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Post by degucat on Sept 3, 2018 7:49:31 GMT
Quick update, I just had a quick peep and she seems to be chewing on things and Adding to the nest
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Post by savvy on Sept 3, 2018 8:23:46 GMT
Sounds like she's pretty near delivery.
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Post by degucat on Sept 3, 2018 8:31:57 GMT
She was meant to have a health check tomorrow but I think it will just be to stressful for her and I don’t want to have to grab her and if she is pregnant give her a miss carriage as she still isn’t used to be picked up. Do you think I can Insist on getting a vet to the house as she really isn’t looking good? And is there anything I need to do or just leave her to get on with it? Also I’m out today, do they usually give birth at night or in the day? Thanks 😀
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Post by ntg on Sept 3, 2018 8:51:36 GMT
Has she been eating anything when you've been watching her? Try sitting quietly near the cage for half an hour or so and just keep an eye on her as its possible that she is being more active but is still a little freaked out at the new humans and just stays still while you're there.
Ideally I would say to put her in a travel box on her own and leave her for 10-15 minutes to see how much she poops, but I get the feeling that that might be too stressful for you both?
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Post by ntg on Sept 3, 2018 8:55:45 GMT
You can get vets that only do house visits in some areas. However, whether they have experience with degus is another matter entirely!
Generally they'll give birth at night though.
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Post by degucat on Sept 3, 2018 8:56:17 GMT
She takes it then just holds it, then ten mins later she will eat it but when she is just sitting still and half asleep she doesn’t want to eat anything. (Understandably) I agree it is stressful for me too 😂 but the reason why it is is because they aren’t used to being picked up so it takes ages to try and get her and then because cha- cha is more active but scared of me she will jump out of the cage when I try and pick her up then it is mayhem trying to get her back 😂
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Post by degucat on Sept 3, 2018 8:58:03 GMT
And thanks, I will check with the vets if I can’t get her in and see if they will come And hopefully soon we will wake up to some baby degus and not one big Ill degu 😭
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Post by savvy on Sept 3, 2018 9:14:25 GMT
It will stress her if you are trying to pick her up, degus are a prey animal so anything hovering above trying to grab them will really freak them out.
The best way is to get them to walk into a tube with one end blocked off, then cover the other with your hand and move the tube to where you want the degu. It's far less stressful than picking them up, especially if they are not used to either being handled or to the human doing the handling.
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Post by ntg on Sept 3, 2018 9:14:57 GMT
Have you tried using a tube or large jar/vase to move them into the travel box? My trusty sidekick is a 1L kilner jar minus the lid - I put a couple of deshelled sunflower seeds at the top, middle and bottom of the jar with my more nervy boy to encourage him in, then cover the end with my hand to transfer him into the box. Sherlock on the other hand just merrily wanders in without any bribery.
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Post by degucat on Sept 3, 2018 9:18:11 GMT
Thanks, I will try and do that, I’m sure Tookie will get in the jar/tube but Cha Cha won’t go anywhere near me with the door open yet! If I was only 20 mins would it be too stressful/ scary for Cha Cha to be alone?
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Post by ntg on Sept 3, 2018 9:23:03 GMT
It'll be less stressful for the vet visit if they go together but, if you can't manage to get her in the box too then I would just take Tookie since she is the one that might be pregnant. Cha-cha should be fine on her own for a short period!
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Post by moletteuk on Sept 3, 2018 9:40:56 GMT
You do need to know what sex Cha Cha is though, because if he is a boy he needs to be separated from Tookie before she gives birth, otherwise there is a large risk of Tookie getting pregnant again in her fertile period just after giving birth.
If you can corner the degu, put the tube in front of them, limit the direction they can move to only the tube, and then touch them on the bum and they *should* move into the tube, cover the far end to stop them going right through.
Bloat is only really likely after they have eaten too much of a new fresh vegetable or plant or something gassy like beans, or with a stomach upset or if they have a blocked nose and are mouth breathing. With any of the eating issues that might cause it, you would see poos that don't look right, and mouth breathing would also be visible.
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Post by degucat on Sept 3, 2018 9:51:07 GMT
Thanks! I will try that! I haven’t been feeding them fresh veg and she hasn’t been mouth breathing, almost a week ago I noticed she was sneezing but that was because I put the wrong wood chips in and that isn’t a problem now and she was already fat before in the shop so I don’t think it is bloating so she must be pregnant? I would have suspected bloating but I have read up on it and she doesn’t have any more of the symptoms of that (apart from being fat ofc! ) but she does have many of the symptoms of pregnancy!
Also poos looking normal.
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Post by degucat on Sept 3, 2018 12:54:28 GMT
If she isn't pregnant what do I need to do? If she isn’t could she be ill? Or is everyone pretty sure that she is? Thanks for everyone’s help so far 😊
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Post by ntg on Sept 3, 2018 13:02:12 GMT
If she's pooping fine, eating, drinking and showing no signs of mouthbreathing then I wouldn't do anything at the moment until she sees the vet as everything seems to be pointing towards pregnancy to me. Have ypu had any luck coaxing cha-cha into the tube?
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Post by degucat on Sept 3, 2018 13:06:07 GMT
Ok great, I’m a bit relieved that it doesn’t sound like it’s illness! Because of the vet let down yesterday I’m taking them to the vets tomorrow so will try then! I think it’s a great idea and will definitely be trying it!
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Post by winic1 on Sept 3, 2018 14:05:38 GMT
If you're not going until tomorrow, maybe try putting the tube/vase/jar into the cage today, with treats in it, so they get used to it and to going in and out of it?
Maybe put it in with treats, and step back. let them get used to it and explore it and find the treats. Then, after a while (an hour or two or whatever it takes), take it out for a while. Then put it back with more treats. A while after they've found them, take it out again. And repeat. They should learn that the appearance of this Thing means there's good stuff to be found, which would bring them to it more quickly.
If the appearance of Thing seems to upset them more, instead of them getting used to it, then don't do this. But if quietly slipping it in and out of the cage doesn't upset them, and in fact brings curiosity, then it's worth a try.
If Cha-cha keeps trying to escape the cage, simply blowing in her face as she approaches the open door will usually drive a degu back. Since she is still wary of you, go gently and only as needed and only when the door is open, so she associates it with open door, not you. When having to work open-door in one of my bird cages, we clip a bandana or towel or old t-shirt across the doorway so it doesn't appear open, but is flexible so we can still slip an arm inside to do whatever is needed without anyone escaping.
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Post by degucat on Sept 3, 2018 16:44:55 GMT
Ok thanks so much I will do all of that! Because we are thinking that she is pregnant is there anything I need to put into the cage? Thanks again 😀
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 3, 2018 17:49:28 GMT
You might be needing to bump up her calorie intake. Have you given her any plain (unsalted and unsweetened) porridge oats at all? Those are often greatly loved by degus, as are sunflower seeds.
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Post by degucat on Sept 3, 2018 18:42:38 GMT
Yes I have given her some and she seems to love them, I will give her more now! 😀 I have decided that I’m not going to take them to the vets as I don’t want to stress her if she is pregnant as she seems to have the symptoms of being near labour so I am going to go to PAH and speak to the manager and show him/ her pics of Tookie and ask for supplies etc..... I looked at her chest when she was stretched out for nipples and I saw some even dark little circular gaps of hair (I didn’t actually see the nipples I just saw the gaps of fur as im not at the stage of me stroking her and she staying there yet as I’ve only had them for a week!) on the side like from her arm to her leg if that makes sense 😂 Is that what it normally looks like without feeling touching her and just being stretched out?
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