Christine
Foraging Degu
Degus Polly, Maisie & Rosie
Posts: 95
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Post by Christine on Oct 22, 2018 18:48:22 GMT
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Post by sarahc on Oct 22, 2018 18:55:06 GMT
Wow just beautiful
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Post by deguconvert on Oct 23, 2018 2:39:47 GMT
They have very pale coloring!! Quite unusual. I think they could be called champagne.
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Christine
Foraging Degu
Degus Polly, Maisie & Rosie
Posts: 95
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Post by Christine on Oct 23, 2018 16:47:35 GMT
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Post by deguconvert on Oct 23, 2018 17:08:36 GMT
FLora is another champagne, but Daisy looks much more white. Are Suzy and Lizzy the agoutis on the wheel then? You have some very unusual colorings in these pups!
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Christine
Foraging Degu
Degus Polly, Maisie & Rosie
Posts: 95
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Post by Christine on Oct 23, 2018 18:24:08 GMT
They are an amazing mix! Suzy and Lizzy are very similar but Lizzy is slightly darker and smaller. When you see them together you can tell them apart but if you just see one you can't tell who it is. Hence we initially thought we had 5 pups. they are also more timid than the others although they are all now very used to us and are ok to be picked up to return to the cage. I have a lovely video of 5 of them on the wheel together but I can't upload it. I assume the file is too big. They were just obsessed with the wheel this evening. it is in the bottom half of the cage with Polly and Rosie so they only get access to it when they are out. We have to sit close though because Maisie is also missing the wheel and we have to chase the babies off when she gets on. it is fantastic fun when they have access to the whole room and the whole cage. At the moment we shut the budgies in when the babies are out but during the day the budgies are free and spend a lot of time sitting on top of the degu cage. Sometimes we here a lot of squealing and warbling and go to check on what's happening but it is just the budgies speaking degu!
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Post by ntg on Oct 23, 2018 21:26:15 GMT
FLora is another champagne, but Daisy looks much more white. Are Suzy and Lizzy the agoutis on the wheel then? You have some very unusual colorings in these pups! They're not so unusual anymore in europe deguconvert! The colour mutations are popping up at a scary pace, particularly in Germany. I'm guessing the father might have been a champagne though looking at the variations you have in the litter Christine. Then again, colour genetics is rarely simple!
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Christine
Foraging Degu
Degus Polly, Maisie & Rosie
Posts: 95
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Post by Christine on Oct 27, 2018 14:59:53 GMT
I am a bit surprised by all the colours because I had assumed that Maisie's father was the father of the pups and he has similar colouration to Maisie. But it is lovely to have them all so different. We have started preparing them for their new groups. After Maisie and the babies have had their playtime, which includes access to the lower cage I have started removing Maisie and the two boys to my spare cage in the kitchen. I then let Polly and Rosie join the 4 girls for playtime. This way they are all used to each others scents and to having access to all areas of the cage and room. The pups are a little nervous of P and R. Polly is so interested and approaches them so energetically that they get scared and run away. Polly then runs after them. When she has the patience to approach them slowly they are ok. Rosie is much less interested and doesn't really bother about them. Maisie doesn't seem to notice being separated from the girls because she has the boys with her.
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Post by deguconvert on Oct 27, 2018 17:42:53 GMT
Do you remain in the area to supervise the R and P interactions with the girls, so that you can calm Polly down and be an active part of their meetings?
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Christine
Foraging Degu
Degus Polly, Maisie & Rosie
Posts: 95
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Post by Christine on Oct 27, 2018 21:29:01 GMT
Yes we are with them all the time. They come out and have access to the whole of my son's room and we then sit on the floor. It was interesting today. We noticed that the two dark babies who are smaller and more timid just froze when Polly approached. Polly then had a sniff and a little groom and then wandered off. However Daisy and Flora are react more strongly with a lot of squeaking and run away. Polly seems a bit unnerved by this and runs after them. But Polly is a very gentle and easy going degu and is just interested. We thought Rosie would be more boisterous with them as she is only 5 months old herself. But the babies are not nervous being out in the room with them but only at being approached too quickly. We have lots of boxes and toys in the room so they can easily hide out of sight whenever they want. They like to run under my legs and it's nice that they consider me their safe place. I just have to be careful not to move unexpectedly!
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Christine
Foraging Degu
Degus Polly, Maisie & Rosie
Posts: 95
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Post by Christine on Oct 30, 2018 15:12:49 GMT
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Post by sarahc on Oct 30, 2018 15:22:15 GMT
Just seen them all on degu mania they are beautiful
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Post by deguconvert on Oct 30, 2018 16:02:38 GMT
That is one BUSY wheel!! ROFL!!
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Post by moletteuk on Oct 30, 2018 16:31:34 GMT
They are lovely I just want to mention to be particularly careful about where the unusually pale and patterned ones end up, because they may be at risk of being heavily bred from due to their colouring, and in my opinion this would generally be a bad thing for them, their offspring and future degus because the patterned and coloured degus tend to be less healthy, and even more so if they are line bred.
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Christine
Foraging Degu
Degus Polly, Maisie & Rosie
Posts: 95
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Post by Christine on Oct 30, 2018 19:54:00 GMT
Well the boys are going to a breeder, but she contacted me about them before she had seen them and I actually think she is interested in introducing new blood into her own animals to prevent inbreeding rather than breeding for inbreed colours. I actually paid a lot more for Maisie and Rosie because of their colouration. This was not however my choice but because I needed company for Polly who was obviously missing her sister and these were the only ones available. Degus are not common here and I was worried that Polly would remain alone. I would keep all if I could, but I bought the large cage to give them more space and was not planning on having babies. Having to run two groups would limit their cage space as well as their outside playtime. I am pleased that at least they are going to an experienced degu keeper. I would not like to give them to a new owner and feel responsible for them being poorly cared for. It has been a lovely experience having the babies and I am trying to find the best solution to an unexpected situation. Today I left Polly and Rosie inside the lower cage while the baby girls were out and put something for them to climb on. The babies were more relaxed with this and interested in approaching them without the fear of being chased. One nice thing is that when the babies get scared they run to me and hide under my legs or on my lap. It is nice that they trust me.
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Post by moletteuk on Oct 31, 2018 11:27:26 GMT
I know, I don't mean to seem to be having a go at you, I just feel I need to be crystal clear in my moderator duties in case other people in a similar situation may be reading.
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Christine
Foraging Degu
Degus Polly, Maisie & Rosie
Posts: 95
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Post by Christine on Oct 31, 2018 16:54:40 GMT
As for the wheel, Deguconvert we just bought a 2nd one the same, but the babies can't make the new one turn because it is so much stiffer. The other one is 4 years old and become looser with time. So now we have a babies' wheel and an adult wheel!Even with the old wheel it takes 2 babies to get it moving and that's of course if they both go in the same direction.
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Post by goolover on Oct 31, 2018 17:03:26 GMT
The video of them all on the wheel is just adorable, i really do want to eat them all up 😍
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Post by yasmin on Nov 1, 2018 2:57:33 GMT
They are the cutest
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Christine
Foraging Degu
Degus Polly, Maisie & Rosie
Posts: 95
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Post by Christine on Nov 1, 2018 19:08:08 GMT
My family have been cleaned sparingly since the babies were born and are really due a good clean. The boys and mum are leaving in one weeks time and I'm trying to decide whether to do the clean this weekend or wait until next weekend when mum is gone. I can see pluses on both sides. If I clean now mum's scent will be everywhere after she goes. This good could be comforting to the 4 girls who are remaining with me. On the other hand if Maisie's scent is gone or reduced it may make them more willing to accept comfort from Polly and Rosie. They have been meeting through the bars and the M and P are very interested but the babies are a bit nervous and approach and then run away squealing. Any thoughts? The babies will be 7 weeks old then. It is a suitable day for me to make the 4 hour round trip and I am also not willing to risk the boys any longer. I don't want 7 pregnant degus!!!
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