Nipping at tails?

[Furik]

Hello

One of the three degu pups (they are all around 5 weeks old now), who is male, has been acting quite strange lately. I don't know if it's due to maybe aggressive behavior he has developed or he is just being his normal self? But lately he has been nipping at the other pups and the mothers tails. Other odd behavior, which might not be odd at all, is their play - they tend to wrestle in a way but they squeak really loud as if they are angry. Has he become annoyed with the family or is he just mischievous? Is this all odd behavior?

[Deguman]

Hi Furik,

Degu are community animals and as yours are young there will be a mixture of play and testing boundaries. It all adds up to learning the pecking order. In many ways just like a rebellious teenager.
[img src="http://speir.net/linkback/emotes/headbang[1].gif"]

Of course, just as with people, degu's have a wide range of differing personalities and so the degree of behaviour will vary from degu to degu.

You are smart to be keeping an eye on them though because degu's can fight and inflict serious damage to each other, in which case it is best to separate them and seek advice.

[img src="http://speir.net/linkback/emotes/argue[1].gif"]


[glow=red,2,300]Regards,
Deguman[/glow]

[sutherland]

mi new degus (brought today) one of there tails has come off already so i am worried

[baxtersqueek]

The tail has come off all the way?!

I would separate from other degus, and clean the wound to prevent infection. If it's really a bad case the way it seems, I would take your pet to the vet.

[nettianddave]

watch them carefully. we had to split ours up after introducing four new one to two others. only one of the new ones had taken offense at the older degus. we had a few injuries including a tip of a tail bitten off.