Is this normal???? Dominance or what?

[frenchbaguetteboy]

We have had our two Degu's, DJ and Deku for a few months now, three roughly. They get handled regularly and haven't had any major issues. Yesterday, we got two new Degu's and the introductory process went great! We slowly introduced them, were a bit worried but they seemed fine! Pika and Yuga didn't settle very well but they're still nervous so they need more time to adjust, understandably. But there was no problem with DJ and Deku. However, today, more toward later on in the day, DJ has been attacking Yuga. DJ and Deku have been constantly running into her, frightening the life out of the poor baby! Yuga ended up receiving a scratch to her nose, which bled.
I would follow advice from other posts but there's one thing I cannot understand. They are not picking on Pika. They've been grooming her, cuddling with her and are currently all asleep together in the cage, while Yuga is on me sleeping.

I don't know what to do! Should I keep them seperated? They were fine yesterday so I just don't understand. Do they just not like Yuga? Ironically,Yuga is the only one of an opposite colour.

They are all females. Pika and Yuga are about a few weeks old, maybe a month.  Deku has always been friendly, constantly wanting affection. DJ has been a bit wary of others, due to an incident, but was actually the first to warm up to the new young un's, so I'm confused at the change of heart. Can anyone help?

[savvy]

Welcome to the forum, I'm sorry to hear you're having problems.

Way, way too soon for intros though, they can take months, not hours. Both groups should be kept separate, but side by side so that each group has its own territory and they can get used to each other by sight, sound and smell first, before they move onto a physical interaction.

Please read our section on intros as to the best way to proceed, deguworld.proboards.com/thread/17618/introductions-fighting-quick-guide

The only intros that appear to go really well first off are  young pups, or when the opposite sexes are involved. Are you sure they are all girls?

Also, a month old is too young to have left their mother, they should be 8 weeks at least.

[deguconvert]

"Maybe a month old", poor pups, no wonder they are terrified. At that age they are barely weaned, and still need all the instruction from Momma goo on how to be good degus. How did you come to get them at such a young age?

As for introductions . . . not even all intros with pups go well, as you are seeing by their response to little Yuga. I am sorry they are repelling her, the poor sweet love. I agree with Savvycat, you need to keep the two new girls apart from the others, in a cage all their own, but near enough to see, smell, and interact in a safe manner. You might be wise to see if their mother will take them back for another three-four weeks so they can safely grow and learn before continuing with introductions. Then, start with the side by side living, and when you see and hear them interacting through the bars with sweet warblings and no bar biting, then you might be ready for some face to face meetings. Degu introductions are complex, really, and they take a lot of patience and time to accomplish in most instances.

[deguconvert]

OOOF!! Sorry! I totally forgot my manners.

It is lovely to have you join us and I do hope you will let us be a help to you. Welcome to the forum, Frenchbaguetteboy!

[frenchbaguetteboy]

Thank you for the warm welcome! We got them from a pet store, we weren't told what age they are so I may be a bit off with my guess as I am a first time Degu owner. They are definitely all girls^
I wasn't aware it could take that long to introduce them! We were told they would take a day at most! We currently have them separated, Yuga and Pika on bottom floor and DJ and Deku on top floor, but now Pika has been rejecting Yuga as well, despite the fact that they were with each other in the pet shop and seemed fine.
We don't know how to go about roam time. We usually let Deku and DJ out around the living room to explore and for cuddle times etc, but so far we haven't let Yuga and Pika out onto the floor, only up in arms. If we have them separated in cage, should we separate their roam time? Should Yuga and Pika be allowed to roam around in general?

Thanks for all the help!

[savvy]

I'd forget about roam time until you can get them settled down again as they will view the space as another territory to be claimed.

Also, change the sand in their sand bath so that they all smell the same as there could be lingering scents from the other group which would cause rejection. What cage do you have? We may be able to advise on a better separation than above and below.

Please don't lose heart, degus are wonderful when you get to know them, but they are quite a steep learning curve. Have a read through of our beginners section which is full of useful information for new owners deguworld.proboards.com/thread/19754/beginners-guide-degu-keeping

Can I also ask which pet shop you got them from? And who told you they were all girls? There is a certain one who are notorious for mis-sexing and giving very bad advice.

[frenchbaguetteboy]

We got them from Petworld, but we also did some at home sexting just in case as we were unsure of the humping at the time, until we researched it was normal haha. We have a three tier cage^ We will definitely change their sandbath! Thanks for the advice^ And thanks for the link!

[savvy]

You're welcome. We'll help you in anyway we can, keep us posted and don't be afraid to ask questions, there really are no silly ones when it comes to these guys.

[frenchbaguetteboy]

We're still having serious trouble with the degus. They love Pika but DJ just hates Yuga. What should we do? She's attacked Yuga to the point of blood and I'm really worried.

[randomname]

Split them up for Yuga's safety please, they can & do kill in these circumstances. I'd split them back into pairs so no one is lonely. Sounds like you're going to have to go back to the beginning of the introductions process & take it super slow - some forum members have said it's taken months or years to achieve. Do you have 2 cages you can split them up into right now?
Does Yuga need to see a vet at all? How bad are her injuries?

[moletteuk]

I would echo the suggestion to just keep them separately. If everyone is in a pair there is no requirement to get them into a bigger group. You could keep them side by side with the hopes of trying again in the future, but I wouldn't count on it. If you continue as you are, there is a chance that all 3 could turn on Yuga and eject her form the group, in which case you would need to get more degus to provide company for Yuga, and most people would be struggling for space to achieve this.

[deguconvert]

I know you told us that you have a three tier cage for them, but I am wondering if it just isn't big enough for four degus. Most three tiered cages are not large enough. Here is a link to our cage size recommendations . . . deguworld.proboards.com/thread/9396/forums-cage-size-recommendations . Do you have two separate cages for each pair?