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Post by degubers on Jan 30, 2021 15:34:13 GMT
Hello everyone! I have been referencing this amazing resource and have had my two boys for a week now. They are three months old and are coming along with their getting used to their new home. They will come up and eat from our hands and even walk onto our hands (a few times they have stayed to eat, too). So, two questions. 1- Do I need to wait until they will let me move my hand around with them on before lifting them out of their cage or if I cup my other hand around their other side can I 'encourage' them to stay on my hand as I lift them out, or will this be a 'breach of trust'? 2- I have tried EVERYTHING for treats and they don't like anything but gray fluffy "inappropriate word" willows. Are these okay to treat them with, or only in moderation? They also enjoy a certain type of pellets that I have been reserving for hand feeding. No oats, seeds, popcorn, fresh anything. I will keep trying oats as it would be suuuper handy. Anyway, thanks for any help and suggestions.
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Post by savvy on Jan 30, 2021 16:01:34 GMT
Welcome to the forum!
As you will find out, degus are just plain weird, lol. I'm not sure about the willows, but others will have that information for you. For treats, try sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or small pieces or hazelnut, almond, walnuts. Small quantities of peanut butter are good too, but you may need to check the ingredients.
It's best to let them take the lead in terms of handling, it's great that they are already sitting on your hand. Try lifting your hand a couple of inches while they are sitting there so they get used to movement, but don't lift it so far as to risk a fall if they decide to jump off. Any movement above them can really spook them as are prey animals so take care when approaching from above.
We'd love to hear more about your new charges, and pictures to!
If you have any questions, please ask, there are no silly questions when it comes to degus, lol.
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Post by degubers on Jan 30, 2021 18:40:47 GMT
Thanks for the tips- a hazelnut shell did go over well, but not pumpkin seeds (yet anyway). I will keep trying My boys are Rocket and Pika (my kids named them and they are into Pokemon right now- can you tell lol). I will try to add some pictures- see if I can figure out how.
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Post by savvy on Jan 30, 2021 18:48:43 GMT
Oh they are gorgeous! Love their names.
You will find that degus can be very fickle, one day they will hate something, the next they will love it, then they go back to being indifferent again, lol.
Keep trying.
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Post by moletteuk on Jan 30, 2021 19:28:07 GMT
Hi and welcome, it sounds like you first degu days are going well Do you mean willow flowers, the fluffy catkins? If so they are safe, probably best to stick to moderate amounts, it's certainly an unusual choice for them to love though! Maybe they would be into dried flowers or certain types of forage. They might like other tree buds,twigs and flowers, alder is fairly easily recognisable at the moment. You could try some dried veg pieces as a different class of treat or there are lots of types of nuts and seeds to work through. As Savvy mentions, don't take a no on one day as a permanent no. If you are looking to move the goos on your hand to move them to a different place, like a secure play pen or room, then it's best to use a box or cardboard tube for this. Make sure to offer plenty of pellets and different types of forage and hay, 3 month old degus eat a ton of food as they grow.
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 30, 2021 21:02:18 GMT
Hello Degubers (LOVE YOUR CHOSEN NAME, we used always refer to our degus by that name in our house), and welcome to the forum!!
Ditto what Savvy and Moletteuk have said.
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Post by Xellie on Jan 30, 2021 23:14:47 GMT
Hey welcome! Everyone here is so helpful.
Maybe try leaving some oats in the cage for them to get hooked on first. That's what I had to do with my boys. For some reason they don't try new stuff if I offer it, but if I leave it laying around they'll eventually try it and decide if it's yummy or not.
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Post by degubers on Jan 31, 2021 15:23:01 GMT
Do you mean willow flowers, the fluffy catkins? Yes, I should have used the word 'catkin' instead of being flagged as using an inappropriate word I didn't even think about it. Funny how you all talk about being fickle- I literally posted my question and tried oats again (for the 5th time) and they went crazy for them haha. Silly boys
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Post by savvy on Jan 31, 2021 16:28:28 GMT
They're just showing you whose the boss, lol.
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Post by moletteuk on Jan 31, 2021 17:45:39 GMT
Some degus will have a nibble and then wait 24hrs to check that food is safe...or it could just be that they are fickle...difficult to tell!
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