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Post by kikgoos on Jan 22, 2020 19:38:38 GMT
Guuuuuuuuys!!
Advice please. So Larry and scratch are still totally not interested in each other. Larry and Nibble however, OH GOOD GOD, they are itching for a fight.
Should I remove the divide for a bit do you think, or leave them to their chitter chatter. Squeaks and grunts?
Even when out the cage if Larry spies her jn her cage he tries to get away from me and get to her. I get the feeling they can't resolve dominance issues until they fight it out but obviously they can't do that at the intensity because I sense instant fbod.
Xx
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 23, 2020 3:21:04 GMT
Don't let them have any one on one with each other . . . ideally . . . you should wait for as long as it takes for them to stop reacting to each other negatively through the bars. Annnnd . . . maybe start exchanging handfuls of substrate between their cages. If you want, putting upwards of 4-5 cm between their cages to help them cool down on the territorial behavior is also an idea. If you do that . . . then you can reduce the gap once you see them being calm and unchanged by the presence of the other by a cm, and see how they behave once closer. No increase in aggression? All is calm? Move them another cm closer. Keep doing so until the cages are again side by side and touching, and then see what happens.
Definitely don't try any face to face meetings at this point.
I'm so sorry they have decided to be this way . . . but then again, they ARE degus, and degus are WEIRD. They seldom follow the plan. Well . . . our plan.
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Post by kikgoos on Jan 23, 2020 8:07:27 GMT
Don't let them have any one on one with each other . . . ideally . . . you should wait for as long as it takes for them to stop reacting to each other negatively through the bars. Annnnd . . . maybe start exchanging handfuls of substrate between their cages. If you want, putting upwards of 4-5 cm between their cages to help them cool down on the territorial behavior is also an idea. If you do that . . . then you can reduce the gap once you see them being calm and unchanged by the presence of the other by a cm, and see how they behave once closer. No increase in aggression? All is calm? Move them another cm closer. Keep doing so until the cages are again side by side and touching, and then see what happens. Definitely don't try any face to face meetings at this point. I'm so sorry they have decided to be this way . . . but then again, they ARE degus, and degus are WEIRD. They seldom follow the plan. Well . . . our plan. Hey DC thanks for your reply. My cages aren't side by side though? It is the one with the divide within the liberta? I defo won't do any face to face dont worry, I have no doubt they'd kill each other. Just didn't know if I should make them not be able to see each otger for a bit or just let them carry on and hope it passes. Xx
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Post by winic1 on Jan 23, 2020 16:39:16 GMT
Naw, you want to wait until they are BEGGING to get to cuddle with each other. Patience, patience. You could try blocking the view through the divide, but that might just make them determined to chew through it to get to each other, or it might help. Can only try.
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Post by bouncy on Jan 23, 2020 18:23:50 GMT
Ditto the others, otherwise you'll end up with torn ears and missing toes at the very least!
As well as swapping substrate, do they use the same dustbath? If not, it might be worth them either sharing one or swapping some sand between the two.
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Post by kikgoos on Jan 23, 2020 21:07:51 GMT
Thanks gang. Don't worry I promise I haven't even been considering a meeting! It was more whether constant grumbling through the bars was doing more harm than good.
The grumbles seem to be getting less frequent now which is a delightfully peaceful change lol.
They use the same dust bath yeah, I've just started swapping some substrate between them. Do goos do stronger wee as a territorial thing? Xx
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Post by bouncy on Jan 23, 2020 21:15:03 GMT
Not stronger, but more frequent. If I've cleaned my kitchen floor, I can usually watch one or more weeing as they run. It's not just smell, fresh wee is florescent under uv (blue) light
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Post by goolover on Jan 23, 2020 21:26:58 GMT
Ditto too. You need to wait until the aggression subsides and it will kikgoos but it is in their own time. You will eventually notice that they will start to chat to each other back and forth and you will notice the difference but from what you say now it is too early. In my experience I would suggest what Bouncy said swapping a little substrate from the girls cage and Larry or let them share the same sandbath (seperate) so they can get used to each others smell. Honestly, they are so complex its Unbelievable but just post any changes day by day if necessary and we will advise the best we can but your doing a great job x
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Post by kikgoos on Jan 23, 2020 21:31:12 GMT
Ahh thanks, I shall patiently wait out their antics and apparently clean up after them a lot more often! Yeah there is no smell to it so maybe I should not have said stronger but it does seem to be everywhere lol. Beasts!
Xx
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Post by hpdegus on Jan 24, 2020 0:01:59 GMT
One of my groups does the same thing (also current in the process of side by side cage intros)! My thinking may be incorrect, but I'd recommend not cleaning more. I noticed that if I totally removed the fully saturated bedding in the area closest to the other cage, they'd just mark more and actually get into fights over it. Instead, I've been leaving a little bit of the old bedding in, but mixing it with cleaner bedding from another area of their cage. This way it still smells like them and hopefully doesnt drive their territorial instincts crazy. But I could be totally wrong!
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Post by kikgoos on Jan 24, 2020 0:13:34 GMT
One of my groups does the same thing (also current in the process of side by side cage intros)! My thinking may be incorrect, but I'd recommend not cleaning more. I noticed that if I totally removed the fully saturated bedding in the area closest to the other cage, they'd just mark more and actually get into fights over it. Instead, I've been leaving a little bit of the old bedding in, but mixing it with cleaner bedding from another area of their cage. This way it still smells like them and hopefully doesnt drive their territorial instincts crazy. But I could be totally wrong! No that sounds like a good shout! I miss Barry, he used to pee in a little toilet like a good boy. These reprobates actually pee down the bars and on most things porous like wood! God forbid they should use any absorbent substrate lol. The girls actually go to the effort of digging up the hemp liner so the can pee on the metal tray directly. Should of rescued a dog instead hahaha. Xx
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 25, 2020 19:25:39 GMT
I feel you Kikgoos! Dogs still need cleaning up after, but are MUCH better at learning to do their business outside. Maybe that is what your girls are trying to do . . . aiming for the outside. You're doing a great job, hang in there! Sorry I had a mental fritz on your cage set up . . . I've been struggling with fatigue this week and it is showing!
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Post by moletteuk on Jan 26, 2020 12:15:44 GMT
You might or might not find that they develop potty areas once they are more settled, they could just be claiming everywhere while things are new to them.
Might not be as compatible with a liner type substrate and what you have going on, but I used tiles and sqaure plates in the high pee areas so they are fully washable and easy to spot clean. If the goos inevitably push them out of the way you can use self adhesive velcro to stick the tile/plate to the cage. You can pick up single square plates in The Range.
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Post by kikgoos on Feb 3, 2020 16:58:03 GMT
Thanks guys, sorry for going awol, been a busy time recently. Good advice, they have started with more designated pee areas I think, I put a tile down so they changed where they peed hahahaha. Clever things.
No change in the cage really. Larry and scratch still couldn't care less about each other, Larry and Nibble still at war through the bars.
Xx
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Post by bouncy on Feb 3, 2020 18:05:49 GMT
Lol at the tiles! Don't you know it's a protest against the cold replacement surface? How would you feel sitting on a cold loo seat
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Post by winic1 on Feb 3, 2020 20:07:46 GMT
gee, so if you line the edge of the cage with tiles, will that keep them from peeing out the sides and down the bars? What about tossing substrate, does it discourage that, too? Have we learned the secret to making our goos pee in a designated spot, like it or not?
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Post by bouncy on Feb 3, 2020 21:12:13 GMT
We know they're experts in poo projectiles, and I'm sure they'll have terrific wee aim too lol
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Post by deguconvert on Feb 5, 2020 7:53:10 GMT
INDEED THEY DO!! One of the things I LOVED about my almost all wood cage I built? THEY COULDN'T DO DUST (from the substrate) FLOCKED, LINE ART ON MY WALLS ANYMORE!!! That hose of a wee-er they have has target control!
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Post by kikgoos on Mar 2, 2020 16:48:37 GMT
Hi all,
Sorry for lack of contact! Ok so we took one part of the divide down so they weren't together but could touch through bars. All ok. Anyway I have just introduced them in the bath, all ignored each other. Then as I'm taking the girls back into the carrier to take down Larry gets in too. Thinking fine ok I'll pop you both your separate cages down there. No they all dive in together before I could grab one. Absolutely none of that was what I expected. What now, see what happens or split whilst noone has died?
Xxx
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Post by deguconvert on Mar 2, 2020 18:32:22 GMT
So . . . they are all together in one side of the cage? Are they still? What kind of behaviors have you seen so far?
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