|
|
Post by clearsparkle on Oct 26, 2017 20:20:39 GMT
Hello
Sorry if this is in the wrong area.
I recently adopted a degu from pets at home. I brought a metal Hamberley cage and my degu *Cotton* has settled in well😅.
I thought if I backed the sides and back and a tiny part at the front with correx the Wood shavings would mostly stay inside the cage. Well they don't and already I spend more time sweeping them up than enjoying my Cotton Goo.
Anyway today i used only hay on the floor and ledges as this is 10 times easier to quickly sweep up and pop back in the cage.
So my questions to anyone who has tried hay only does it stop the smell? Is it absorbent? How often will I need to change it compared with shavings?
My other related question is does anyone use just bare ledges I feel if I don't use anything on the ledges I will cut down 98% of the mess. How long will the ledge last without hay or Wood shavings? The ledges are 14 inches deep and 21 inches wide. Is it enough just to spray pet safe disinfectant daily and sand them down weekly? I wanted my ledges to last at least 12 months if possible?? How often does everyone replace their ledges with or without substrate? Has anyone experience with these issues I would love to hear your ideas.
Thank you in advance
|
|
|
|
Post by misscatafer on Oct 26, 2017 22:14:14 GMT
Hello, welcome to the forum  Yes degus are extremely messy pets, most of us on here contest with the daily task of cleaning up substrate and flicked poo off the floor and it is a never ending cycle, I hoover daily although do not know why I bother.  Have you thought about looking into Coco matting or hemp mats as an alternative to substrate? You need something to absorb the wee really which will be soft on the feet. I have fixed custom made perspex sheets to the inside of my cage to reduce fall out, it has been effective, but is expensive so I am slowly renovating the rest of the cage as and when I can. Is Cotton a lone degu? Are you planning on getting her a friend, why is she on her own? Degus are very social and intelligent animals and should not be kept alone really. They usually live in large colonies and would react similar to how we would should we be kept in solitude. |
|
|
|
Post by moletteuk on Oct 27, 2017 12:58:07 GMT
Hi and welcome to the forum We have a thread with some subsrate reviews here: deguworld.proboards.com/thread/8754/cage-bedding-reviewsI'm going to be perfectly honest though and say that you will have a very similar problem with all of them. I'm wondering how you have the correx set up if the mess is getting past it? Is it on the outside and the shavings are falling down the gap? If so, you can use wood edging and attach that directly to the shelves inside the cage and this should help dramatically. Alternatively, as Misscatafer says, some people really like hemp or coco matting. I think if they have a main area with substrate then it is OK to have some other areas with no substrate that you just wipe regularly. It depends on the degus, some really prefer to have substrate, some aren't bothered. Potty habits can also make a difference, if you can identify where they wee the most you can put saucers or tiles down in those places and spot clean those more regularly. |
|
|
|
Post by clearsparkle on Oct 29, 2017 8:43:22 GMT
Since I've been using hay only the mess has cut right down I think Wood shavings are so light they simply float out of the cage where as the hay has stayed mostly inside. The issue was the front of the cage has no barriers and the mess comes out the front however I now have a slim panel of correx at the front which is working well.
The hay seems to be working fine as bedding. I am grateful to be rid of shavings for good!
|
|
|
|
Post by moletteuk on Oct 29, 2017 10:30:41 GMT
Glad the hay is working for you. You might be able to mix in another more absorbant substrate in higher traffic or high wee areas and you might get the best of both worlds that way.
|
|
|
|
Post by bouncy on Oct 29, 2017 13:07:54 GMT
I don't believe that it's possible to eliminate mess with rodents. My gerbils all have perspex around the cages, and jumbo woodshavings that shouldn't fit through the bars. It still gets everywhere. The degus kick everything everywhere!
|
|
|
|
Post by randomname on Oct 29, 2017 22:41:48 GMT
Of all the animals we've EVER had, the degus are by far the messiest. Not even 3 chinchillas make the same amount of mess as the degus (although they try) In fact 3 rabbits, 4 guinea pigs & 3 chinchillas all together make less mess than the 3 degus. I feel like people are never warned about it & get frustrated as they weren't expecting it. Degus are unique amongst other critters & this is one of things that pet shops never mention. Probably half the reason degus end up in rescues  I don't mind sweeping up a bit, but it does get tiresome when it's fighty week & it's more substrate on the floor than in the cage. |
|
|
|
Post by zenaida on Oct 29, 2017 23:43:30 GMT
This is exactly why I made my own cage. It was a ton of work, more expensive, I'm guessing it needs more maintenance. But they can't kick stuff out of the cage. Also it doesn't look much like a cage.
Despite this... I still have hay, degu poop, and chewed up wood all over my floors. Mostly from when we do playpen time, but they also seem to find ways to sneak stuff out.
At this point, I just want a dedicated degu room...
|
|
|
|
Post by bouncy on Oct 30, 2017 12:29:19 GMT
Ditto! Mine live in the kitchen, and run around on the floor in there because it's goo proof. I just accept I'm going to have a messy floor with substrate, chewed remnants, food, poo, and wee all over the place. zenaida you need to ask titchycatnipsandwich for some tips - one of her goos actually sweeps the woodshavings away from the door in anticipation of coming out or it opening! |
|
|
|
Post by zenaida on Oct 30, 2017 12:31:42 GMT
That's exactly what we need! Train them to clean up after themselves!
|
|
|
|
Post by moletteuk on Oct 30, 2017 14:17:19 GMT
Did you have any thoughts about getting a friend for Cotton?
|
|
|
|
Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Oct 30, 2017 19:45:56 GMT
zenaida, I think I trained River into it by accident when he was a lone goo - I used to brush the woodshavings away from the cage door before I'd pick him up for cuddles; after a few weeks he would see me coming by the cage and start kicking them away Now they're in the bigger glass-door cages, he doesn't jump up until I remove the door wedge, but at least now when he's sweeping he doesn't kick them away from the door and out of the cage! I should video it sometime. And I should work out how to train the other three 
|
|
|
|
Post by deguconvert on Oct 30, 2017 20:58:50 GMT
Yes, please, please video it!!
|
|
|
|
Post by bouncy on Oct 30, 2017 22:48:02 GMT
It's great to watch! It's when mum doesn't open up and he keeps sweeping the bare floor 🤣
|
|
|
|
Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Nov 1, 2017 21:44:44 GMT
As promised...
(Link dump, gimme a sec and I’ll embed)
|
|
|
|
Post by moletteuk on Nov 2, 2017 12:04:23 GMT
Hahaha that's hilarious! I'm probably chuckling at with Titchy as much as the goos, but that's OK isn't it?
Flossie used to move any sticks out of the way so that Ian could sit down in the playpen, not sure why she did it for him and not me because he was known to put extra sticks in the middle just to see her move them.
|
|
|
|
Post by bouncy on Nov 2, 2017 12:13:19 GMT
It was a funny distraction when I was there. You'd just notice River still cleaning up in the hope that the door might slide open again  |
|
|
|
Post by deguconvert on Nov 2, 2017 16:07:11 GMT
That's so loveable!! What fun to see!! Thank you so much for filming and posting that, Titchy!
|
|
I don't mind sweeping up a bit, but it does get tiresome when it's fighty week & it's more substrate on the floor than in the cage.
