Thinking of getting lister a friend

[njberry]

hiya,

i got Lister about 3 weeks ago, he was being housed as a lone degu, in the shop they said it was because he had been fighting with his brother. i know degu's do better in groups. so my question is how do i go about intros with lister. he is a male degu and his age is unknown. i dont really want to nuter him (some small animal losses under antithetic in the past) so would it be better getting another lone degu or 2 ? i have found someone selling 2 5month old males near me but im unsure about male intros. any info would be amazing.

[bouncy]

Hi,

Great thinking about getting Lister a friend!

Few things to think about when getting friends:

Cages - you'll need a cage big enough for all goos once fully integrated (have a look at our cage size recommendations). You can either keep them in the same cage and put a makeshift partition in, or have two separate cages placed side by side.

Who - If your goo came from a pet shop, there's a chance he could be a she, so worth double checking. After that, you need to consider the company. Whether male or female, avoid anything between 6months and 18 months. This period is where they go through their teenage years with hormones everywhere. A pair of pups up to three months could be straightforward it may trigger parenting instincts (goos make great dads). A stable older pair, or older lone goo is also an option.

Time - I won't lie. This could take a couple of weeks, or a couple of years. Have a look in our fighting and introductions section for the stages of the process in the link below. Above all, patience (and an oven glove and water spray) is key!


deguworld.proboards.com/thread/17619/deguconverts-detailed-introductions-fighting-guide

[njberry]

thanks for the help, so ill probably pass on the 5 month old degus i have seen. he is defonatly a boy (seen him cleaning his bits lol) i know about the cage thing, i was thinking of buying a separate cage that can later be added to the one lister is in to make one big cage. ill keep an eye out for any degu pups or some older than 18 months. thanks for your help

[bouncy]

Very welcome!

Keep an eye on our adoption section, in case any come up near you. Alternatively, we have a fairly comprehensive list of rescues there. It's worth getting in touch with some of the specialist goo ones like Little Bites in Luton or Notts Nibbles, as not all of their goos make it onto their sites. Also, Little Bites has been known to help with introductions, and may even foster Lister for a fee if you'd like their expertise!

[deguconvert]

Hello, Njberry! Welcome to the forum!

Bouncy has got you off an running, so I don't need to add more. I look forward to getting to know you and to being of help to you! Enjoy your little guy!!

[moletteuk]

Welcome to the forum

[njberry]

thanks everyone, i did have my eye on two boys not far from me, but while i waited to get the money together, the person selling them has found other people to come look at them on tuesday, so now im back on the look out

[moletteuk]

Feel free to try a wanted advert in our adoption section, and there is a facebook rehoming group listed on our adoption/ rescue list that is quite good at keeping track of available degus.

[bouncy]

Just realised how close you are to me - I'll keep my eyes peeled locally

[njberry]

ive now got 2 new degus, they have there cage next to listers so just leting them settle in and get used to listers smell atm.

[bouncy]

Excellent!!! You're going to have a happy goo clan.........or two.........or three......!!  

[deguconvert]

You are a few days in now. How are things going?

[njberry]

Sorry i havnt been on lately. But their cages are now right next to each other and they go up and see eachother then go off about there degu business so thats a good sign. Thinking of trying a meeting between them some time this week. Fingers crossed

[bouncy]

Ooh! Let us know how it goes!