which we will also try as she might connect with them more:
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Post by bouncy on Jun 16, 2017 9:53:14 GMT
I've been playing catch-up on this thread, and don't think I can add anything to what the others have said. As the others have said, it does take time. The thing to remember is that you have had lots of positive interaction already. That should keep you going There will be some squabbles between all three of them, as a new goo is unlikely to just slip into the established hierarchy, but please don't worry. I've already got the feeling that this will work! When I brought Squidgygoo home, he was a pup. I walked into the kitchen with him in my hands, and Spidey immediately ran over, climbed up me, and savaged both him and my hand! After a year with no lessening aggression from such a dominant goo, I found some rescue pups. Squidgy came with me, it was love at first sight, we tried them together in the rescue, and they haven't been separated since! Having said that, the pups had their first birthday last week. Overnight, they have become stroppy teenagers and are trying Squidgy's patience!
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Post by misscatafer on Jun 16, 2017 10:37:28 GMT
Thank you Bouncy! I knew I was taking on a challenge when I took on Boo, especially as Bella is so dominant and stubborn, but I don't think I fully prepared myself emotionally for it. We cleaned out the cage Wednesday and completely covered up the mesh with thick paper, mainly to reduce the aggression between the sisters... However Boo was very annoyed by this! When she realised she could no longer interact with them she was noticeably angry, sulking at the back of the cage and refusing to allow us to touch her (usually she loves any kind of attention) and bristled up like a big spiky ball.. We removed two thirds of the barrier yesterday and she went back to her usual self.
Today they have been all sat together by the mesh again, they are still being cows towards her, she is still relentlessly warbling back but the violence between Bella and Hermione seems to have stopped which was what I was worried about.
I'm just going to leave this set up now, probably for a good few months. Maybe I need to wait for the sisters to reach adulthood before trying again. Rob thinks we should consider looking out for another lone adult female/neutered male to pair up with Boo... But to be honest that would mean buying yet another cage or somehow attaching the thickets to the existing cage...which we really don't have the space for in a one bed apartment. She seems to be enjoying the company of Bella and Hermione as it is and is showing no signs of depression so far so hopefully this will do for now. The bigger picture is that she has a much nicer home and has company, which she was lacking where she was (she didn't even have any toys!!) Sorry for the essay haha, it's nice to be able to talk 'goo stuff' to people who actually understand what I am talking about!
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