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Post by jackandvictor on Sept 8, 2018 13:16:02 GMT
So me and my fiancé are new to degus having admired them for a few years and finnaly getting our own home we decided to get a rescue pair called jack and victor.
Got them on 6th of July and they were doing great, starting to not mind being handled etc. Last week though victor took ill with a respiratory tract infection and despite getting him to the vets within 10-12 and getting antibiotics and anti inflammatory he continued to click. Tuesday past he got worse so back he went and we got new antibiotic and Critical care, this picked him up a bit and yesterday morning he seemed so much more himself, however last night he started to struggle just before we nebulised him and give him his next round of syringes. Sad to report that we lost the wee dude and didn’t even have a chance to get him to a vets as the only one open was miles away 😭. Absolutely devastated as he was such a character as I’m sure most are. Having browsed here desperately for info and advise we decided to sign up and share a pic f our little buddy and his remaining brother jack. Just hoping now we can find jack a nice wee friend to keep him company. Trying to upload a couple pics but it’s saying the forum has reached its limit? Can anyone help?
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Post by savvy on Sept 8, 2018 13:31:42 GMT
Welcome to the forum! I am so sorry to hear of your loss, you must be devastated. Unfortunately illness can overtake these little guys before we can do anything.
You will need to use a hosting site and paste the link to post photos as we have limited space on the server. Please don't use photobucket as they charge an absolute fortune,
If you are looking for a companion for Victor, we have an adoption section which you are welcome to use to help your search.
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 8, 2018 20:16:03 GMT
Hello, Jackandvictor, and welcome to the forum!! I, too, am so very sorry for your loss! It is a painful loss, no matter how long you have known them. It sounds like you and your fiance have fallen very much in love with these wonderful little characters. They are hard to resist, and so hard to lose. I hope that you are able to find another one or two that you can adopt, and that this will happen in good time for you. There are things to know about introducing degus that don't know each other . . . or conversely degus that have been fighting and had to be separated for a time. NOT an uncommon event. We have a guide that I will give you a link for . . . deguworld.proboards.com/thread/17619/deguconverts-detailed-introductions-fighting-guidedeguworld.proboards.com/thread/17618/introductions-fighting-quick-guideDo you know the approximate age of Jack? Can I ask what you are using for a cage? |
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Post by jackandvictor on Sept 9, 2018 12:53:39 GMT
Thanks guys, they are an absolute riot and we are more than glad we got them and devastated we lost victor so quick and with so much effort to save him. I’ve had a quick look at adoption but a quick search was unfruitful. Will post up about it though and see if anyone near us in Winchburgh or near Edinburgh might have a lonely one we could try pairing. Em as for the cage no idea what it is called but it’s as tall as me with the storage off it and taller with 🙈 bought with the intention of being able to add loads of levels etc..
we aren’t sure how Jack has taken the loss.. in many ways he seems the same (defo just as crazy)
Also they think they are both about 2 maybe 2 and a half when we adopted them
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Post by ntg on Sept 9, 2018 14:14:56 GMT
I recently saw an ad for some down Northumberland, Tyne & Wear way on the degu rehoming page on facebook. Can't promise anything for the next month but I'm often down there as that's where my family is from so if you need an animal courier then give me a shout.
Alternatively, there's a rescue in Cumbria that I know definitely has 4/5 male babies in atm who will probably do transport part of the way called Forever Friends Small Animal Rescue and Sanctuary.
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 9, 2018 17:48:25 GMT
A roomie cage (these are our recommendations based on numbers living in the cage and total of surface area) is most helpful for degu introductions as well as for continuing stability within the group. Surface space that is large and long enough for lots of uninterrupted running is optimum. Tall and narrow cages are not so good for that . . . unless you are able to tip them 90 degrees and turn what has been the side of the cage into the floor of the cage (laying down a solid surface over the wire of course). This can take some figuring out, as well as DIY courage, but it can dramatically change the cage for the better when it comes to degus. Having said that, there are cages that are tall but also offer sufficient internal space that can accommodate the addition of extra full levels, such as the Adventura, and Critter Nation Double Explorer. Most of us on here have found out after the fact that the cage sold to us by the pet store was totally insufficient and either ended up tweaking the cage, getting a new cage, or building one of our own. It seems to be a common theme in the pet industry to sell cages, foods, and other things that are not actually very good for the animal(s) in question.
I do hope you have looked in the directions NTG has pointed. She has been quite successful in helping members in the more northerly regions of Britain to find degus.
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Post by jackandvictor on Sept 9, 2018 20:43:38 GMT
Hi deguconvert, the cage is h175.5cm w46cm L77.
Yes ntg was also good enough to comment on Facebook too so we are going to discuss this, restores faith that there’s good people out there willing to help ☺️
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 9, 2018 22:46:29 GMT
If you were to flip it you would have an AWESOME length for them to run and be energetic crazies. Not that you have to, but is that something that you might consider?
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Post by jackandvictor on Sept 10, 2018 6:08:07 GMT
If we had the space away from any windows or doors we would have tipped it or even bought a longer cage, the shape and size of our rooms and hallway unfortunately led to us compromising by going as long and wide as we could and going up to give them the levels by building it up over time seemed the best idea. We may have to rethink this and maybe even sell this cage..
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Post by moletteuk on Sept 10, 2018 10:44:07 GMT
Hello and welcome to a fellow 'Still Game' fan  I'm so sorry about Victor, it sounds like you made a great effort to save him. To post photos you need to upload them to an image hosting site like imgur, FlickR or postimage.org and then you use the sharing link on that site (usually it's the link called bbcode or link for forums) and post the link into your reply here. Have you discovered our beginners guide? deguworld.proboards.com/thread/19754/beginners-guide-degu-keeping and we have lots of guides and sticky threads at the top of each board. Hope we can help find you a couple of new friends (Winston & Navid?) for Jack soon. |
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 10, 2018 16:11:26 GMT
I knew that in suggesting that you tip the cage, it might not be something you could do. Having that kind of space where a cage can reside is not easy to come by for most people! I understand very well that we humans need to live in our houses, too. LOL! So I will ask you . . . what kind of space do you have to work with? In conjunction with that, what are your limitations financially (NOT asking you to actually give us your numbers) because I don't want to be pushing you into anything. Perhaps we can offer some creative solutions . . . if you are looking for ideas?
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Post by jackandvictor on Sept 11, 2018 17:51:06 GMT
Hello and welcome to a fellow 'Still Game' fan I'm so sorry about Victor, it sounds like you made a great effort to save him. To post photos you need to upload them to an image hosting site like imgur, FlickR or postimage.org and then you use the sharing link on that site (usually it's the link called bbcode or link for forums) and post the link into your reply here. Have you discovered our beginners guide? deguworld.proboards.com/thread/19754/beginners-guide-degu-keeping and we have lots of guides and sticky threads at the top of each board. Hope we can help find you a couple of new friends (Winston & Navid?) for Jack soon. 😂 yes we are fans and they were named before we adopted/rescued them but it was some of the draw to them. I hope so too. There is a single male now I’m pets at home where we got them so going to see him and get more info. deguconvert all our budget was blown on vets bills but he does a power of running up and the ramps in the wheel and in the ball at night. Our plan is to have 5 maybe 6 levels by the time we are finished with this cage. I’m also considering adding an additional square to the side to add extra length to the lower level |
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Post by savvy on Sept 11, 2018 22:38:59 GMT
The balls aren't good for them as they are too small, even the largest one, and the lack of ventilation means they can easily overheat and die. Please don't use them!
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Post by moletteuk on Sept 12, 2018 9:29:03 GMT
Good luck with the PAH boy - do check for yourself that he is a boy.
A cage addition to the side would be great for allowing them to run. You're going to need a spare cage for the new guy(s) anyway as they will need to live side by side for a while, so if you can find something that you can attach to and combine with the original eventually, that could work well.
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Post by jackandvictor on Sept 13, 2018 20:26:56 GMT
I recently saw an ad for some down Northumberland, Tyne & Wear way on the degu rehoming page on facebook. Can't promise anything for the next month but I'm often down there as that's where my family is from so if you need an animal courier then give me a shout. Alternatively, there's a rescue in Cumbria that I know definitely has 4/5 male babies in atm who will probably do transport part of the way called Forever Friends Small Animal Rescue and Sanctuary. Hi there do you happen to have a contact number or that for the place with the male babies in them? Thanks |
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Post by ntg on Sept 13, 2018 20:28:30 GMT
If you search the name in facebook their group should come up  |
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Post by ntg on Sept 13, 2018 23:49:38 GMT
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Post by jackandvictor on Sept 14, 2018 7:45:20 GMT
Hi all, so we have decided to get Jack a little friend, we are going to go with a male baby, but needing some advice...we’re not sure whether just to get one or two? As we don’t want them to then gang up on Jack, what are your thoughts?whats best?
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Post by savvy on Sept 14, 2018 8:00:53 GMT
It's hard to say as there are pros and cons to both scenarios. But I agree that he needs a frend(s)
Two would mean that you have a group with two youngsters so you, hopefully, shouldn't be in the position of having a lone degu if anything happens, but 3 may result in two pairing off and leaving the third isolated.
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Post by ntg on Sept 14, 2018 8:10:33 GMT
Personally, I would always go for a pair, or even three where possible.
My reasoning is that with an older goo, the chances are they'll pass before the pup, which will leave them on their own and you'll then have another friend to get further down the line. With two, you have that buffer of if one goes there's still another around. With three, well you've got an even bigger buffer in theory.
However, this doesn't always work out, I started out with a group of 4 including 3 4 month old boys and a 6 year old male. One died at 2 years from surgical complications, the other died at 4 from unknown causes, then the old guy at 11 (5 years on) had to be put down as his arthritis was too bad, then little Venk passed a few months later before I could match him up with my two current horrors. This is pretty low on the probability scale though and I usually affectionately refer to Gandalf as the degu who stole the souls of the others to stay young.
As for whether they'll bully him, it's difficult to say, one may bond with another a bit more strongly than the third but that doesn't necessarily lead to bullying, just more interaction together on their part. There is a chance with any grouping, even a pair who have been together since birth, that they will fight to the point where its irreconcilable as some personalities just don't match.
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