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Post by beth93 on Mar 11, 2018 9:00:47 GMT
Hi,
I’m Beth. I’m from Shropshire in the UK 🇬🇧.
Me and my boyfriend have just rescued two female Degus, last weekend. Although I think the previous owners loved them and allowed them out a lot, they were kept in a tiny cage with no enrichment. We’ve never owned Degus before, so this is going to be a bit of a learning curve!
We also own a dog and a hamster!
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Post by savvy on Mar 11, 2018 10:53:28 GMT
Hi Beth, welcome to the forum.
You will find degus are completely different to anything else! They are seriously weird, but adorable. I would suggest you read through the beginners guides as you are now on a very steep learning curve, and it's important to get the basics right as soon as possible.
What cage do they currently have? They need a really big one given the size of the degus.
What are they currently being fed and are you planning on making any changes?
Although it may not be necessary straight away (hopefully!), I'd start sourcing a degu experienced vet near by as it can save a lot of problems if they do need treatment at any point.
Also, how old are they and what are their names?
We also need pictures! We love pictures!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2018 11:19:09 GMT
Hi and welcome!
You’re gonna love your degu experience! They’re great little creatures and yes the learning curve is a blooming steep one!
Savvy has asked you some great questions!
Look forward to seeing some photos!
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 11, 2018 11:24:29 GMT
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Post by deguconvert on Mar 11, 2018 16:53:06 GMT
Hi there, Beth93, and welcome to the forum!! So lovely to meet you and hear of your recent introduction to owning degus! One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is that degus do not eat the same diet as your hamster, so you cannot give all the same food or treats to them as you do to your hamster. We have a very detailed and informative diet and nutrition board (section) here that you can spend many hours reading through. Here have a look at these two for a real quick idea ... deguworld.proboards.com/thread/16425/degu-feeding-guidedeguworld.proboards.com/thread/21261/feed-degusAnd of course I have to throw in my "we LOVE pictures" plea as well!  We are slightly degu crazy here.  |
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Post by Bexi87 on Mar 11, 2018 16:57:34 GMT
Welcome to the forum! Another plea for pictures here 😄
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Post by misscatafer on Mar 11, 2018 21:33:12 GMT
Welcome! I'm from Shropshire too, beautiful part of the country!
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Post by claire on Mar 12, 2018 4:06:32 GMT
Welcome to the wonderful world of degus. Seriously no question is too daft or small ask away. And you will f8nd yourself asking some preeetttyyy weird questions lol These forums taught me everything I know and these guys on here are amazing  Edit: PICS😍😍😍😍😍 |
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Post by beth93 on Mar 12, 2018 9:17:38 GMT
Finally managed to sort out how to add photos!  My photos were too large to upload straight to the thread. Meet Ginny and Hermione  we renamed them to fit with our name theme, our dog is Neville and our hamster is Dobby. They are around 3-4 years old. These photos are from the first couple of days when we first brought them home in their old cage. We added the coconut chew thing in as they didn't really have anything in their cage.  Hermione  Ginny  Hermione at the front and Ginny on the top shelf. |
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Post by beth93 on Mar 12, 2018 9:30:41 GMT
Hi Beth, welcome to the forum. You will find degus are completely different to anything else! They are seriously weird, but adorable. I would suggest you read through the beginners guides as you are now on a very steep learning curve, and it's important to get the basics right as soon as possible. What cage do they currently have? They need a really big one given the size of the degus. What are they currently being fed and are you planning on making any changes? Although it may not be necessary straight away (hopefully!), I'd start sourcing a degu experienced vet near by as it can save a lot of problems if they do need treatment at any point. Also, how old are they and what are their names? We also need pictures! We love pictures! This is the new cage we have brought, set it up yesterday for them, it's huge compared to their old one! Wasn't expecting it to be quite so big! Not sure on the name of the cage though.  We brought a 12" metal tictac wheel too which was sooo worth the money, they both love it! They've never had a wheel and were both running in it within a matter of minutes! Sometimes they both run in it at the same time which is cute. They were fed Pets at Home degu nuggets only, no hay, so we have just added timothy hay to start with. We're giving unlimited amount of hay and slowly reducing the amount of nuggets they were eating as they were getting A LOT of nuggets. They are starting to eat the hay really well now. Not sure how good the pets at home degu nuggets are but they came with three 2kg bags of the food. I have tried offering a tiny piece of red pepper, carrot and raddish, but they don't seem interested in fresh veg at all! Guessing they were never given any previously. We've got porridge oats, black sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds for treats which they will take from our palms now, putting their little front paws on our hands! They are so gentle! Luckily I work in a vets and the head vet has had some experience with degus and other rare exotics, I've spoken to her and she was more than happy to see them. |
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Post by beth93 on Mar 12, 2018 9:38:14 GMT
Hi there, Beth93, and welcome to the forum!! So lovely to meet you and hear of your recent introduction to owning degus! One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is that degus do not eat the same diet as your hamster, so you cannot give all the same food or treats to them as you do to your hamster. We have a very detailed and informative diet and nutrition board (section) here that you can spend many hours reading through. Here have a look at these two for a real quick idea ... deguworld.proboards.com/thread/16425/degu-feeding-guidedeguworld.proboards.com/thread/21261/feed-degusAnd of course I have to throw in my "we LOVE pictures" plea as well! We are slightly degu crazy here. We noticed this, we've checked all the treats that we had for Dobby our hamster and only one thing was degu friendly! So we've brought some porridge oats, black sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds and some degu specific treats for them. They came with three 2kg bags of Pets at Home Degu nuggets so we are feeding these at the moment, if they ok we will continue feeding them. Will read through the links you sent. Unfortunately the previous owners never gave them hay or fresh veg. We have introduced timothy hay and are slowly cutting down the amount of nuggets they were getting so eventually they will eat mostly hay and the recommended amount of nuggets. I have tried offering them some fresh veg but they don't seem interested in it at all. |
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Post by beth93 on Mar 12, 2018 9:41:16 GMT
Welcome! I'm from Shropshire too, beautiful part of the country! Wooo! I noticed your location on your profile is near where I work in Stourbridge! Which vets do you use? The countryside is beautiful here! I've not long moved here, I used to live in Lowestoft in Suffolk right on the coast, so it's weird not being by the beach anymore. |
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Post by savvy on Mar 12, 2018 10:05:54 GMT
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Post by beth93 on Mar 12, 2018 11:18:00 GMT
Ahh ok, will have a look into forage things. Since introducing hay they have not been as interested in the nuggets which may be why then if they aren't that great! |
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Post by Emziedee on Mar 12, 2018 11:26:02 GMT
Hiya! Congrats on your new additions!!! Excellent cage and wheel choice! Bet they’re absolutely delighted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2018 12:10:10 GMT
Yay that’s excellent! I bet they’re loving their new cage!
Misscatafer currently goes to my vets, Companion Care in Kidderminster and sees Gavin. All of my degus go there and he’s EXCELLENT. I’d highly recommend him, it’s about 15/20 minutes from Stourbridge.
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 12, 2018 13:59:54 GMT
Sounds like you are doing a great job, they are going to be right at home with you in no time Have a read through the diet threads when you get chance. I think the first and easiest thing is the addition of hay, which you are already doing, so that is great. Next thing is to start feeding a variety of forage, things like herbs, different grasses, tree leaves, flowers, safe garden and meadow plants. You can buy from Zooplus, Hansemann's or Ratrations or smaller amounts in local shops, or collect you own since spring is on the way. Next thin would be to introduce one or two other commercial foods to mix in with the PAH pellets. Next would be to get a high calcium seed mix from Ratrations, Hansemanns or make your own. Degus love food so even if it seems a little bit complicated I'm sure you will have fun introducing the new things. |
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Post by misscatafer on Mar 12, 2018 16:43:36 GMT
Yep I go to Kidderminster as Emily says, but I'm moving to Wolverhampton this Friday and Gavin has recommended a vet in Tipton (can't say that place without the black country twang coming out haha). My degu is also called Harmione! I went with the potter theme too, her sister is named after Bellatrix... Their names really suit their personalities too.
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We are slightly degu crazy here. 
