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Post by mystery on Feb 5, 2007 21:21:56 GMT
hi, when i got my degus they had never had a dust bath and had never seen their parents dust bath either, when i gave them the opportunity to go in the sand it was surprising that they instinctively dived into it without even a seconds hesitation! lol they really enjoyed it and started making that really cute birdy noise, what i was wondering was whether or not it is OK for them to have a dust bath everyday because i dont wont their fur to get to dried out but i thought it would be OK because i read they come from desert areas. thanks
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laurieb
Burrowing Degu
Love My Goos!
Posts: 175
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Post by laurieb on Feb 6, 2007 3:19:45 GMT
I discovered something great when I 1st gave our 3 girls a bowl of dust. You can try to see if it works for you.
I put in a small metal bowl of dust, and they did nothing. I grew tired of watching and got busy doing something else before remembering I had left the bowl in there for a couple hours.
When I took it out, I discovered that they had used it as a litter box! I thought this was just a coincidence, but after cleaning it out and putting it back, as well as adding another one in the corner where they usually "piddled", I realized that they used both of them.
That was 8 months ago. Now, I use play sand. Dusting powder was very expensive. As soon as I replace the sand (daily) , they roll through it for a long time, then use it as a litter box! Cleaning the cage is SO EASY!
I have heard of a lot of people putting the dusting powder in the cage for 10-20 minutes a day, but ours have their sand all the time, using it for both dusting and potty.
I think the secret to getting them started with this is putting it securely in a corner that they usually use as a bathroom.
Give it a try! They love sand!
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Post by mystery on Feb 6, 2007 16:06:49 GMT
hi, i noticed that aswell but i thought it was coincidence lol i use charlie chinchilla bathing sand, does anyone else use this?
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Post by Sunshinemeg on Feb 6, 2007 17:36:13 GMT
I highly recommend charlie chinchilla sand as it is designed for animals and so is chemical free, fine grained and relatively low dust content, although you still get a cloud if you are too close to the bowl when they first go in! I store my sand in a dry clean milk bottle (the plastic ones you get in the big supermarkets for 4 pints plus) and then just pour it when needed, very easy to do and causes great excitement with the degus!
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