Bar Chewing - Mating Season?

[morton235]

Hi everyone, I'm new to degu's and was wondering about his recent behaviour. Over the past week or so he has been bar chewing, chewing his hammocks, and behaving erratically (wanting to be in his cage and outside his cage at the same time and being both demanding and fussy, wanting to be in his ball and immediately out of it etc). This is new for him, he's usually very good with his hammocks and enjoys being in his ball. I've been told in the past it can be to do with the mating season and hormones? I vaguely remember him going through stages like this previously, before I owned him. I don't remember these phases lasting very long. Could that be what this is? I've given him more foragy foods to help keep him stimulated, and he has no end of different things to chew on. If he even so much as glances at the door I open it to see if he wants to come out, which he does, only to go straight back in again which is absolutely maddening. Sometimes, even when the door is open he will continue to chew the metal where the door is, even though he knows he can just come out.

About Mr Goo:
He's three years old, and is in the dreaded thickets cage. We are currently in the process of moving, and once we're at the new house he's getting upgraded to the adventura cage that's recommended on here. I'm currently stockpiling 'furniture' for his new pad and am quite excited about it! He is sadly on his own, and has been since he was a baby. When he was tiny he was really poorly and the other degu he was with was keeping him away from the food, so they had to be split and he's been on his own ever since. His previous owners didn't have as much time for him, and since I've known him from being a wee thing and helped care for him he's with me now He is the cheekiest little git going and I absolutely adore him for it.

My thoughts:
I know he needs a bigger cage, so that's in the works. In terms of company, it's a real dilemma. I've always had rats previously, and know just how important company is for social animals. I'm painfully aware that no matter how much time I spend with him, I am not a goo. It'd be like living in a foreign country but never being able to learn the language - interactions are great, but what you wouldn't give for an actual conversation. That being said, if the intro didn't work I'd be stuck. I simply don't have the room for two permanent cages. I'd end up having to split the adventura, which would defeat the point of getting it as a bigger space for Goo. The other thing is fighting - if they fought and Goo was hurt, it would just be horrible and I'd feel so guilty. He's quite a selfish boy, and very protective of food - we once had a fight over a wagon wheel that he managed to get hold of and he was not pleased that I wrestled it off him. It was the one and only time he's ever bitten me, and he didn't half show his displeasure! Neutering and getting a lady friend wouldn't really be an option for me, the vets around here are naff and the nearest one on your list is almost two hours away. There's that, and the fact that when I had one of my rats done it massively changed his personality. He needed to be done because he was terrorising his brothers, but afterwards he just lost so much of his character and just seemed to fade into the background. If Goo was neutered and it changed him, I'd feel horrible. Not to mention the risks with operating on small animals, I don't even know how I'd cope if I lost him during surgery, he's so quickly become such a big part of my life.

Anyway, that's going off track a little. For now, my question is about behaviour and whether this is to do with the mating season or something else. Although his cage is small, he's adjusted well to it and has never really shown signs of stress apart from periodically in these little batches. I'm hoping it's just something he'll get out of soon whilst we wait for the move to be over and done with. Apart from upgrading the cage and getting a friend or two, is there anything else I could be doing for now to help him?


Thanks for any replies x

[savvy]

Welcome to the forum! Goo sounds like he has attitude in abundance, lol.

Getting the new cage will help, as would getting him a friend as you know, but I do understand about the problems associated with that. In terms of splitting an adventura cage, they are much bigger than you think and very easy to add extra levels into should you need to. One half of an adventura is still bigger than a thickets (you'll know what I mean when you see it) and would easily accommodate a single degu with some modifications such as extra levels while intros are being made.

I get a sense that Goo is finding his feet and growing in confidence now he has an owner who appreciates his needs. Bar chewing can be a sign of many things though, and he could be chewing because he likes it.

In the short term, I would try putting something in he can cuddle up to, a small pet safe toy or even a pair of knotted socks.

If you have any questions please ask, there are no silly ones when it comes to degus!

[misscatafer]

I think you've covered the basics, company and a bigger living environment will really help. For now try some wooden parrot toys strung along the bars, my lot love them and is a great distraction, and does he have a wheel? A nice big tic tac wheel would be a great way to treat him. Oh, and please please please throw those exercise balls away, they are death traps for degus as they can overheat in them and damage their spines. Good luck with your move! Looking forward to the updates on how he gets on with his new home

[deguconvert]

Hello Morton235, and welcome to the forum!!

I'm wondering if you have considered the potential of having him neutered and getting him a female friend or two?

[morton235]

Thanks for the reply guys!

Savvycat - I'm really glad that if I had to split the adventura it'd be bigger than the thickets and suitable for a solo goo, although it would make me sad if after all that Mr Goo still ended up on his lonesome. Still, I suppose it's something we won't know works until we try it, there's still an awful lot to consider and research so I think I'll save it all for after the move when I can focus more on researching. For now I've done as suggested and put some socks in with him

Uuugh, just my luck that he might be bar chewing because he likes it, haha! Wouldn't put it past him, he's quite an odd little thing at times haha.

Misscatafer - luckily he already has a tooonnn of wooden toys strung about the place I've made sure he's gotten different textures and tastes, too (like twigs from different trees and some edible chews as well as wood). He already has a wheel, but I keep hearing about these tic tac ones so I'll have to have a look! The wheel he's got was designed for rats and chins as well so is pretty big.

Is the ball really such a bad thing? He loves being in it and I don't have many opportunities to let him free roam, especially since I have a dog (he doesn't bother him in his ball but I wouldn't trust him outside of it). I got the biggest possible ball I could find, it's a similar size to his wheel at about 12" so is quite a beast. He's never left unattended in it, although he does like to sit in a patch of sun next to the dog - they're both avid sunbathers. He gets regular breaks as well (I open it and 'offer him to the cage gods', as it were haha), and if he wants he will go back in his cage. He's never forced into it, either. I appreciate that exersise balls can all to often become stressful prisons so he only ever goes in it when he chooses to. He knows that if he starts nibbling at the ball or rolls up to me he gets offered back to his cage or gets a fuss and goes back in his ball, depending on what he wants.

He's got me well trained, that little goo

[morton235]

Thanks for the reply deguconvert - I'm very happy to have found this forum!

I did address the neutering thing, but it may have gotten lost in the blob of text

"Neutering and getting a lady friend wouldn't really be an option for me, the vets around here are naff and the nearest one on your list is almost two hours away. There's that, and the fact that when I had one of my rats done it massively changed his personality. He needed to be done because he was terrorising his brothers, but afterwards he just lost so much of his character and just seemed to fade into the background. If Goo was neutered and it changed him, I'd feel horrible. Not to mention the risks with operating on small animals, I don't even know how I'd cope if I lost him during surgery, he's so quickly become such a big part of my life."

Sadly it's a combination of rubbish vets, past experience and a total fear of losing him. As selfish as it sounds, if he were a new goo and I knew where the vet who neutered my rat now worked, I might even consider it. But because I've known this little chap for literally years, I just wouldn't be able to deal with him either changing or not making it. If he were to be lost to a surgery that wasn't needed for health reasons, I'd feel completely responsible and it'd just wreck me. It's just something that I wouldn't be able to bring myself to go through with him  He's such an incredible little soul, things just wouldn't be nearly as fun without him. He is, in a word, a twatbag amazing <3 

[savvy]

I'm currently in intro phase and have two aventura cages side by side with a lone degu in each. They can't be put together yet for various reasons but I'm hopeful of getting them together. Even so, they are both better for having another degu to talk to and chitter quite happily to each other.

Could you set up a playpen, there are some very simple ones on here that are non permanent, easy to store and cheap to make. Mine cost less than £40 and is just 5 large wooden boards that are held together with hooks and chains. This may help with exercise, keeping the dog out of the way and intros if it's large enough for you to sit in there with him. You can then store it away when not in use.

[morton235]

I did wonder if hearing another degu voice would be helpful if they couldn't be introduced, but then wondered that if they're territorial would having a 'rival goo' nearby stress them both out? Or would it not bother them?

Luckily the room that Goo is going in in the new house has laminate flooring, so I'm planning on Goo proofing it and letting him free roam in there when I have time, so that he gets more exercise and stimulation. At the minute we have carpet and wires everywhere, and he scent marks soooo much the little blighter. Where as with laminate I can just mop/sweep up after him and won't be left with a manky carpet haha. I have wondered about using a spare sheet to put over our bed so he could play on there though, I mean it'd only work for as long as he doesn't realise he can jump to the floor but he might not realise for a while.

Was your pen home made? If so do you have any pictures? I'd be interested in seeing how a wooden one would look, the ones I've seen look like they're not very goo proof and he is a crafty little so and so

[savvy]

They do love to scent mark don't they.

I don't have pictures of mine, but it's similar to this deguworld.proboards.com/thread/21316/new-play-pen and home made. As long as the side a are above 60cm in height he shouldn't be able to jump out.

Edit:  Mine have been fine next to each other but it can take time for them to get used to each other, as long as its another male they should settle down.

[misscatafer]

A playpen is an absolute must for me when I'm cleaning them out, mine is made of this and black duct tape: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016DY1MD0?tag=vigukb-5-21

Here it is folded up to give you an idea of how easy it is to store:

Playpens are much safer than exercise balls for a variety of reasons, and it also means you can sit in with them for them to climb and interact.

[moletteuk]

Breeding season is during winter, so it shouldn't be a hormone thing, but if it's been going on a few weeks, it could be an increase in energy and activity that some people see with the onset of spring, you might see a slight reduction in appetite too.

Playpens are great, even with a full safe room you might struggle to stop him chewing skirting boards. You can put some lino or rubber mat or just a cheap rug down under it. I don't think the bed would contain him for long, it depends on the degu though, some might accept the boundary for a few days, others would just chuck themselves off within seconds.

I think you could try another single male to try introducing, but if you wanted to keep them side by side if it didn't work, then you would have to get a boy who was already on his own, otherwise it wouldn't be fair. Another option would be a pair of very young boys who had just left their mother, but they can be hard to find and you can have problems getting them through their puberty hormonal year.

Whereabouts are you? I think if I were you, my preferred option might be neutering and getting a girl. Have you checked other rodent or exotic forums for vet recommendations in your area? Local small animal rescues can also be a good source for recommendations.

[morton235]

Thanks for the replies guys, your play pens look amazing! I will definitely be making him one so he can play outside of his cage. It'll have to wait until payday, but it's certainly something I want to do

Moletteuk - if I were to get him a friend I'd be specifically looking for a male who was on his own, but had previously been with a group. I know he'd be hard to come by but I'd feel more secure if the new goo was already used to having friends rather than one who had been on his own for years. Don't worry, I'm not one for splitting up an existing group and forcing an already socialised goo into solitude, that'd be a super crappy thing to do. I know it'd take a lot of searching and potentially a long drive to find a goo meeting my requirements, I guess it might even be a bit unrealistic. Hell, I might even consider a pair of goos, since they would be easier to come by and the cage would be big enough. It's something for me to keep an eye out for at least.

I'm in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire.

[misscatafer]

You may still have success with a goo who has been alone for a while. I paired a female who had been alone for over 3 years with a male who had been alone for 1 year together without any issues. I would recommend neutering too if you can find a vet.