rhedette
Foraging Degu
Degu-LY?
Posts: 116
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Taming
Jan 7, 2006 0:20:55 GMT
Post by rhedette on Jan 7, 2006 0:20:55 GMT
Can anyone give me any tips on taming Degu's?
I bought my Degu's about a week ago now...
Mine are very friendly with coming up to the side of the cage, and they even have started to recognise my voice after only a week, but as this is our first set of Degu's we have kept, I was wondering if people could help with any tips...
I have tried with putting my hand in front of them for them to walk into and sniff etc, and they seem to be doing it very slowly. Altough all Tails seems interested in is looking out of the cage trying to get out!
Also when I have handed food to them inside the cage they sometimes get carried away and start to go to my fingers, and even have, very lightly, clamped their teeth on my finger (not very hard, just harder than when they have tried grooming me), is there any way to prevent biting?
How long, on average, does it take to get them used to you?
Also, are Degu's prone to jumping out of their cages if you lift the top lid up (I have a critter 2 cage..soon to be critter 3)? I lift their lid up to change their food etc and they seem to want to escape...will they clamber out, or are they just looking?
Also how is the best way to hold Degu's once they are out of the cage?As I will be the only one handling them, it looks a little difficult to hold two (especially if they are as hyper as Tails!)Will one get jelous if you hold the other one outside of the cage without them?
It would be nice to be able to hear some feed back on this.
Thanks.
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rhedette
Foraging Degu
Degu-LY?
Posts: 116
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Taming
Jan 8, 2006 21:41:05 GMT
Post by rhedette on Jan 8, 2006 21:41:05 GMT
Anyone have any tips I can use at all? I really wanna handle our Degu's, but I dont want to rush them into anything... Also as Im new to the whole Degu thing i'm kinda nervous about them perhaps jumping from my hands and hurting themselves, or escaping. When I open the top of the cage they stand up on their back legs and stick their heads up out of it, I'm a little nervous they might both jump and get out and having to re-capture them so to speak... Let me know if im just being a little paranoid here
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Taming
Jan 9, 2006 19:48:18 GMT
Post by ra on Jan 9, 2006 19:48:18 GMT
My cage doors are on the side so I don't have to worry about lifting the top off of the cage. Do you have to take the entire top off or just open a door? You have more control if you are opening a door. It took a good two weeks for Mocha to get comfortable with me. I'd put my hand/hands in the cage resting them so she could explore or sit in my hands. I did get bitten roughly a couple of times. I had to grin and bear it because I didn't want to frighten or discourage her from approaching me. When she continued to bite a bit harder than I could take I would imitate her loud squeak and say no. Gave her time-out where I'd leave and turn the lights off. When I returned later I behaved as if nothing had happened.
Degus are prey animals - humans are predators. Prey animals have an inate fear of predators- that's what keeps them alive. Don't reach down to pickup up your Degu. Your shadow may make them think a giant bird is swooping down to carry them away. Always allow them to step up into your hand or hands.
You are not being paranoid. Degus can jump straight up 3ft! If you can, just slide the top back or over a couple of inches so you don't have to worry about one or more jumping out. I was very worried about that since I have two Yorkshire Terriers who'd like to have my Degus as a snack!!
I used to allow Mocha to come out of the cage at the bottom door and run around on the counter top. Then she decided she didn't want to return to the cage and I had to try to catch her. I too was afraid of hurting her or of getting seriously bit so I took a flower vase, a peanut butter jar or large mason jar would do too. I put a treat in the vase allowing it to lay on it's side with the opening in the runway along side the cage. When she'd begin to enter the vase I gently scooped her into it and then returned her to her cage.
The safest place for us to get to know one another was in the bathroom with everything picked up and put out of the way. I coaxed her into her carrying cage then put the cage on the bathroom floor with the door (cage door) open. Obviously the bathroom door is carefully closed. Talk about paranoid, I even put a rolled up towel along the bottom of the door for fear she'd squeeze under or out a crack. Now they both climb all over me, even to the top of my head to sit up there and groom my head!!
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rhedette
Foraging Degu
Degu-LY?
Posts: 116
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Taming
Jan 9, 2006 19:51:45 GMT
Post by rhedette on Jan 9, 2006 19:51:45 GMT
Thanks alot for the help!
My cage does open with the whole top open, so when i lift it up to put more food in they come and stick their little noses out, as if wanting to clamber out.
I'm going to brave trying to get them out tonight, but do you think I should wait a little more? I;ve had them just over a week...
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Taming
Jan 9, 2006 20:14:04 GMT
Post by ra on Jan 9, 2006 20:14:04 GMT
I would wait. I think I had Mocha for two weeks before I let her out to run in the safety of my bathroom. She was still a bit warry and a couple of times rather than spending half and hour to an hour it was over an hour trying to herd her back into her cage! Now that we are both comforable with one another it's no longer a big issue.
Two Degus complicates things a bit more too. Sometimes one will hop back into the carrying cage then just as the other finally agrees to return to the cage the first will hop out over her and be running about again! One at a time would be easiest but they might feel more confident together. You might want to recruit a helper so it would be one on one human to Degu ratio.
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rhedette
Foraging Degu
Degu-LY?
Posts: 116
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Taming
Jan 9, 2006 20:27:52 GMT
Post by rhedette on Jan 9, 2006 20:27:52 GMT
ok. Well I have my fiance here, but he wont touch them...he doesnt like touching animals (dont know why) so I think I will try one at a time...some times they need alone time, because one tends to annoy the other occasionally, and we sometimes get the less dominant one out in the ball to run about.
They seem fairly happy with me putting my hand in the cage, but they wont fully sit on my hand...they would rather nibble me...or try and climb my sleeve lol
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Taming
Jan 9, 2006 23:50:58 GMT
Post by diet otaku on Jan 9, 2006 23:50:58 GMT
given enough time, they will probably try to jump out the top of the cage. as for holding them, one won't get jealous of the other, but sometimes what i do is take one out, sit him on my shoulder, then take the other out. then they both clamber back and forth across my shoulders.
it's hard to say how long it will take them to get used to you - it sort of depends on the degus' personality. i have 4 right now, and one of them, rumble, is just the tamest thing. it's a bit difficult getting him out of the cage, but once i do he just sits on my shoulder and lets me pet him. the other 3 try their best to crawl out of my hands.
the best way to pick up a degu is to scoop them up from underneath. i've never met a degu that will willingly hop into my hands and stay for a lift, so scooping from underneath is the next best thing as far as being gentle and not stressing them out. mine prefer to be held in something they can burrow in, like a towel. they'll burrow down and then just sit and be petted.
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rhed
Newborn Degu
Posts: 21
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Taming
Jan 10, 2006 12:51:17 GMT
Post by rhed on Jan 10, 2006 12:51:17 GMT
ok. Well I have my fiance here, but he wont touch them...he doesnt like touching animals (dont know why) That's just something I'll have to get used to. I've never been good around larger animals, like cats and dogs, but it's just a case of getting used to the touch of degus, and the way they feel and move. I was able to lift one from his cage today using a bit of material (the same I used to make their hammok), but he's not very well so he didn't move too much. I managed to make sure he was surrouned from underneath and supported well, and it was fine. It's the direct contact that's putting me off, but that too will need to be worked on. I have a fear of cat and dogs teeth and claws, so it's just going to take me some time to get over my fear of all teeth and claws touching me. It's all very alien to me right now.
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Taming
Jan 10, 2006 13:12:55 GMT
Post by diet otaku on Jan 10, 2006 13:12:55 GMT
having a fear of claws will be rather difficult with degus, as their claws can get pretty sharp. the claws very rarely draw blood but can scratch you up pretty good if they're trying really hard to get away. fortunately, degus are not prone to biting, but when they do, it's something to be careful of.
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rhedette
Foraging Degu
Degu-LY?
Posts: 116
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Taming
Jan 10, 2006 14:19:08 GMT
Post by rhedette on Jan 10, 2006 14:19:08 GMT
The taming will have to be put on hold I guess untill poor little Ziq is better.
I'll let you know how things turn out.
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