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Post by sarahc on May 9, 2018 12:59:25 GMT
So after loosing Pinky we got 2 girls to keep Brain company but with his age (5years) we decided he is too old to get neuted so we have had them all in the one adventura cage together seperated by chicken wire and allowing Brain down to see the girls of an evening. However yesterday while cleaning brains part of the cage I thought he was in his little cottage so I moved the tray to give the edges a good clean. After cage was clean new bedding down I go to give brain a treat and he is nowhere to be seen. Me naively thinking he is still in his cottage move down to the girls section of the cage I can see them running on the tic tac wheel, so I continue to clean. As I'm putting the bedding down there comes Brain off the wheel 😮 I decided I'll let him stay with the girls and moved chicken wire over. They have been this way for 24 hours now and I came down to all 3 having a big group cuddle this morning feels mean to remove him now. I know the consequences are pups but for brain to be happy that's a price I'm willing to pay. Never seen him have so much energy as I have the past 24 hours.
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Post by sarahc on May 9, 2018 13:00:20 GMT
Brain and Ella this morning Sweeps had just run off as I got my phone out
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Post by deguconvert on May 9, 2018 13:38:37 GMT
I'm glad he is happy . . . and sincerely hope for your sake that no pups are produced. May your sweet females be barren and may Brain shoot blanks.
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Post by ntg on May 9, 2018 13:40:01 GMT
I know you said you think he's too old for neutering at 5 and you'll deal with pups if and when they happen but I just wanted to say that I believe that we've recently had a 5 year old degu to through the neutering procedure successfully ( Emziedee am I right in thinking Tibbs is 5?) so as long as he's otherwise fit and healthy then neutering could still be a good option. Otherwise you have to be prepared for the worst of 10+ pups to rehome every few months which may not sound like a lot at first until you consider that there are a lot of degus out there currently looking for homes throughout the UK, which means that you may find yourself struggling to rehome a steady stream of pups.
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Post by sarahc on May 9, 2018 13:58:48 GMT
I understand about the pups have a few friends currently looking for degus and if all else fails we would keep them and add to our zoo of a house. As for age our vet said she would be weary of doing the operation on him at his age. The only mounting that has happened has been girls mounting Brain to sleep.
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Post by savvy on May 9, 2018 14:27:05 GMT
The other alternative is that should there be pups, you separate into two large(ish), depending on the numbers, groups. One of males and one of females. You could rehome some if the numbers are too great.
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Post by moletteuk on May 9, 2018 16:21:19 GMT
It must be wonderful for you to see them all looking so happy.
But, I would like to ask you to have a good think about if this is your best option because intentional breeding isn't something to go into lightly. Have a think about the consequences of both of the girls being pregnant and then you need to separate Brain from them immediately after birth and then he has to be alone until any boy pups are 6 weeks old and can live with him. I would really advise against repeat pregnancies due to the health risks, so Brain would be very unlikely to be able to live with the ladies long term. Do ask if you have any questions.
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Post by sarahc on May 9, 2018 16:51:31 GMT
After litening to what you have all said im going to book him in to get neuted he is healthy and really energetic so I personally don't think there will be a problem. But will have to see what vet says regarding age. Don't want to end up with him seperated again or have an army of degus haha. Here's a photo of them all cuddled up
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Post by moletteuk on May 9, 2018 17:05:54 GMT
They look adorable. It must be so hard to decide what to do for the best when you see them looking so right and happy! If you can bear it at all, I think I would recommend re-instating the mesh for a couple of days and giving it some careful thought, I want you to feel sure about the neutering as it is a serious operation, I don't think any of your options are easy ones.
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Post by titchycatnipsandwich on May 13, 2018 15:16:43 GMT
Ok, so I'm gonna be the voice of disagreement here - post-op complications with goos are... I'm not sure about commonplace, but certainly they aren't rare. My vets estimated a ~10% infection rate based on their last 100 neuterings across small-animals. The advantage to that, tbh, is that a small-animals vet is going to be comfortable with managing them - and most cat-and-dog vets will be reasonably confident in recognising and treating an infection, even if they aren't entirely familiar with the neutering of a small critter itself.
It's not a minor operation. I've had it done for River and Best, two years apart (maybe 3), and the process changed quite a bit in those years. I had an abdominal abscess with River, and Best pulled his stitches out. Both needed 8 weeks of antibiotics and painkillers, with a steep learning curve on dosing up a recalcitrant degu and keeping their undercarriage clean. You can't cone-of-shame a degu without making it very difficult for them to eat and drink independently!
That said, even with the risks inherent in neutering, I'd still go for neutering a male if I needed to, based on what feels like a billion years of failing to succeed in male+male introductions, while neutered male+female introductions went swimmingly. Only you know how you feel about him and the risks, but if you don't neuter him and leave him in with the girls, you're potentially risking their lives as they carry litters back to back, putting a lot of strain on their bodies.
It is your call, and I hope what we're saying is helpful. You're in a tough place, and I hope your vet can help you sort out what his actual risk:benefit would be, so you can decide what is best to do for him and your girls.
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Post by deguconvert on May 13, 2018 20:35:26 GMT
DON`T be afraid to be bold with your vet in pressing them with questions. Have they neutered degus before? How many degu neuterings have they done? Are they completely aware that the surgery required to neuter a degu is completely different from what other rodents require? Do they KNOW that the testes of a male degu are contained within the abdominal cavity and NOT on the outside of the abdominal wall? This is crucial information to know. If they do not know it, don't use them!! They will use your degu to learn on, and you DON'T want that. Degu surgery is more and more successful now than ever before, but it is a big surgery and you want to be certain your vet is knowledgeable and well experienced with this surgery.
I know I am over stating, but it really is warranted.
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Post by sarahc on May 21, 2018 10:54:19 GMT
Brain booked into vets to get neuted kept them seperated at the moment only supervised visits allowed atm
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Post by bouncy on May 21, 2018 18:22:57 GMT
At least, in a few weeks time, you won't have to worry about the excessive patter of tiny paws
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Post by moletteuk on May 21, 2018 18:53:25 GMT
Hope Brain's not too lonely in the meantime. Let us know how it goes.
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Post by sarahc on May 22, 2018 13:26:27 GMT
Just had his pre op and vet is very happy with his health and he's booked in for next Friday for operation she is going to do the one incision above rather than the 2 separate incisions. Seams as brain is a little Houdini we will have to have him in a separate cage until hes ready to go back in with the girls
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Post by sarahc on Jun 1, 2018 23:09:50 GMT
So Brian been In today for his neutering. Everything went well but he's in a mood with me now won't even take rolled oats off me 😔 Did manage to get medicine down him but just like his old mate he was a little bugger fingers crossed we have found a technique to help
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Post by bouncy on Jun 2, 2018 0:47:22 GMT
I'm sure that, once the swelling goes down and the pain subsides, he'll forget about his gonads By the time he gets to move back in with the Pinkies, you'll be heralded the greatest gooman ever!
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Post by misscatafer on Jun 2, 2018 6:19:12 GMT
Toby was the same with us. We were in the situation where we had barely bonded with him as we neutered him 4 days after getting him so also tried to avoid handling if possible. I also was reluctant to hold due to the wound site. I found lacing treats with medicine and leaving them in the cage quite effective if you keep an eye to make sure he eats them. Also, I would dab a teeny bit of honey on the end of the syringe then give him the meds through the bars... That enticed him quite often too. He loved the snuggle safe, make sure you keep that on the go with clean coverings on for him to soothe the wound site, and remove the wheel and sand bath for the first few days. I found as well that Toby didn't drink anything for quite a few days after the op. I got round this by giving him a few frozen green beans and fresh veg so he was still getting some kind of moisture.
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Post by sarahc on Jun 2, 2018 6:42:19 GMT
I've now got the trick of get brain in his cardboard tube then grab him when he tries to escape
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 2, 2018 19:31:20 GMT
Well done! How is he doing today?
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