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Post by heather11 on Jan 8, 2019 14:53:22 GMT
Hi I’m new to forums and soon to be new to Degu’s too 😁 any advise would be great on what cage is good. I’m looking at the cozy pet RC03 cage, would this be a good cage? I’ve looked at so many! But I have cats so I like the idea of the narrow bar spacing. Can I get replacement ladders? As i don’t like the idea of those metal ones with little bouncy feet getting trapped cheers
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Post by savvy on Jan 8, 2019 15:27:33 GMT
Welcome to the forum! I have no experience of this cage, but having Googled it,it looks similar to the Adventura cages, which I do know about. To me it looks like a great cage and yes,it is possible to replace the ladders. You could either make your own ramps with wooden strips secured to a flat wooden board to make a ramp, or you could use wooden steps such as these, www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/accessories/bridges_stairs/stairs/13365 which are quite popular with members on here. Can you tell us when you will be getting your degus and how many you are planning on getting? We will be able to recommend some adaptations to the cage to make it even more exciting for them. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please ask, there are no silly ones when it comes to degus.
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Post by heather11 on Jan 8, 2019 21:26:12 GMT
Hi savvycat thanks for replying. I am still trying to locate where I can buy some Degus from, my local pets at home no longer sell them, I have been in touch with nottsnibblersrescue to see if they know any rescue places near me. I am looking at getting 2 or 3 as I know they like company, any advice on how to make their cage more exciting would be great, thank you
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Post by savvy on Jan 8, 2019 22:00:18 GMT
Have you checked the Blue Cross for degus? I know they had some the other week. The first thing you may need to get is wheel, try www.tictacwheels.co.uk/metal-wheels it's best to get one which measures at least 14inches so they don't damage their spines running on a wheel that's too small. A sand bath is also a must, as it a hut or den to sleep in and a couple water bottles. It takes time to get everything together so you don't need to get everything at once. Plenty of wooden, chewable toys will go down a treat, please try to avoid plastic, and bear in mind that they will chew EVERYTHING! Lol. Zooplus have loads of great stuff for degus. Cardboard egg boxes, cardboard boxes, toilet rolls (both with and without the paper), carpet tubes, anything they can climb in, on and through are great fun. An old shoe box with a hole cut in and filled with hay, especially if you hide treats in there will keep them amused.
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Post by ntg on Jan 8, 2019 22:01:28 GMT
Where abouts are you heather? I may know of some nearby
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Post by ntg on Jan 8, 2019 22:26:18 GMT
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 9, 2019 3:18:01 GMT
Hello, and welcome to the forum, Heather11!! I've nothing to add to the others, just wanted to say it is lovely to meet you.
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Post by moletteuk on Jan 9, 2019 10:49:17 GMT
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Post by heather11 on Jan 9, 2019 12:00:50 GMT
Hi and thank you all for a lovely welcome and for all the info. I have ordered the RC03 cage that should be here tomorrow along with a Trixie xxl 33cm wheel, also expected tomorrow from zooplus is a lovely large corner house and some long wooden bridges to replace the metal ladders in the cage. We are stocking up on toilet roll/kitchen roll tubes, we are going to go have a look at wooden toys at the wknd, and what a fab idea about the shoebox filled with hay and treats, I have the shoebox here ready 😁 what do you recommend for treats? (I have read so many different things I’m not sure what’s best) I have read through the beginners guide that has been recommended (thank you moletteuk) and I’ve bookmarked it 😁 and ntg I’m in Northwich in Cheshire and I’m going to ring the blue cross now, fingers crossed 🤞
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Post by savvy on Jan 9, 2019 12:22:02 GMT
Great to hear things are coming along! Please make sure that the wheel is fully open so there's nothing to stop them jumping on and off if they need to. Also, make sure there is nothing that has a 'scissor action' (bars coming together like the blades of scissors) as these can cause injury or death.
As for treats, it can largely depend on the individual degu. Some like certain treats, others won't look at them. Try sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, nuts in shells (http://deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15602/vegetable-seed-nut-nutrition-charts) porridge oats are a good training treat. Just try to avoid anything which is rich in sugar and definitely avoid anything with added sugar.
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Post by ntg on Jan 9, 2019 12:37:23 GMT
It looks like there's a couple of groups of males (one pair, one trio) in the RSPCA in Cheshire, might be worth giving them a ring
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Post by heather11 on Jan 13, 2019 11:04:00 GMT
Hi everyone so I just wanted to give you an update....I have built my cage an decorated it with a few things (see photo) please let me know if anything is wrong or would be better moved around. I wasn’t sure if they prefer their house high up or low down!?! Also I managed to rescue three little Degus yesterday, a dad and two babies 😁 dad is about a year old and the babies are about 4months. They are just so adorable I love watching them running around and exploring. I wanted to ask about treats, what do you guys recommend I have tried this morning putting a little bit of broccoli and a bit of sprout in, if I tried sunflower seeds do I give the whole thing shell as well? And someone suggested nuts in shells, which nuts do you mean? Sorry for simple questions but don’t want to get it wrong. These little guys apparently where fed dried sweet corn,like what you buy from pet shops, and peanuts. I have nature’s touch degu food with Timothy hay for main food, and Timothy hay in a hanging basket and in a nest bowl thing also they have millet branches in their cage, is this ok? Am I missing anything? Thank you all for just being here to answer silly questions 🤓 I feel like I’ve read so much but still don’t know the answers! Cheers Heather
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Post by heather11 on Jan 13, 2019 11:06:47 GMT
It won’t let me upload any more photos 🙁
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Post by heather11 on Jan 13, 2019 11:30:33 GMT
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Post by heather11 on Jan 13, 2019 11:31:15 GMT
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Post by ntg on Jan 13, 2019 11:36:23 GMT
Congrats on your new additions! For the photos, you need to upload them to an image sharing site such as postimages and then copy the "hotlink to forums" option to share the image. I'd probably avoid broccoli and sprouts for now and get them used to fresh using items that are a little less bloating such as leafy lettuce, carrot tops (if you get carrots with tops) and fresh herbs such as mint and basil. Just start off with maybe a thumb-sized amount for the first few days and gradually increase the amount over time. There is a distinction with fresh feeding as we say that forage can be fed in unlimited amounts when they're used to fresh food while veg is not necessary and should only be used as a treat. Basically, forage means the leaves, flowers, branches, and roots from plants and trees like dandelion, apple trees, and clovers, while veg is whatever you'd normally class as a vegetable since most tend to be higher in sugars than the rest of the plant. Nuts in shells that can be given are hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, brazil nuts and sweet almonds. I'm sure there's more types but my brain isn't functioning right now - peanuts/monkeynuts aren't great so I'd avoid them. As for sunflower seeds, they can be fed in their shells, the degu will just peel the shell off (or in some cases, eat the shell as well ). The shell won't do any harm though!
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Post by ntg on Jan 13, 2019 11:42:58 GMT
Personally, I'd remove the wheel (sorry I thought you meant you'd gotten the wooden one from zooplus when you'd said) and get and open-sided, preferably metal, one. Degus tend to like to try and run on a wheel together which normally involves jumping on and off when they feel like it. The problem with those wheels is that a degu might jump on or off but then get caught in one of the holes as the other degu is running at speed. It's also probably too narrow for more than one to properly run on it (but they'll still try) which might cause arguments.
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Post by heather11 on Jan 13, 2019 11:43:42 GMT
Thanks ntg so much for that info and I will try the postimages site so I can show you some more photos, thanks again
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Post by heather11 on Jan 13, 2019 12:00:11 GMT
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Post by savvy on Jan 13, 2019 12:20:56 GMT
They look adorable! They cage looks great! It's really up till them as to where they want their bed and they will move the bedding around the cage when they feel like it. www.tictacwheels.co.uk are the best wheels to get, they are expensive, but we'll worth the extra cost. Plus they are silent apart from degu paws! Bear in mind that anything and everything will be chewed and plastic isn't great in a cage as it can be ingested. Have you taken a look at the stickies in the diet and nutrition section? They will give you some ideas on forage mixes etc.
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