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Post by catsdegus on Jan 25, 2019 12:30:54 GMT
Hello all! We just adopted our first degus, Aretha and Dianna, last Saturday. They are settling in well and will eat from my hands, and Dianna will sit on my hands and I'm starting to lift them up to get her used to being picked up. I'm just wondering if anyone has any tips for my first big clean of the cage as I can't pick them up yet to take them out
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Post by savvy on Jan 25, 2019 13:26:18 GMT
Welcome to the forum and the weird world of degus.
First of all, what cage do you have?
Also, please avoid 'big' cleans as degus mark territories by scent and big cleans can remove the scent markers and cause hierarchy fighting as they try to reset the dynamics of their group.
I would suggest reading through our beginners section which will cover the basics, but also read through all the stickies in the other threads as degus are a huge learning curve and you will need to get the basics right.
How old are Aretha and Dianna? Have their sexes been verified as it's very easy to mis-sex degus.
If you need to ask any questions please feel free, there are no silly questions when it comes to degus.
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Post by yasmin on Jan 25, 2019 15:29:53 GMT
Welcome to the forum catsdegus
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Post by bouncy on Jan 25, 2019 16:00:30 GMT
Tbh, you'll find they don't need cleaning out as often as you think. As Savvy says, they're territorial. By all means spot clean any particular wee spot with just water. You'll also find the bigger the cage, the less frequent the cleaning. I'm not kidding when I say I do a full cage clean every few MONTHS. They seem to deposit most of their poop in one particular corner of their room.
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Post by misscatafer on Jan 25, 2019 16:24:59 GMT
Welcome I echo the others, if you have only had them 6 days there is really no reason to clean them out yet. Let them settle in and get used to you and the cage. I clean my cage out every 5-6 weeks, and just spot clean urine soaked areas and ruffle up any poo filled bedding in between. Degus are quite messy creatures - as I'm sure you are discovering! But there is a difference between messy and dirty and you will find degus keep themselves immaculately clean but like to live in disorder
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 25, 2019 17:05:34 GMT
Welcome to the forum, Catsdegus! It is lovely to meet you!! I totally echo what Misscatafer says, "degus keep themselves immaculately clean but like to live in disorder." I'm having a good giggle over that, actually. So well said!!
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Post by moletteuk on Jan 25, 2019 18:55:05 GMT
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Post by catsdegus on Jan 28, 2019 13:06:27 GMT
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Post by bouncy on Jan 28, 2019 13:46:06 GMT
Yes, there's a lot of poor information out there!
Please please please don't take this the wrong way..... We ideally recommended degus live in a home that has a footprint of about 100cm x 50cm. This is usually because they need this to be able to get up to speed. On top that, there's a recommended total floorspace depending on the number of goos. This is because, if space is too tight, they will begin to fight as they grow.
All is not lost! A little DIY can rescue the situation. With the cage the way it is, it would be difficult to lie on its side. A perfect set up would be too add full levels, but spiralling the ramps between the levels so they can get up to speed on the way up or down.
Have a good read through our cages section at the guidelines, and the cage modifications others have made for ideas.
Oh, and we LOVE degu pictures, especially of pups!
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 28, 2019 17:34:03 GMT
OH! Yeah . . . your cage is . . . a little like a pair of humans living in an elevator, with small sitting ledges for a change of view, but really no place to run, stretch, and work off some energy or boredom.
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Post by misscatafer on Jan 28, 2019 17:56:29 GMT
As they get used to their environment and settle in you will find that they tend to pee and poop in the same areas which makes spot cleaning easier.. For now don't worry too much about removing every poo in sight, remember they are scent marking their new home so you don't want to disturb this process too much by over cleaning. Plus degus like to snack on their poo - so leave some in the cage for this! As your cage is too small for a pair of degus you will find it will get messy quicker and need more cleaning.. So by increasing the amount of levels and solid flooring throughout you will be able to go longer between cleans. As your degus are babies, you will definitely want to increase their living space soon, as once they hit 6 months they are in the 'teenage phase', where they will need to be able to get away from each other and have enough territory each to prevent fighting.
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Post by savvy on Jan 28, 2019 18:25:59 GMT
You will also find that pups eat more than adult degus so naturally they pee and poo more.
I do agree with the others though, they do need more floor space.
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Post by bouncy on Jan 28, 2019 21:58:07 GMT
Just looking at the assembly of the cage (and if you're financially able) get the same cage again, leave out one end panel on each, and join the two together to make one perfect footprint cage! It'll need either some drilling or wiring, and the full levels mentioned before, but it would be an amazing home!
Whereabouts are you?
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Post by catsdegus on Jan 28, 2019 23:10:19 GMT
Will definitely have a look at what modifications I can make to the cage. I had read about the running space, but unfortunately this was the best cage we could get in our circumstances. We had a bad experience of a woman mis-selling us one that sounded good on Facebook marketplace and had to quickly get an alternative.
I’m thinking of seeing if I can build a sort of run around their hutch as well, so they can climb out and run along the floor in an enclosed area, which I had seen a couple of pictures of
We’re based in the North East of England. Posting from my phone right now but will post a pic of my girls when I’m on the computer!
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Post by savvy on Jan 28, 2019 23:35:46 GMT
Yay! We've got several members in the north east.
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Post by ntg on Jan 29, 2019 1:07:59 GMT
Hi to a fellow North Easter! If I can even say that since I migrated across the border keep an eye on gumtree, shpock and preloved if you think you'll want another cage. Sometimes you get really lucky and an aventura or liberta explorer will come up for a good price. You need to be on the ball though I remember the one I managed to nab had quite a few people waiting in the wings if I backed out of the sale.
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Post by savvy on Jan 29, 2019 1:47:33 GMT
Hi to a fellow North Easter! If I can even say that since I migrated across the border But you pop back from time to time.
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Post by bouncy on Jan 29, 2019 10:10:00 GMT
LMAO I think it's safe to say there's goo support in your area!
Either way, we'll find a way to make your goos as happy as possible. Have you tried freeing the end at the start and giving them a complete toilet roll? Hours of entertainment for hooman and Goo, and a cheap nest at the end of it!
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Post by catsdegus on Jan 29, 2019 11:18:15 GMT
Yes! I discovered early on that they love toilet roll.
That and trying to eat my hair...
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Post by moletteuk on Jan 29, 2019 11:28:07 GMT
A pen around the cage could work well
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