New degu

[teemu]

Degus do have an incredible ability to make us worry about them endlessly! I get totally bent out of shape for my little ones, to the point I often have to remind myself that these animals actually often live for a very long time in the wild, where there certainly isn't someone catering to their every need 24/7

I actually have just gotten new girls as well, and one of the three is much more scared than the others. These things require patience.

Although I should note that if patience seems to be doing nothing, there is a trick you can try, but don't try it unless it actually seems like your degu is totally unwilling to become socialized. Only give her most of her food pellets by hand. She should have all the hay and water she wants, but start limiting the amount of food pellets she has freely available, and offer more by hand. This will very quickly make a degu more sociable.

Munkki, one of my first degus, was very hard to socialize, but when I started doing this, he learned very quickly to come over and learned to like being handled. But I only started doing it after he was already fully grown, when he actually seemed to get worse. You should not limit the food available to a pup! You should also not be absolutely strict about this, as it can easily result in hoarding behavior if they feel there is an actual shortage of food.

[sioa]

Now with the straw they are excited and at the same time afraid of it 🙈😂

I think they dont know what to Do with the straw and now they are sitting frozen in the cage 🙈

[teemu]

Yeah, degus can be very skeptical about new things. They should quickly learn that it's safe to run on.

(Just as a note, I assume you're giving your degus hay as a regular part of their diet, right? It's the most basic and important thing they should be eating. Just so I'm not misunderstanding when you said that they're confused about the straw on the floor.)

[sioa]

Yes, they have free acces to hay, all the day

But i am corious about how often i have t change it.

The straw is totaly New for them

[moletteuk]

LOL! have they figured the straw out yet?

Frequency of changing the hay depends on preferences of you and them. I used to find topping it up a few times a day would make them more interested in eating it and then I would clear it all out and start again after 3 or 4 days maybe. There was always a lot of wastage. It depends a bit where you put it and if they wee on it, they won't eat once it's been weed on close by.

[sioa]

I will See tommorrow 😅

I See. Then i will make it a little put fluffy.. They always walk on the Hay

[teemu]

Degus do learn to pick out all the nice stuff from hay or from any food where there are different kinds of bits, and will shun the rest as much as possible. I have to clear it out every few days like molette and put in new hay, and they do waste a lot more than rabbits or guinea pigs (especially after they learn that you'll bring in more of the good stuff if they just stand by and wait!).

You might want to look into getting a hay hamper, which is essentially a loose cage that you put the hay in and the degus eat from it. Ideally that means the degus won't walk over the hay and urinate in it or anything like that and it's easy to fill and change. Although in practice I stopped using it and just started putting the hay in a pile since it just apparently seemed like a fun place to sleep in

[sioa]

Apr 21, 2021 17:22:50 GMT moletteuk said:

LOL! have they figured the straw out yet?

They are chewing on it 😅 but today they were still afraid of it, so i put some of their litter on it. They should be finde now.

Frequency of changing the hay depends on preferences of you and them. I used to find topping it up a few times a day would make them more interested in eating it and then I would clear it all out and start again after 3 or 4 days maybe. There was always a lot of wastage. It depends a bit where you put it and if they wee on it, they won't eat once it's been weed on close by.

Okey, then i will make i pile from it

[savvy]

You may find them running around with mouthfuls of it as they move it around their cage, it's just normal nesting behaviour and nothing to worry about.

They will move things around and put them where they want, you may even find them dragging heavy stuff around their cages. It's amazing how strong these little guys are!

[bouncy]

Oh yes, and they'll use physics too! Spidey is an expert now with levers and fulcrum!

[moletteuk]

I would try a bowl for putting the hay in - it still gives free access but stops them walking in it too much, although they are likely to sit in the bowl.

[sioa]

Ah a bowl is a good idea.
Today my ordered food came for them. Dryed herbs, Gras etc... They them to like it, ate a lot and Distributed it all around the cage 😂 also creamy, the shy one, carefully Took a blossom from my Hand.
But now they are changing roles 🙈😂😂

How often should i feed them? Or should they have All day the dryed food?

[savvy]

While they are growing, I'd make sure they have constant access to food.

[sioa]

OK thanks. Then i will leave the food bowl inside and fill IT up every day

[deguconvert]

Metal bowl!! They love to move things around, and if there is a ledge they may well try pushing it over.

[sioa]

Today We had a big progress.

The shy one ate a few sunflower seeds from my Hand ( it took only 10 minutes 😅)
And the brave one climbed on my arm, nearly to my shoulder

I just hoped in that moment.. Dont jump on the floor or dont fall down 😂 was a very good feeling to See the progress

[savvy]

Excellent! Keep it up.

[teemu]

They do indeed start climbing on people very readily! As a word of warning, they are also very prone to falling down, since degus do not believe in gravity and do not understand its implications So it's usually a very good idea to make sure you have another hand under any climbers in case they fall off.

It does sound like you're making good progress! Just keep doing it calmly and patiently, and they will learn that you are a big friend and won't harm them.

[sioa]

ok^^ then i wil put a hand under

And somehow its very sweet when they burry their treats

[moletteuk]

Love the progress. The final pat down after they bury something is a classic