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Post by clairey on Jan 16, 2019 21:00:44 GMT
I’m desperate for help,last year we adopted our Degu Herman,up to Christmas he was chatty,ate his food,had runs out had naughty moments chewing doors and skirting boards,this is the problem since Xmas his behaviour is becoming unbearable,he has started chewing all his plastic floors in his house,eating the sofas,not eating his food,chewing bars and unusually scatty,nothing has changed at all he still gets attention and treats,please help us he’s like a bi polar Degu 😔,thank you for any help.
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Post by savvy on Jan 16, 2019 21:18:57 GMT
Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry you're having problems with Herman.
I could be wrong, please forgive me if I am, but from reading your post, it sounds like Herman is a lone degu? If so, that could be the crux of the problem - he's lonely. He needs another degu companion.
Also, degus chew EVERYTHING! I'm not joking here, their teeth continually grow at a rate of 1mm per day and the only way they can wear them down is by chewing. Try getting him some safe woods he can chew on so that he's not chomping on the furniture.
You don't say how old Herman is, but between the ages of 6 - 18 months is their adolescent stage where they can behave like hormone driven stroppy teenagers, it will pass as he gets older. To add to that mix, we are also in breeding season, so it's a double whammy unfortunately.
If you can give us further details in terms of age etc, we can advise better.
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Post by clairey on Jan 16, 2019 21:29:21 GMT
Hi sorry,Herman is 16months old,he did live with a sibling but they had to be parted as they were fighting each other all the time,we were advised not to introduce another Degu as this would cause stress for him,we are used to him chomping at the skirting boards and doors but it’s the soft furnishings,the wood sounds a good ode,we did get him some small sized wood for him to chew on but he’s just ignoring them now,his cage is full of toys and chews,I will try the bigger pieces of wood see if that’s helps.
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Post by savvy on Jan 16, 2019 21:37:43 GMT
How big is his cage? If it's too small, that can be stressful for them. If he was fighting his companion it could have been because the cage was too small for them. At 16 months he is still in adolescence, but he is coming to the end of that phase. Whoever said he couldn't be introduced to another degu was giving you the wrong advice. Degus live in pairs or groups and have one of the best vocal communication ranges in the animal Kingdom and although we can provide the basics, we can't speak their language. He needs degu company. Please read through our introduction section for the best way to go about it. deguworld.proboards.com/thread/17618/introductions-fighting-quick-guidePlease don't be afraid to ask any questions you needs to, there are no silly ones with these little guys.
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Post by clairey on Jan 16, 2019 21:43:12 GMT
Thank you so much,we got him from pets at home and that’s who gave us the advice,we are now thinking he needs a companion,the cage they were in was tiny Herman now has a 4floored cage,the plastic is being taken out and we are going to replace it with wood,I will read your link,thank you so much for getting straight back to me,fingers crossed.
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Post by savvy on Jan 16, 2019 21:50:11 GMT
Why oh why did I know it was Pets at Home, lol. They are notorious for giving bad advice about degus which is why they've stopped selling them.
As it was p@h I would also suggest that you verify his sex before getting him a companion as they are known for getting that wrong too.
Swapping the plastic out for wood is a great idea, I'd recommend covering the wood with something that can be cleaned or it'll get really stinky with urine in no time at all.
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Post by savvy on Jan 16, 2019 21:51:25 GMT
Oh and keep us posted!
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Post by clairey on Jan 16, 2019 21:59:20 GMT
We did think something was amiss tbh,but will stick to this page from now on for proper advice,thank you so much,any ideas on what to cover the wood with?sorry we are all new to this and thought we were given the right advice obviously not we do feel really silly now,
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Post by savvy on Jan 16, 2019 22:11:18 GMT
Don't feel silly and don't beat yourself up about it, most of us learned the hard way about p@h. My original pair came from there and I was given bad advice there as well. Most on here have years of experience with degus, but we were all beginners once.
You can use self adhesive floor tiles to cover the wood, just make sure there are no gaps. Alternatively you can replace the plastic trays for metal ones depending on which cage you have. There was plenty of ways to customise a cage with additional levels etc. and it can be fun designing new cage layouts.
Does Herman have a wheel to help him run off some of his youthful energy?
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 16, 2019 22:16:17 GMT
Hello Clairey, and welcome to the forum! It is lovely to meet you! If you are able to get some natural wood, he will probably chew the daylights out of it. A lot of the wood perches and such that are sold in pet stores is not generally indulged in for chewing because it is super hard and rather uninteresting. Fresh wood, from outside, preferably from a fruit tree like plum, apple, pear, crabapple, or birch, hawthorn, and more listed here . . . deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15616/safe-tree-woods-bark-list , are great for degus. If you have access to any of these trees and can get permission to gentle and carefully remove a few small branches (some that need pruning of course, but aren't dead), those will be greatly appreciated . . . though . . . some degus don't catch on to them very quickly or at all. So . . . don't take a whole bunch of branches, just a couple to see what he thinks. Also, you don't want to use from trees that are treated with sprays/insecticides, and if there is visible decay or the presence of fungi, you don't want that either. Dirt can be lightly brushed off.
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Post by bouncy on Jan 16, 2019 22:40:38 GMT
The ladies have given you great advice about Herman! Something to bear in mind with degus (which P@H never understood) is that they're smart. Super intelligent, even if the degu logic doesn't make sense to us. They problem solve, they suffer the same emotions as us, and they're the only furry known to have the same brain structure as humans. Whatever you decide for Herman, put yourself in his position. Degus in a confined space will fight,just as humans would if they didn't have enough personal space. Apart from very rare exceptions, they get depressed and frustrated without company, and so on. You obviously love him, so do take the time to read through the sticky threads and trust your instincts! Chewing? Oh yeah. Door frames, skirting, electric cable, walls, kitchen units......everything they're not supposed to. You learn to either accept or protect with metal edges for the anti wee surfaces, you could even use sticky backed plastic. Everyone on here is really friendly, so don't be afraid to ask any questions, no matter how silly they sound - goos are weird!
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 17, 2019 2:39:15 GMT
Ditto. GOOS ARE WEIRD!! ALMOST the motto of the forum.
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Post by ntg on Jan 17, 2019 2:59:14 GMT
Shhh guys, they might hear you!
Degus are totally normal and wouldn't dream of making shivs out of twigs to get you while you sleep. They are a peaceful species that have no plans whatsoever for world domination.
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 17, 2019 3:14:48 GMT
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Post by bouncy on Jan 17, 2019 8:16:46 GMT
And we ARE their slaves
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Post by clairey on Jan 17, 2019 15:02:05 GMT
Hello again,ok so today I have fully cleaned Herman out,re arranged his house made things a little harder for him to work out,removed one area where he has to learn to get to his (worked it out in 2 seconds) his food and oats in his hay,he seems a little bit settled,we are on the thinking of getting a friend for him but a new cage needs to be found 1st,also we are going to sort a big bucket to fill with soil and sand so he can dig away whilst we are in,I will be reading a lot more of the forum later,but thank you all for the advice fingers crossed I’m winning,oh also I bought a big piece of wood which he loves 😊.
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Post by savvy on Jan 17, 2019 15:05:45 GMT
Please don't use soil and sand for digging! Wood shavings would work better.
My concern is, if he digs a tunnel in a soil and sand mix, it could collapse and trap him.
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Post by bouncy on Jan 17, 2019 15:13:15 GMT
Please don't use soil and sand for digging! Wood shavings would work better. My concern is, if he digs a tunnel in a soil and sand mix, it could collapse and trap him. You can put a good level of woodshavings and straw in the mix, though, and perhaps a couple of cardboard tunnels to help support any tunnel structures they may create. Soil and sand by itself will naturally dry out just become a powdery mix.
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Post by clairey on Jan 17, 2019 17:16:38 GMT
Brilliant thank you very much,I will be doing the saw mill rounds at the weekend,bloody heck they are harder than kids 😂.x
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Post by bouncy on Jan 17, 2019 17:26:09 GMT
They're my babies! Because I spend so much time sat on the floor with them, I have a general idea what they're thinking, but there's always that added 90% weirdness that we'll never figure out lol
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