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Post by deguconvert on Sept 1, 2018 22:56:30 GMT
They will also walk right through the bars, so you may need to do something there as well if she is indeed pregnant. I'll just look at the link you gave to see if it indicates the space width between bars.
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 1, 2018 23:03:06 GMT
OK . . . no indication of what the bar space is. Since the advert for the cage says it is for adult chins, I imagine the bars to be more than a centimeter in width? Pups are super mobile and super curious, so you may need to wrap the cage in wire mesh with small openings so they don't escape on you. DON'T use bug/mosquito mesh screening, they will chew through it in seconds. (First hand knowledge, LOL)
I also noticed on the link that it says the cage only has a depth of 12 cm . . . is that accurate?
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Post by degucat on Sept 1, 2018 23:03:55 GMT
Thankyou all so much for your help so far, it is much needed as I wouldn’t have known she was pregnant otherwise, I compared a Normal degu in the same position and she did look significantly bigger ! If I knew that that’s the reason they have stopped selling them I would have insisted on an immediate health check (they said oh we will forget the health check they all seem fine!) How could I have been so silly to agree! Everything was all a little bit or a blur as all I was thinking of was getting the degus and nothing else! Their names are Cha- Cha and Tookie 😂 My younger sister insisted on naming them that even though they weren’t hers! I will look up how to baby proof the cage, Looking at the photos do you think she is due soon? Thinking about it she has constantly been staying at the bottom of the cage and now chirping when I go in, she didn’t do that before! Once again thankyou and everyone for all your help so far! Also, should I put toilet roll and other soft, safe fabrics in to add to the burrow?
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Post by degucat on Sept 1, 2018 23:09:46 GMT
Hi deguconvert! I will need to check what the bar spacing amd the base is as I’m not sure! I will get back and tell you! And I really wouldn’t want the little babies to fall out as I have cats, one is terrified of the goos and the other is like ‘Thanks for the lunch mum’ and is a keen hunter so I am constantly having to keep the door shut when we are not in there!
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Post by savvy on Sept 1, 2018 23:13:45 GMT
Love the names!
Toilet tissue will be fine, also hay. Try to avoid fabrics as they can get strands wrapped around limbs and they will wee on the bedding so you need something that Dan be disposed of.
She will be a bit defensive as you are new to her and she may be grumpy because the pups will be making her uncomfortable. When she gets nearer her time, you will see a single line of nipples along one side of her stomach, she may have about a week to go then. Try to keep the place calm, no loud or sudden noises and talk to them in a soft tone. This will help them to settle.
Don't beat yourself up over p@h, most of us have been there, and you are doing your best for them.
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Post by savvy on Sept 1, 2018 23:15:14 GMT
Hi deguconvert! I will need to check what the bar spacing amd the base is as I’m not sure! I will get back and tell you! And I really wouldn’t want the little babies to fall out as I have cats, one is terrified of the goos and the other is like ‘Thanks for the lunch mum’ and is a keen hunter so I am constantly having to keep the door shut when we are not in there! One of my degus used to grab my cat by her tail through the bars if she went too close to the cage, lol.
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Post by degucat on Sept 1, 2018 23:20:36 GMT
Hi savvycat, Thanks for the info I will do that! Also it explains why she has been so on and off, one minute she is happy the next minute she is squeaking and hiding/ sleeping in the corner, (degu hormones..... LOL 😂)
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Post by winic1 on Sept 1, 2018 23:30:57 GMT
In the written description up top it says bar spacing is 10mm, so that's good.
The "depth 12cm" you saw is for the flat-packed box. Cage is 51cmx60cm, and then 152cm high. Which is about half the floor space size that is recommended for degus. Preferred is 100cm x 50cm floor space, and then as high as needed to put in the number of levels to give the overall total space needed (called "CARA" in the guides on this site).
You could add more levels to your cage, for now, adding full levels with just an access hole between levels would give them more of the floor space/CARA that they really need. If you put ramps, solid ramps not ladders, between levels, then they can run without interrupting their stride up and down. Use wood, or something covering wire so that they have a solid floor, and don't get bumblefoot. It would make it like living in a rather narrow, multi-story house, but then at least they would have different levels to travel to and explore, and get some time away from their buddy if they wish.
Do they have a hut or something to nest inside, for security? You can even just use a clean cardboard box and cut a couple doors and a window or two (my guys always insisted on two doorways, if I didn't make a second one, they would, and they don't do a neat job of it.)
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Post by degucat on Sept 1, 2018 23:36:54 GMT
Hi! Thanks for all of the cage info I will do that, they already have more levels, and wood flooring over the top of the bars but I do agree they need more floor space, They do have boxes (two in fact plus one hanging coconut thing!) so no worries about that!
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Post by winic1 on Sept 1, 2018 23:36:59 GMT
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Post by degucat on Sept 1, 2018 23:42:03 GMT
Thanks so much I will definitely do that! One of the cats snook in the other day (we were in there that’s why they could get in!) and we saw the tail out of the bars and then pushed the cat out, I was scared he was going to use it as a toy..... lol
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Post by winic1 on Sept 1, 2018 23:45:24 GMT
Gee, looking at that cage you have, if she is pregnant, or both of them are (the other one could just not be as far along, I hate to say), and you insist PAH give you another cage or two, if you could talk them into another of the same cage (or a huge discount on it), do you think you could take out one wall of each and hook them together to make a much longer cage? If you wired or screwed the two together tightly, then you'd have the recommended floor size, plus enough height to add quite a few levels and half levels to make a very big cage.
(I keep small birds, like finches and budgies. We constantly combine cages to get longer ones, since birds do best in cages they can fly across, rather than just hop back and forth in. So I am a cage-combining lunatic...)
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Post by degucat on Sept 1, 2018 23:49:13 GMT
Thanks for the great idea! I will definitely do that! How long should I leave it before I start asking them for compensation on a new cage? They have a checkup on Wednesday anyway, should I leave it until then?
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Post by savvy on Sept 2, 2018 0:08:36 GMT
When you say check up, do you mean with a vet? Please make sure your vet has experience with degus, some don't, but will treat them anyway.
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Post by misscatafer on Sept 2, 2018 0:17:01 GMT
You should ask for a second cage as soon as possible. I really think you should put the cage on its side for now, if you get a same second cage you can combine them on top of eachother. I would be very worried about adult degus falling from such height in the current setup, and for babies a fall could be fatal. You need to remove/replace the ladders as well, degus are clumsy creatures and are at risk of trapping their limbs - we had a recent incident of this on here where a leg was broken due to these ladders. Do have a look through the 'show us your cages' thread for inspiration. As deguconvert says, we have all been there with inappropriate cages to start, myself included - degus are a steep learning curve and are completely not what we expect to begin with!
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 2, 2018 5:25:43 GMT
Winic has found the bar spacing, 10 mm, which is a good space that should be excellent for any pups. Pregnant degus can look just like a pear fruit with a small head and huge body by the time they are ready to deliver. If they have a small litter, say three or fewer pups, they mightn't look quite so pear shaped. Nipples don't stand out a lot, and they are . . . not in the two lines down the middle of the belly like you find on cats and dogs, but along the sides. Like if she were a box, the nipples would be on the out bottom edges between the base and vertical sides. What an image, huh? When she is nearing delivery time, the nipples will start standing out, and there will be a ring devoid of hair around them. Still, the fur on degus is pretty dense, so you have to look for them, they don't just jump out at you.
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Post by degucat on Sept 2, 2018 7:41:54 GMT
The vets said that they are experienced with degus, but are they just saying that?😕
I will check on the degus and speak to p@h ASAP about them giving me a new cage/ the money for a new cage as I don’t want any degu (especially a suspected pregnant mother) falling from the height of me!
Thanks for the information about signs of her going into labour and it’s great that the bar spacing is ok , I will keep checking!
I have put toilet roll in the cage so they can add it to the nest, is normal paper too hard?
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Post by misscatafer on Sept 2, 2018 8:03:10 GMT
Which vets are you taking them to? We do have a list of recommended vets in the health section of the page - there may be one close by to you who you can use? Where are you in the UK? I tried my local p@h vets once... The vet didn't even handle my degu to 'check her out' just looked at her from inside the travel case. Needless to say I didn't go back again. Some of the vets are good though, my regular vet now is based in a p@h, he works for the chain 'companion care vets' and is brilliant.
I don't see why you couldn't give them paper, but it would be quite hard for them to sleep with. I use a combination of toilet roll, kitchen roll and tissues alongside hay. I usually stuff the nest boxes with hay, then give them the other materials to finish the job themselves. It's nice to give them a few options of where to sleep too... Which is why if you just give them the materials through the bars it is great fun watching them choose where to put it! Mine alternate between a nest box, a hanging basket, a large carpet tube and a huge pile of hay - I think the temperature determines where is most comfortable to bed down.
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Post by degucat on Sept 2, 2018 8:40:27 GMT
I am taking them to p@h as they had a free health check there but then will consider other options if the p@h vets are rubbish! I have had a look at the vet recommendations but the nearest one is an hour away from me 😕 I’m in North Yorkshire! Thanks for all of the info on bedding etc 😀
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Post by misscatafer on Sept 2, 2018 8:51:41 GMT
To be honest, the health check will be useful for proving to them they have messed up and given you a pregnant degu...therefore they should then easily compensate you for a cage. Have you decided what you want to do about the cage? Are you going to adapt the one you have and get a second one, or buy a new one?
That is a consideration with degus - not every vet will see them! I have to travel 45 minutes to get to my vet too.
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