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Post by kmarie on May 21, 2021 22:39:56 GMT
Hello all,
I've had my two girls (Bubble and Squeak) home for about two weeks now (they're 14 weeks old). They've been in a large (all metal) parrot cage that I purchased as it met all the size requirements. The small doors were a bit of an issue but I wasn't too bothered. Bubble is a bit of a bar chewer, there's loads for her to chew on but she just seems to prefer bars! Well, it appears she is actually *very good* at bar chewing, as last night she managed to pull three of the bars away completely. I have no idea how she did it, other than they can't have been welded on very well.
Long story short, I woke up at 3 am to one degu on my face and the other nibbling my elbow. I managed to usher them back in and I've blocked that part of the cage with a piece of their playpen tied on with some sisal thread.
I've ordered a little zoo venturer for them as my friend has one for her rats and it looks like if it had a collision with a tank, the tank would be written off. My worry is having to move them into a new cage so soon after they've come home. Is there anything I should do to try and make it less stressful for them? I'm planning on moving some of the substrate and bedding from the old cage into the new but just wondering if there's anything else I can do. TIA.
Kayleigh
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Post by bouncy on May 21, 2021 22:51:11 GMT
Good grief! A parrot beak is a lot stronger than a goo, so I'd demand a refund! Seriously! Regards moving home, they've not been in the current one long, so it shouldn't be too freaky for them. When you move them across, simply moving their toys, hammock,etc will carry enough scent. You can also sprinkle a handful of substrate from the old cage onto each level of the new. Very satisfied good, obviously, to wake their hooman, rather than just do a runner  |
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Post by teemu on May 21, 2021 23:08:16 GMT
Degus are pretty smart and tend to come to terms with a new cage or changes in a cage pretty quickly, so I wouldn't worry about them feeling too confused. Like Bouncy says, as long as you make sure all their old scents are there, they'll be right at home  Your girls are obviously very brave and fond of you. When my boys managed to break out of their cage way back when, they hid under my couch and screamed for help  |
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Post by kmarie on May 21, 2021 23:17:45 GMT
Thanks both, I'm probably worrying about nothing and they will settle right in. The seller I got the cage from has had an email from me today and I'm certainly not letting it drop.
They DEFINITELY had a bit of an explore before coming to get me, as they left me some, ahem *presents* around the room. They are incredibly brave though, which shocked me. They started trying to sus me out and chat to me as soon as they got home, and I thought they'd probably want to have a little hide and settle in. I have a Jack Russell who isn't allowed near the cage (or my room at night thankfully!) but the girls like to come right up to the bars if she's in the room during the day and chirrup to her, they seem to think she's a big degu!
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Post by teemu on May 21, 2021 23:49:34 GMT
They do sound like quite the wild pair. With degus that ready to take on the world, it's certainly good to keep the room secure when you aren't watching them! But I do foresee them being easy tame, so it's certainly not a bad thing |
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Post by deguconvert on May 22, 2021 1:58:44 GMT
OR . . . they will have you doing all the running around and extras on their behalf! I'd say they have be planning how to run the home. Clearly they feel safe and part of the family. |
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Post by bouncy on May 22, 2021 8:02:05 GMT
And don't be surprised if they form a bond with your dog! One lady on here had a goo that wandered freely in the house, even though they had a big fluffy ginger cat and a Boxer! The goo was in charge.
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Post by teemu on May 22, 2021 10:03:40 GMT
And don't be surprised if they form a bond with your dog! One lady on here had a goo that wandered freely in the house, even though they had a big fluffy ginger cat and a Boxer! The goo was in charge. Heh, our small-ish dog is actually kind of afraid of rodents (probably all those rats we had who nipped her nose if she tried to inspect them), so the boys quickly learned that she was a pushover and no threat.
Though, I would be very careful about allowing any kind of contact between a rodent and a Jack Russell. My mother has had a couple of Russells, and their reputation as ratter dogs is no joke. They have a really, really strong instinct to attack and shake anything that's small and moves. I'm sure there are exceptions, and of course it's not the dog's fault for being essentially bred for things like this, but I have some unpleasant memories about a close call with a guinea pig and a Jack Russell, and I've seen them go absolutely berserk for a squirrel or a stray mouse.
It's nothing to worry about if one is mindful about it and takes precautions, of course, but it's something to be aware of. I've been very shocked by Russells specifically being so ferocious about small rodents.
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Post by bouncy on May 22, 2021 11:37:13 GMT
This boxer was scared of the goo - it had been bitten by him, so kept his distance. The goo ruled!
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Post by kmarie on May 22, 2021 13:02:03 GMT
I'm definitely very wary of Mollie's (the pup) instincts as a ratter, it was the main thing that stopped me getting degus for a long time. I keep part of the playpen set up permanently around their cage so she can't get too close, I'm fine with them seeing each other as long as the goos are safe in their cage when she's in the room. Saying that, we had a mouse problem a few years ago and the mice would come out and drink from her water bowl. Mollie just stood their looking from them to me completely confused, so she's actually not very good at being a Jack Russell  she's also older now at 16 so she's much less bothered about not being able to come in my room at certain times, as long as she has her heat pad and dinosaur toy! |
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Post by savvy on May 22, 2021 13:38:46 GMT
I still would take precautions with the dogs, just to be on the safe side.
I find that when I moved my degus to new cages, as long as their new one was bigger than the previous one, they were delighted with the move.
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Post by bouncy on May 22, 2021 16:46:41 GMT
Yep, sorry, being a bit flippant |
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Post by moletteuk on May 23, 2021 16:41:22 GMT
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Post by kmarie on May 24, 2021 16:17:47 GMT
Hello, yes I spent quite a lot of time lurking on the forum before I made an account That's the cage (although thankfully I didn't pay that much for it!). I mainly wanted that one for the deep trays, I figured they could have a nice deep layer of substrate without too much additional mess! |
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she's also older now at 16 so she's much less bothered about not being able to come in my room at certain times, as long as she has her heat pad and dinosaur toy!
