Post by misscatafer on Nov 12, 2017 19:52:03 GMT
Apologies this is so long.
I am absolutely devastated right now.... Words cannot explain how upset I am I am such an idiot and bad degu owner!!!!
So me and Rob went away for the weekend, Friday night til Sunday afternoon. We go away frequently. We did all the usual preparations, everything was fine.
Came home at 430 this afternoon. Rob calls out to me that there are three degus in one cage. I thought he was joking. I run in laughing for him to stop being silly. Then I see Toby on the girls wheel. Heart stops. Two more degus down on the bottom level very scared and shaken. One degu up on the top level.
We immediately check Toby, he has two bad bites to both ears, one ear is torn. Other than that he seems OK. Next is Bella, who was on the bottom level, she has a very swollen bruised toe and a small bite to her mouth. She seems OK other than that too. Next is Harmione, also on the bottom level. She is extremely injured, can barely walk, covered in bites and looks like she has lost an extreme amount of weight. she is absolutely petrified. I wrap her up and hold her, immediately feeding her seeds which she accepts. (all the while me and Rob having an almighty slanging match about the situation). Next we check Boo, she is completely unscathed and looks alot bigger than usual. We then find a small hole in the plastic shelf. We assume Toby made it, managed to squeeze through the hole into the girls cage then they have been fighting badly over him. We assumed the girls wee all too big to fit through the hole which explains why Boo is unscathed.
We put Toby back in with Boo and secure the top level. Boo and Toby keep fighting.... Neither warbling, Toby trying to mount her and Boo not submitting.... Odd. So we assume Toby must smell like the girls which is agitating Boo... So we put Boo in the playpen while we figure out what to do. I give some medicine to Harmione (metacam left over from the neutering) and keep feeding her everything and anything... She is struggling to eat, we decide to make up the travel carrier for her to stay in. I put her back in the cage with Bella while we sort it out. Bella keeps trying to sniff her bum, unusual.... And Harmione is really agitated, teeth chattering at Bella and nipping at her. You can probably guess what has happened by now.. So I take Harmione out again.
We put Boo back in with Toby.... Continued fighting... Bad fighting... What are we going to do!!!! I'm panicking thinking we now have 4 separate degus. We separate Toby quickly in the cage. Harmione is in such a bad way, I'm so scared for her. I thaw some green beans to get some fluid into her... Offer one to the others. Boo does not accept her bean..... That's when I suddenly realise..... boo loves beans.... Omg this is Harmione!!!! This explains all the fighting between each other...... I put Boo back in with Bella after she attacked her do badly!!!!
Harmione went back in with Bella without issue. Duh!!!! In our panic we didn't initially realise!!! So boo obviously got into their cage.... They have been attacking her for God knows how long.... A whole day maybe? She obviously got stuck on the bottom level then due to her injuries could not get to the food and water on the other levels which is why she has lost weight.... I feel terrible!!!!
So now she has had two green beans, a walnut, some pumpkin seeds and some oats... She is eating but struggling due to pain. I have syringed about 5mls of fluid into her.. She was so thirsty she has had a dose of metacam. She is in the travel carrier with a snuggle safe, loads of hay towels and food. Omg i feel so awful!!!! She must've been so scared
Injuries wise. She has a gash on her ear, about 5 bites around her mouth, one is quite deep but clean (I cleaned them all with salt water and a cotton bud) a split upper lip. At least one other bite to her flank. A bite on her stomach. A bad bite on her leg... Causing her to limp. She can barely walk due to this leg. I hope to God nothing is broken. She has a bite on her tail. She feels so light and bony to pick up. Arghhhhhh! So upset
I have to go to work in like 10 minutes. So tempted to take her with me but that would be stupid. I'm going to syringe some more water before I go. Then rob is going to reheat the snuggle safe and give her more water and metacam in a few hours.
I'm so stupid I hope she will pull through
I am absolutely devastated right now.... Words cannot explain how upset I am I am such an idiot and bad degu owner!!!!
So me and Rob went away for the weekend, Friday night til Sunday afternoon. We go away frequently. We did all the usual preparations, everything was fine.
Came home at 430 this afternoon. Rob calls out to me that there are three degus in one cage. I thought he was joking. I run in laughing for him to stop being silly. Then I see Toby on the girls wheel. Heart stops. Two more degus down on the bottom level very scared and shaken. One degu up on the top level.
We immediately check Toby, he has two bad bites to both ears, one ear is torn. Other than that he seems OK. Next is Bella, who was on the bottom level, she has a very swollen bruised toe and a small bite to her mouth. She seems OK other than that too. Next is Harmione, also on the bottom level. She is extremely injured, can barely walk, covered in bites and looks like she has lost an extreme amount of weight. she is absolutely petrified. I wrap her up and hold her, immediately feeding her seeds which she accepts. (all the while me and Rob having an almighty slanging match about the situation). Next we check Boo, she is completely unscathed and looks alot bigger than usual. We then find a small hole in the plastic shelf. We assume Toby made it, managed to squeeze through the hole into the girls cage then they have been fighting badly over him. We assumed the girls wee all too big to fit through the hole which explains why Boo is unscathed.
We put Toby back in with Boo and secure the top level. Boo and Toby keep fighting.... Neither warbling, Toby trying to mount her and Boo not submitting.... Odd. So we assume Toby must smell like the girls which is agitating Boo... So we put Boo in the playpen while we figure out what to do. I give some medicine to Harmione (metacam left over from the neutering) and keep feeding her everything and anything... She is struggling to eat, we decide to make up the travel carrier for her to stay in. I put her back in the cage with Bella while we sort it out. Bella keeps trying to sniff her bum, unusual.... And Harmione is really agitated, teeth chattering at Bella and nipping at her. You can probably guess what has happened by now.. So I take Harmione out again.
We put Boo back in with Toby.... Continued fighting... Bad fighting... What are we going to do!!!! I'm panicking thinking we now have 4 separate degus. We separate Toby quickly in the cage. Harmione is in such a bad way, I'm so scared for her. I thaw some green beans to get some fluid into her... Offer one to the others. Boo does not accept her bean..... That's when I suddenly realise..... boo loves beans.... Omg this is Harmione!!!! This explains all the fighting between each other...... I put Boo back in with Bella after she attacked her do badly!!!!
Harmione went back in with Bella without issue. Duh!!!! In our panic we didn't initially realise!!! So boo obviously got into their cage.... They have been attacking her for God knows how long.... A whole day maybe? She obviously got stuck on the bottom level then due to her injuries could not get to the food and water on the other levels which is why she has lost weight.... I feel terrible!!!!
So now she has had two green beans, a walnut, some pumpkin seeds and some oats... She is eating but struggling due to pain. I have syringed about 5mls of fluid into her.. She was so thirsty she has had a dose of metacam. She is in the travel carrier with a snuggle safe, loads of hay towels and food. Omg i feel so awful!!!! She must've been so scared
Injuries wise. She has a gash on her ear, about 5 bites around her mouth, one is quite deep but clean (I cleaned them all with salt water and a cotton bud) a split upper lip. At least one other bite to her flank. A bite on her stomach. A bad bite on her leg... Causing her to limp. She can barely walk due to this leg. I hope to God nothing is broken. She has a bite on her tail. She feels so light and bony to pick up. Arghhhhhh! So upset
I have to go to work in like 10 minutes. So tempted to take her with me but that would be stupid. I'm going to syringe some more water before I go. Then rob is going to reheat the snuggle safe and give her more water and metacam in a few hours.
I'm so stupid I hope she will pull through