Degu with allergies?

[moletteuk]

I think it depends on their peeing habbits, if they use potty areas I would be tempted to still use substrate there and just go without elsewhere and hoover/brush and wipe down regularly. You could add some toilet paper and change frequently and/ or use a few pieces of fleece for their bed that you shake out regularly. You might need to adapt and figure out what might work for you, I think the important thing is that his bed and main daytime hangout places have fresh air in front of him, rather than substrate or anything trapping dust/pollen.

[savvy]

I used to change Dixie's bedding as soon as I saw that he had been tearing it, but bamboo is a lot less dusty than regular toilet paper, its also thicker.

I found that replacing the substrate more often helped too.

[hpdegus]

So he seemed really good during/after play time yesterday. Not as good through today though. Eyes not as open, more sneezy, had to wipe his nose.

I've got them out in the play area (laminate flooring, no carpet) to see if that actually helps. Might be that limited to no substrate is the way to go for him.

[deguconvert]

I hope the play time on the laminate gives you a clear indication . . . but I'm going to say that repeated exposure with repeated improvement will be the strongest assurance that you are seeing improvement because of the absence of the substrate you use.

[hpdegus]

Absolutely DC! I haven't removed the substrate yet, just been giving long play times over the past few days. I'll see what his weight looks like (as well as other symptoms) this evening and make a decision whether I'm going to fully remove the substrate.

[hpdegus]

175g! I had them out for probably 5-6 hours total today. I'm currently writing from home, so I should be able to continue doing so for at least a few days. It'll be interesting to see if this helps.

I've also been thinking about why his weight was stable for over a week and then suddenly started dropping. One thing is that he had been getting play time everyday, but at the end there I had to skip a few days. That, a change in hay, and opening the windows at night are the only things that come to mind.

[hpdegus]

Its been a few days since I last posted. Ollie's weight was around 173g the last few days, but its at 175g now (4 hours before I usually weigh, so I'd guess the weight will be at least a few grams higher).

I've kept all the windows closed and just used the AC. His eyes look really good actually. I do still have to wipe his nose every morning, but I've been really pleased with his eyes and attitude the past few days.

[moletteuk]

Good!

[deguconvert]

That's AWESOME! Wonderful news!

[hpdegus]

Finally decided to try their cage without substrate (substrate in pee corners and I'm giving toilet paper to nest). We'll see how this goes.

Ollie has been around 172-175g for a while now. Hopefully this will help. His nose and eyes have been worse the past two days. Maybe from the substrate, but who knows.

[hpdegus]

Eyes look realllyyy good! The fur under his eyes doesn't even look damp! No weight gain (173g), but I caught him eating and drinking quite a few times today.

[moletteuk]

Good It's a shame he's not gaining any weight, but at the same time it is reassuring that you are seeing him eating.

[hpdegus]

Ton of teeth grinding today. The whole right side of his face is wet (might have just gotten into it with the new water bottle). I dont think it was just from his eye, the fur was way to wet for that.

His weight just now was 167g, but its 4 hours before I normally weigh him. I don't know. I don't know what else to do to help him feel better or gain weight.

[deguconvert]

Hmmm . . . I'm so sorry . . . I don't know what to suggest at the moment either. Has he ever had his teeth/molars checked to see if there are any spurs, or overgrowth? I did a quick look through the thread to see if I could find this info, but didn't find it. Please pardon me if I missed it in there.

I have begun to wonder if the diabetes is becoming more aggressive.

[hpdegus]

Yep, the vet was able to check his molars with a scope last time. He did say one looked pointy, but its the one that has always looked pointy.

Maybe? Does that happen?

It could just be that he's eating the same amount as he always does, which is enough to maintain but not gain weight. I feel like that would be in line with what I've seen in the past.

I will say that at least his eyes and nose do see at least a bit better. And I always forget, the nostril that gets snotty is the one that was damaged (probably) in a fight before they came to me. So its more closed and seems to be more prone to running anyway.

And I don't mean to come across so hopeless in the last post, just frustrated that I don't know how to help him. He is happy to run around though, so its not like I think he's desperately unhappy.

[hpdegus]

Just realized that with my setup, it was (right to left) window with AC, pups, then rescues. I just switched the cages just in case the AC was causing dust from the pups cage to enter the rescues cage.

[moletteuk]

Since his breathing seems a bit more under control and his weight is now more of a concern, maybe it's time to go ahead with urine monitoring for diabetes? It may be turn out that he is unable to gain weight due to the diabetes. If you get the dip sticks that measure ketones as well as glucose, it may give you some clues as to what foods may cause him most problems.

[hpdegus]

Good call. I bought the sticks, I'll see if I can use them tonight.

I decided to give critical care another try. Turns out if I put an equal volume of watery CC on a rice puff Ollie will eat it. It was a horrendous mess (should have expected that), but I think he got at least a mL, maybe 2?

[hpdegus]

4 hours and 2.5 CC supplemental feeds (hard to tell how much he ate since it was mixed in with rice puffs) and he's up from 166g to 176g!

[deguconvert]

WOW! Keep it up Ollie! And WELL DONE, Hpdegus!! WELL DONE!!