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Post by teemu on Mar 6, 2021 18:30:27 GMT
Hello everyone!
I finally decided to register on the forum after browsing it for a long time (partially due to wanting some advice with my degus, but anyway), so hello there! I currently have my first two degus, Munkki and Pulla, around 3 years old and for the most part very lovely. I've had other rodents in the past (mostly pet rats, although I also have two guinea pigs at the moment), so it's been a new experience learning how to care for them. Turns out that degus are very good and nice pets.
My two boys are currently separated due to not getting along very well. They've been able to socialize in a shared space, namely our kitchen floor where they go to run around, but it's proven absolutely impossible to get them to actually accept each other as actual cagemates, no matter what I try. They originally had to be separated after Munkki lost a finger after a prolonged fight. Still, their cages are close to each other and sometimes they like to socialize, so I hope they're not too lonely (they've also been recently neutered, which I'm hoping will either help them get along or maybe help them accept other degus at some point).
One of the boys, Pulla, seems to be a fairly standard degu, which is to say he is outgoing and energetic, but also lets you know very quickly if he disagrees with something or if you hold him wrong. He's also very affectionate and smart, and enjoys solving puzzle boxes a lot. At this point, he knows how to pull off a string, pull out two different pegs holding the lid in place, and then open the lid as well. I've been very surprised about how smart degus seem to be, in fact! He also likes to be held when it's on his own terms and comes readily to be scratched. Munkki, on the other hand, is likely not totally normal, from what I'm able to tell. He's always been very nervous and scared, and behaves in ways that might be called neurotic. It seems like most of their fights actually start because Munkki is simply unable to deal with any kind of dominance situation (or even the possibility of one), and becomes very scared and aggressive quickly, essentially trying to drive his brother away. It took two years of training for him to actually learn to trust me enough to be held without issues, and he's generally very flighty and gets scared easily. At the same time, he's very gentle and timid when held, and has never even attempted to bite or fight me if I've had to hold him for medication or some other reason. I feel a bit sorry for him, especially since he often cries in his sleep (he has a soft toy as a sleepmate and that seems to help, though!).
Well, those are my two degus. Like I said, greetings to everyone! I'm looking forward to talking about these wonderful animals more with all of you!
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Post by savvy on Mar 6, 2021 19:11:14 GMT
Welcome to the forum!
Your degus sound lovely, as you will probably gather from lurking a little before joining, we love photos!
If they have been neutered, it is possible to pair them with females so you have two mixed groups. It can be easier to get them to accept each other than single sex pairs.
As you probably already know, degus are addictive, you just want more.
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Post by deguconvert on Mar 6, 2021 21:19:10 GMT
Hello, Teemu, and welcome to the forum . . . formally! How old are your boys, older than 2 years of age, I am thinking. How long have you had them separated? When you had them together, did you have their cages joined as one?
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Post by teemu on Mar 6, 2021 22:52:55 GMT
Thank you both! The boys are around 3 years old now (I foolishly lost their exact birthdays, but it was around this time in 2018), and they've been separate on and off for around 1,5 years. I've attempted all kinds of reintroduction tactics, like keeping them in a divided cage space and trying to make a scent-free neutral space for them and so on (basically everything I could find on degu websites about reintroducing them), but it's honestly starting to feel like Munkki is just somehow not suited for having a cagemate. When they're together, it's always Pulla who tries to initiate the socializing and Munkki almost never grooms him back, despite Pulla offering his chin and chest. Munkki is just very tense and basically always the one who initiates fights. I think he also kind of looks more at ease when it's just him alone. They're not actually biological brothers, one of them is a week older than the other. They were sold together and got along well enough for the first 1,5 years, although they did have some fights and Pulla's ear got torn in an earlier scrap. I think it's just the hormones and maturity that might have finally made things worse? I've been thinking about the possibility of getting some female degus as well. It might be that Munkki would prefer female company, or if not, I'm pretty sure Pulla at least would. Oh, and I'll try to get some pictures of the boys sorted out tomorrow! It's rather hard to get good shots of them, what with them not staying still basically ever
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Post by teemu on Mar 7, 2021 16:15:23 GMT
I managed to snap some pictures of the boys today as I was taking care of their morning routine (with the wound cleaning and all, due to the surgery)! Not great, and both of them look rather sour, but at least it's something!
There's Munkki, who's generally the shy one. The vet visits and the aftercare have stressed him out quite a bit. You can see how he's been pulling fur from his hand, there. Hopefully things are getting better!
And there's Pulla, who's generally a lot braver. He's also not too keen on getting prodded and poked all the time like this, but he's a trooper as well!
Oh, and here's a picture of them both together, a month ago when they got back from the surgery: ibb.co/d5SCg3x
They were really out of it due to the sedation (hence why they sat together so nicely), and I had to keep them warm for the evening, so I bundled them on my lap.
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Post by yasmin on Mar 9, 2021 3:34:44 GMT
Handsome boys Welcome to the forum teemu.
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Post by deguconvert on Mar 9, 2021 5:55:01 GMT
I love them! They are so sweet! Thank you for showing them to us, Teemu!
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 9, 2021 17:47:34 GMT
Great to meet you and your boys, they look so fluffy Sometimes you get a degu who for various reasons doesn't seem to understand degu social etiquette and it can certainly cause problems with them getting along with cagemates.
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Post by savvy on Mar 10, 2021 0:21:17 GMT
Your boys are gorgeous!
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