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Post by doubledegu on Jan 25, 2020 23:39:00 GMT
Hello! I’m Lilly. I got my Degus about four months ago. The day after my birthday to be exact. I have a male and a female and they just recently had babies today!
I am very excited , but I’m not exactly sure what to do. The male seems to bark/squeak a lot. Does that just mean he senses danger or he tries to protect them ? Also, I’m kind of low on money so I bought them Guinea pig food . I heard you can mix guinea pig food and chinchilla food together and give it to your Degus.
Can I give just Guinea pig food ? Do they really need alfalfa all the time? Also, I don’t really have a big cage for them, but I bought them a running wheel. I try to play with them sometimes , but they have so much energy that they are almost unhandable! Also, any tips on taming the babies?
I hope to receive as much information on them as possible. Thank you so much! 😊
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 26, 2020 1:42:36 GMT
Hello Lilly! Welcome to the forum! I have to run, so can't get into an answer right now, but will return to do so. There is a TON of information to give you. For the time being. . . look at and read all the threads that have been pinned/stickied at the top of each thread category. You will find lots of information in these threads. It is a LOT of reading, but the learning curve for degus is huge. Try to push through it all.
What you need to know right now is that your male has already been mating with the female and it is highly likely that a second litter is already conceived. Females have extremely high fertility following the birth of a litter of pups, and dad, being right there, will have responded to her condition. His barking is what happens following mating. Lots of mating has been going on.
GP food is OK for degus so long as it has NO added sugars . . . which is hard to find in guinea pig foods because so many have molasses and many other kinds of sugars added. Can you please post a list of the ingredients in the food you are feeding your degus? Degus are unable to process sugar in their bodies and will easily develop diabetes when added sugars are present in their foods. Which means that sweet veggies and all fruits are also not recommended for feeding to them. Hay is important for their health both digestive and dental.
Degu pups are highly mobile and walking about the cage sometimes within hours. How large are the gaps between bars in your cage? They can escape quickly and easily. Also they do not regulate body temperature for the first four weeks and can easily become chilled. Keep an eye out for wandering pups and check to see how warm they are. If the pup(s) feel cool, get them into the nest, and or warm them with your own body heat.
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Post by moletteuk on Jan 26, 2020 12:28:14 GMT
Welcome Lilly  I realise it's highly unlikely you have a spare cage, but Buck really needs removing from Bonnie and the babies to try to minimise the risk of Bonnie getting pregnant again as this is unhealthy for her and I don't want you to be overrun with babies. Is there anyone you can ask for help? Here is our beginner's guide deguworld.proboards.com/thread/19754/beginners-guide-degu-keeping |
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Post by bouncy on Jan 26, 2020 20:16:09 GMT
Welcome to you, the goos, and the babies! When looking for a food and on a budget, try to find a pellet that doesn't have grains, molasses, or other sugars. Degus are basically diabetic. Re the barking, it's likely he's just "performed" and is announcing to the world, so it's very likely you'll have another litter of pups in three months time. It's also only a matter of weeks before Buck starts to impregnate the female pups (if any). As already said, Buck needs to be removed asap. If you're pretty certain Bonnie is pregnant again, you have a couple of weeks grace. Mum will need a diet high in calcium for back-to-back pregnancies! Your options are varied. 1. Separate Buck now, and let him live with any other male pups when they are six weeks old 2. Have Buck neutered so he can stay with Bonnie and the girls, and separate the boys 3. Find homes for the pups, but make sure you have company for Bonnie and Buck, depending on what you decide for Buck and Bonnie. All these options are going to be expensive for you. You face having to keep two groups (therefore two cages, two of everything), or paying for neutering. Either way, Bonnie cannot have continuous back-to-back pregnancies without damaging her health. I'd have a good read through each of the sticky threads in each section to get as much information as possible to help you decide. We're also here to help with information and advice. When you got your goos, did you know there was a couple, or were you told they were the same sex? If the latter, we can help with ammunition for extra supplies and possibly another cage Oh, and we LOVE pup pictures! |
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Post by doubledegu on Feb 9, 2020 18:02:18 GMT
Thank you for all your help! Two pups were born about a week and a half ago! I would upload pics but I’m not sure how! Lol! 😂
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Post by bouncy on Feb 9, 2020 19:40:24 GMT
Thank you for all your help! Two pups were born about a week and a half ago! I would upload pics but I’m not sure how! Lol! 😂 Host the photo on a third party site, like Google, copy the link, and post it in your reply! If you want the actual photo to appear in your post, put {img} at the start of the link and {/img} at the end of it with no spaces, but use the square brackets instead [ ] |
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Post by moletteuk on Feb 10, 2020 12:01:23 GMT
Do you have mum and dad separated now? How are mum and the pups doing?
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