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Post by hazel on Feb 8, 2021 17:47:06 GMT
Hi, are there any rare/unusual degu care tips you would have never come across on a care sheet and only found out through degu keeping? Are there any bits of advice you've gone back to time and time again?
I just want to make sure I know everything I can before I start, so I don't make an avoidable oopsie and feel awful about it forevermore :L
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Post by savvy on Feb 8, 2021 17:58:26 GMT
Always remember the old saying;
Dog have owners Cats have staff But degus have slaves!
Seriously, degus can be little bossy boots and everything is on their terms. What they like one day, they will ignore the next, they will ignore new toys for months on end and when you decide to remove it, they want it.
Never accept a refusal for certain foods/toys/cage accessories as a permanent refusal. They change their minds as often as the weather.
They hate change, any change! Don't move things around their cage too much, they will decide where it goes.
Seriously, they are full of character, and you'll soon find that once you have degus, you don't need a TV.
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Post by hazel on Feb 8, 2021 19:55:28 GMT
Always remember the old saying; Dog have owners Cats have staff But degus have slaves! Seriously, degus can be little bossy boots and everything is on their terms. What they like one day, they will ignore the next, they will ignore new toys for months on end and when you decide to remove it, they want it. Never accept a refusal for certain foods/toys/cage accessories as a permanent refusal. They change their minds as often as the weather. They hate change, any change! Don't move things around their cage too much, they will decide where it goes. Seriously, they are full of character, and you'll soon find that once you have degus, you don't need a TV. Sounds a little like me, if I'm honest. A metallic silver bag or pair of low-top converses which came into my having them as gifts will languish unworn in my wardrobe for months on end, and one day they'll catch my eye and my fancy and I'll never part with them until they fall to bits. True story. True stories. Maybe I've found my spirit animal in degus? And to think I always saw myself most in the calcium-laden prey of the common caged bird, the cuttlefish :I I'm one of those hypermodern hipsterish sorts who barely finds herself needing or wanting to glance at a television screen anyways. Let's hope it'll tear me away from all the useless scrolling I do ://
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Post by savvy on Feb 8, 2021 20:02:43 GMT
I haven't had live television for years, and I honestly don't miss it.
Just to give you an example of how bossy they can be, this happened about 30 mins ago; my 9 year old Dixie, likes me to squeeze his water bottle when he drinks. He sits by his bottle, I walk over to the cage, he walks away from his bottle, I sit down, the second I put my feet up and he decides he wants a drink, lol!
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Post by hazel on Feb 8, 2021 20:08:07 GMT
I haven't had live television for years, and I honestly don't miss it. Just to give you an example of how bossy they can be, this happened about 30 mins ago; my 9 year old Dixie, likes me to squeeze his water bottle when he drinks. He sits by his bottle, I walk over to the cage, he walks away from his bottle, I sit down, the second I put my feet up and he decides he wants a drink, lol! Is there an evolutionary point to it, do you think? As in, drinking might be a time when his back is turned and his attention is entirely on water. If he, like, senses a presence, do you think he thinks oh golly isn't the time to take in water! I can survive for a week or so without water, push come to shove, and I'm quite full up with water. What I can't survive is a Chilean mountain fox clamping his jaws around my midsection.
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Post by savvy on Feb 8, 2021 20:15:05 GMT
No, it stems from an issue he had with his bottle when the spout was dripping properly and he needed assistance to drink. He has a new bottle now so the problems been fixed, but he's getting his own back because I'm having to give him meds which he hates, lol.
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Post by hazel on Feb 8, 2021 20:18:31 GMT
No, it stems from an issue he had with his bottle when the spout was dripping properly and he needed assistance to drink. He has a new bottle now so the problems been fixed, but he's getting his own back because I'm having to give him meds which he hates, lol. Oh, heh. I can let my imagination get the better of me sometimes.
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Post by moletteuk on Feb 8, 2021 20:35:18 GMT
I think the most misleading thing you can pick up about degus is about diabetes. They don't tolerate sugar, but if you don't feed them sugar and feed lots of forage and mostly grass based pellets, then diabetes is very rarely an issue. On the other hand, dental disease is rife in degus. It's the dental disease you need to watch out for. And feed lots of forage, grasses, leaves, flowers, tree leaves etc. And be prepared for the cost or effort of forage.
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Post by hazel on Feb 8, 2021 20:44:44 GMT
I think the most misleading thing you can pick up about degus is about diabetes. They don't tolerate sugar, but if you don't feed them sugar and feed lots of forage and mostly grass based pellets, then diabetes is very rarely an issue. On the other hand, dental disease is rife in degus. It's the dental disease you need to watch out for. And feed lots of forage, grasses, leaves, flowers, tree leaves etc. And be prepared for the cost or effort of forage. Oh, phew! Because I was very worried about diabetes, actually. I was wondering how much I would have to fork out for treatment, that is if it even existed, and weighing up whether pet insurance would be worth it or even possible to take on on degus. On that note, is it? As in, is pet insurance worth taking out on degus? And do they keep record on which degus you send, like, could I take out insurance on one and send the sick one in and it's not as if the vet would mind should they notice, or would they? Or have insurance companies grown wise to this swindle, and take photographic evidence they can use to prove you a scam artist?
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Post by savvy on Feb 8, 2021 20:50:57 GMT
You would be hard pressed to find an insurance firm who caters for degus. Dogs, cats, rabbits yes, degus no. And it's worth bearing in mind that degus are classed as exotic pets so insurance wise it can be expensive. You will need to find a good degu experienced vet as well and costs can vary quite significantly.
Pet insurance claims tend to go through your vet, so yes, they would be wise to swapping one degu for another.
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Post by hazel on Feb 8, 2021 20:57:23 GMT
You would be hard pressed to find an insurance firm who caters for degus. Dogs, cats, rabbits yes, degus no. And it's worth bearing in mind that degus are classed as exotic pets so insurance wise it can be expensive. You will need to find a good degu experienced vet as well and costs can vary quite significantly. Pet insurance claims tend to go through your vet, so yes, they would be wise to swapping one degu for another. Uuuuuuuugghhhh. X( Then what? Should I cross my fingers and hope and pray and crawl through a mossy boulder and bury mirror shards beneath the oak tree under the silvery light of the full moon that NONE of my trio of degus EVER fall sick? ? ?? I'm so upsettt. Not at you, mind. Of course not you. Just, to have gone through all this preparation, only to come up against a seemingly insuperable obstacle which falls from the sky to block my path!!!!! No-one else's, mind, just mine!!
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Post by savvy on Feb 8, 2021 21:12:18 GMT
It may be an idea to do a phone around of vets in your area, we do have a list deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15521/vet-guide which may help and ask them how much they charge for a consultation for a degu. Treatment costs can vary depending on the illness. A good tip is to start a vet contingency fund. Just put a small amount away each week or month and use it just for vet fees. The fund will soon grow and can put your mind at rest knowing it's there. When I had cats, I was quoted more per year for insurance than I'd ever paid in vet fees, so it just wasn't cost effective. You will also find that with most insurance there is an initial fee that you have to find, so not only are you paying a vet fees, you're also paying an insurance premium.
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Post by moletteuk on Feb 8, 2021 23:12:58 GMT
As Savvy says, you just keep your own vet fund. I would suggest from the start you makes sure you always have at least £100 vet money, and depending on how many degus you have, you increase that as they get older to perhaps £200 to £300. If a degu needs regular dental treatment that probably averages £100 four times a year, but varies a lot. Do be aware degus are not cheap pets. Whether you build or buy the setup it's going to be around £300 to get started. A healthy diet with forage is going to be £15 a month or more. You are doing the right thing researching and asking questions before you get degus
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Post by deguconvert on Feb 9, 2021 2:12:35 GMT
One bit of advice that came quickly to mind . . . degus CANNOT swim. Not at all. So if you should choose let them run free range in your home, or your loo, make sure the toilet seat lid is DOWN! They are exceptionally curious and will want to know what that thing is and how to get inside to check it out. They can easily jump high enough to get in, but the sides are slippery and they cannot keep their head above the water as a result.
As well . . . if you like the idea of free range in your home . . . degu proof! They can get through any hole their heads can fit through, and they disappear quickly. They are stupid fast and hard to catch. Consider looking in to a playpen that is at least a meter tall so that they can't jump over, and make sure it is something they cannot climb. It is AWESOME if it is big enough that you can climb in with them and lay stretched out on the floor. They will climb all over you, and this is a really good way to get to know them, and build a bond with them. As they get to know you better, you can begin to change your position and they will get braver and braver and soon be climbing up to your shoulders and onto your head. Just be aware . . . they will be looking at your head as their way to leap over the top of the playpen to go exploring in that deliciously tempting and exciting "beyond!"
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Post by Xellie on Feb 9, 2021 6:20:27 GMT
Anything that sounds like a sweet wrapper or a crisp packet.... open it in another room. If they don't squeak to ask for whatever you're opening, the guilt trippy eyes will get you.
Something I guess you don't see or hear very much is how good they are with puzzle games.
Oh and set up a playpen around the cage, because they will jump out (or in the case of my girls, jump on my chest) when being fed.
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Post by hazel on Feb 9, 2021 8:19:25 GMT
It may be an idea to do a phone around of vets in your area, we do have a list deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15521/vet-guide which may help and ask them how much they charge for a consultation for a degu. Treatment costs can vary depending on the illness. A good tip is to start a vet contingency fund. Just put a small amount away each week or month and use it just for vet fees. The fund will soon grow and can put your mind at rest knowing it's there. When I had cats, I was quoted more per year for insurance than I'd ever paid in vet fees, so it just wasn't cost effective. You will also find that with most insurance there is an initial fee that you have to find, so not only are you paying a vet fees, you're also paying an insurance premium. And if one (or more) develops an ongoing illness? But thanks for the advice.
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Post by bouncy on Feb 9, 2021 9:50:42 GMT
Well, I had Scaredygoo, who had problems with his molars, which is pretty common. Their teeth can become overgrown and require grinding every few months. This requires general anaesthesia, as do xrays. His molar roots were also growing through his nasal cavities (again, common). All three of that group had a daily dose of Metacam. This was a regular regime, costing £200+ each time, including another bottle of Metacam), and more if xrays were taken.
On top of that, Sausage and Spidey have both had one-off dentals, Spidey has had a tumour removed, plus the histology to identify the tumour. That surgery and histology was £300+.
I don't begrudge a penny of what I've spent on them, and I'm lucky that I have sufficient income.
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Post by savvy on Feb 9, 2021 10:02:41 GMT
I have Dixie with on going rhinitis, he's been on steroids for about 8 months now and is currently on antibiotics for the 2nd time.
Initial diagnosis involved gas sedation, x-rays, and multiple vet consultations, and he still has to have regular reviews and monitoring for flare ups, but he's worth it.
I had Bumblebee who required surgery following a fall in his cage, again he was worth the vet costs involved.
If you are responsible for any animal, you have to be responsible for their health care, there's no getting away from that.
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Post by bouncy on Feb 9, 2021 10:18:02 GMT
They'll chew anything in sight, whether or not they're supposed to, or have anything else they can munch on. And, if they want something, they WILL have it. I've watched mine take in medicine boxes, cuddly toys, large sudoku books, tennis balls, teatowels, 1m long tubes, and have had a blooming good go at the blanket I was sat on. Oh, and the chewing. Don't forget those teeth! If they bite your hand, it'll be down to the bone.
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Post by savvy on Feb 9, 2021 10:21:57 GMT
And their bites hurt! They can also become infected really quickly and more than one has ended up on antibiotics from a degu bite.
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