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Post by ntg on Apr 25, 2018 11:56:41 GMT
Gizmo was in a foul mood this morning, not sure what has set him off but he was also a bit jumpy before bed last night. Going to clear the bathroom and give it a good clean and then see how they get on in there for some out of cage time to see if that improves his mood. Figuring he might just need to let off some steam and that hopefully he's not just defensive of his cage since he constantly sits and sleeps next to the door we open the most.
Benji on the other hand is still as sweet as can be and keeps hopping into my hands and generally being curious around us.
I've been looking up ideas for building a cage for these guys as it's going to be easier than putting together two aventuras... Degupedia has some good examples (and be good resources for house plants both critters can eat) and I'm sure it'll be quite helpful in deciding what size to aim for while still being able to do a good cage upgrade for S&W too!
Thanks for the ideas of things to add random!
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Post by darthchinchi on Apr 25, 2018 18:48:36 GMT
Yep, that's definately a black velvet, and quite a handsome one. 2. is hetero pink white Such pretty animals ooo I was wondering about Gizmo as at first he seemed like his eyes were black but then in certain lights they show as red. Are the heteros all white or can they have patches of colour? As he has grey around the base of his tail and his face is lightly flecked with grey too. Really need to sort out some form of playpen for them as they're eager to get out but I have no idea how tall it would have to be to keep these monsters in! I've seen some people with pens 120 cm tall but that still seems small to me knowing that goos can clear 60 cm if they want to. I've ordered two 16" tins from tic tac for making their wheels, just need to figure out the bearing size that we'll need to support Gizmo's fat-ass. The hetero is a heterozygous for beige. So the patches you see are beige and not grey. You can tell by the pink skin in the pink whites. They get the white fur from the wilson white gene, and the pink skin and brown/red eyes from the beige. The wilson lets other mutations shine trough (that's why we see a lot of wilson whites with a lot of grey in them), so it lets the beige shine trough = you see spots of "light grey" in the fur.
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Post by ntg on Apr 25, 2018 23:44:12 GMT
Huh that's really interesting to know, thanks darthchinchi! Let them out tonight in the bathroom and they had a blast! Lots of acrobatics going on and it's the first time I've seen any dominance behaviour or proper playing from either of them. Both seem a lot happier for it, but Benji is a little demon who likes to chew anything he can, so may have to come up with a system to protect the doorframe/silicone seal around the walls.
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Post by randomname on Apr 26, 2018 0:25:50 GMT
My guys are usually pretty grumpy during the day. They won't let me clean them out even if they're awake. Their mood is definitely better in the evening/night time. maybe gizmo just isn't a morning guy?
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Post by ntg on Apr 26, 2018 6:06:51 GMT
It's definitely possible as he was absolutely fine when I got back from work. It's about now that I'll start to see their "real" personalities come through since they've settled in so I'll see what he's like over the next week! He's definitely not shy though as when I was getting them into the carrier to go into the bathroom he ended up on my shoulders eyeing up the bedroom... Place your bets on how long it takes for me to say one or both have made a quick getaway Watson was also in a weird mood yesterday, wasn't all that interested in being out, wouldn't eat high value treats and instead ate some bamboo and hay... Hoping it's just the stress of the vets yesterday morning putting him off.
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Post by ntg on Apr 29, 2018 18:57:59 GMT
So I've had them a week now and we're quickly settling into a routine! Spending what little spare time I have reading up on the german forums and trying to visualise how my parents will react to the gargantuan cage I'm contemplating O.o The boys seem to enjoy their playtime, although Benji is now referred to as Demon Spawn since he spends his entire time up to no good, either trying to chew any edge he can find or digging any hay/forage out of the cat transport box onto the bathroom floor or just trying to eat the box in general Gizmo is far more interested in just having a good time and is definitely the bolder one of the pair. You'll have to excuse the fact that most of the images will be of them posing on the loo, but I promise that it's clean Figured out that Gizmo really does not like mornings or being woken up in general, and if you approach him, it better be with food and (if sleepy) let him come to you for it rather than the other way round. Going to have to start properly handling them soon so that I can check for fur rings and whatnot so wish me luck on that one As for my last post, Watson is back to normal, degus all good and have had their second big wheel squidged into the cage after a rearrangement - happy goobers all around! Sherlock is still weirdly chipper for being a surly old man, but I'll not look that particular gift-horse in the mouth. I can only guess he was so pleased with how he told that towel off at the vets last week that he's in a particularly good mood. Loo pic as promised:
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Post by randomname on Apr 29, 2018 19:48:57 GMT
they're both super handsome, love the pics
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Post by ntg on Apr 29, 2018 21:52:57 GMT
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Post by savvy on Apr 29, 2018 23:39:54 GMT
Beautiful videos! See what you mean about being active.
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Post by deguconvert on Apr 30, 2018 14:34:42 GMT
It must be lovely sitting in there with them!! Lots of entertainment!!
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Post by moletteuk on Apr 30, 2018 17:01:01 GMT
Wow, they are glorious, so much fun Having watched the vids of playtime, it must seem a bit weird putting them back in a cage at all, I mean one jump is half a regular cage size.
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Post by Emziedee on Apr 30, 2018 18:30:41 GMT
Wow! Is that pop Corning!
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Post by ntg on Apr 30, 2018 19:38:01 GMT
Wow, they are glorious, so much fun Having watched the vids of playtime, it must seem a bit weird putting them back in a cage at all, I mean one jump is half a regular cage size. I know, it feels horrible to put them back but I can't exactly leave them to wreak havoc on the bathroom they're going to have to be my priority for out of cage time on an evening but fortunately the goos are fairly content with short playtimes. Just bought a jigsaw so going to have some fun with diy to try and make their current cage a little more fun for them (and make a few out of cage play-gym type things for them). @emzie, popcorning is when they go straight up in the air, what they're doing in the videos is bouncing off the walls (I'm guessing it helps them to maintain speed while changing direction).
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Post by ntg on May 7, 2018 18:34:27 GMT
Well my brother and sister-in-law came up for a visit and have gone back seriously considering getting chinchillas but not males as checking for fur rings has put them off 2 weeks into this chinchilla business and it's wonderful. Personality-wise they remind me of Sherlock and Venk hybrid - Gizmo is a grumpy pudding who loves his food (and is actually very sweet + doesn't mind being fussed over) whereas Benji is forever the cute one who would prefer to be looked at but not touched and will get vocal at you if you push the touching too far... Or tell him off for misbehaving (which he does a lot). I have the vets on Wednesday morning with Emma to get them checked over so hopefully both will have a clean bill of health from the get go unlike Mr Holmes. Fortunately, there's nothing to suggest there's anything wrong this time but I like to know they're registered if any issues come up.
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Post by deguconvert on May 8, 2018 16:08:47 GMT
I love hearing about them!! So thrilled for you that they are settling in so well!!
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Post by moletteuk on May 9, 2018 17:16:13 GMT
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Post by ntg on May 9, 2018 18:04:17 GMT
It really is lovely getting to know their personalities as they start to come out of their shells. The vets went well though, Giz is 690g but in a good body condition and Benji is 620g but chubby for his size, so only 2-2.3x the weight of the goobers the fluff really bulks them up! Benji was a bit of a wriggle-butt, almost kamikaze'd his way out of the vets hands and onto the floor and bit his tongue in the process so he's on antibiotics and metacam for a few days as a precaution. Gizmo has slight pododermatitis on his feet which is apparently quite common so I need to keep an eye on them but otherwise they're both totally healthy. I think they were all very taken by them both though! And don't worry about the cage comment, my first words when Liam saw them in the cage (and he agreed) was that they could do with a cage twice the size, and that was before we let them out and saw just how energetic they are. I'm hoping to do a cage that's 2mx0.8m like chinchilla scientia recommends and combine a degu and chin cage one on top of the other if the room height and floorboard direction/joist position allows it. Diet is an interesting one, I'm definitely taking them off the science selective pellets and going for a grain-free pellet after speaking with Emma about our joint dislike for grain-based feeds, but need to decide on one or two that I'm happy with first. They really love the Hansemann's mixes that I have for the goos that I've checked the ingredients for to make sure they can have them and I'm looking into making an oil seed based mix similar to the goos one but without ingredients that I can't find any information on and maybe a few extras. So in reality, chinchilla and degu diet is pretty similar overall, yet despite them having been pets for much longer it's harder to find info on certain things; you just have to use common sense The wheels are done as well but don't know when I'll be able to get them, if they're even big enough... You may see a for sale thread going up for two wheels for either degus or rats
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Post by deguconvert on May 10, 2018 4:49:48 GMT
Wonderful report and love the information that you are learning/compiling as you get to know these fluffy loves. I'm totally in love with them!! Was in a pet store to get a tarantula for my daughters boyfriend (I CAN'T BELIEVE I BOUGHT A TARANTULA!!!) and while there saw a chinchilla that was grey beneath but variegated black on top. TOTALLY fell in love!! But then, I also fell in love with all the different fish, a couple of chameleons, a boa, some degus, and probably a dozen other things. The only things I didn't fall in love with were the crickets. LOL! I've wanted a chin for YEARS, but that is still a distant dream. The best thing (this is dreaming out loud and you must understand that I am NOT planning such a thing) would be if I could potty train a couple of chins, giving them some hidey holes and nooks they could roost in, but let them roam freely as they choose. First thought, walking up to find my china cabinet in toothpick sizes shreds . . . so nope . . . I realize it is truly a silly dream . . . but it would be so cool!!
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Post by ntg on May 10, 2018 19:25:02 GMT
The apple blossom is out in force on our cooking apple tree Watson is having none of this fresh malarky so far though @dc it'd be amazing if they had their own room! Or a massive room split in two - one half degus and the other chinchillas that way your china cabinet stays in one piece too Still can't say no to this face though
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Post by yasmin on May 11, 2018 3:23:49 GMT
They're all so adorable
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