a hypothesis on degu litter & sand bath myth

[gondigo]

From the research paper below [1] ,  

"Octodon also use chemical communication.When introduced to a novel enclosure, degus often urinate and display an anogenital drag. Following contact with the scent of a strange or known con-specific, degus scent-mark the substrate. During scent marking, degus deposit more urine marks over the urine of same-sexed individuals. The odor of a con-specific may stimulate further scent-marking. In the wild,preferred sand bathing sites are saturated with urine and anal gland secretions, resulting in a common scent among group members.[2]"

We can hypothesized that the reason for pet degu using sandbath location as litter box is that they need to do scent marking.



[1] Edwards, M. S. (2009). Nutrition and Behavior of Degus (Octodon degus). Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice, 12(2), 237–253. doi:10.1016/j.cvex.2009.01.003

[2] Kleiman DG. Patterns of behaviour in Hystricomorph rodents. Symp Zool Soc
Lond 1974;34:171–209

[bouncy]

Indeed!

One of the suggestions we make for introductions is to use the same dust bath to combine the different individual scents!

[winic1]

Wondering now if the sandbath part of introductions should become a bigger part, if the scenting is so important.
Start the introduction process by at least a week or more of daily sand baths in the same bath,switching it from cage to cage for several hours each day,so that they can continue to pee in it and roll in the other's scent. This way by the time they start face-to-face meetings, the other degu smells familiar and seems to be part of the community.

The hardest part will be resisting the urge to clean the sandbath, and letting it get really stinky.

[bouncy]

The dust bath is one of the reasons I decided Spidey would never accept anyone else, pup or not! Squidgy spent so much time in the bath, I became convinced Spidey was just racist towards pie bald goos.

[winic1]

Maybe those currently trying to introduce goos could start some intensive pee-filled sandbath sharing, and see if it seems to help? Swap the sandbath between groups every half a day, and leave it in the whole half-day that each group has it? Let them get really stinkied up with the other's scents for a week or two or three, and see if they act more familiar and accepting of each other?

[deguconvert]

I was thinking very much the same thing, Winic1!