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Post by savvy on Nov 8, 2021 21:55:38 GMT
Its the old adage 'if mum says no, just ask auntie' lol.
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Post by teemu on Nov 8, 2021 21:59:44 GMT
Ooh, you can really see the difference in color now. They're doing really well!
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Post by bouncy on Nov 8, 2021 22:50:25 GMT
Oh they are little posers! Ever so cute, too! You can almost see their scheming....... I have a few favourite shots On a side note, it's rare to see an agouti as a minority!
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Post by deguconvert on Nov 9, 2021 6:29:46 GMT
Those were a true pleasure to watch and to look through! Thank you so much for sharing them with us. They are all such beauties.
Not sure on name suggestions, but I'll think on it.
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Post by moletteuk on Nov 9, 2021 19:06:45 GMT
What a delight! And they look so shiny and healthy
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lindie
Foraging Degu
Posts: 107
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Post by lindie on Nov 9, 2021 20:47:14 GMT
What a delight! And they look so shiny and healthy Yes, We have had no problems with health, or weaker babies or anything like that. From everything I have seen and noticed (and I am almost always in the room with them) so far they are all perfectly healthy (and happy)! I am so happy about that! I was aspecting that atleast one baby needed help or a vet visit. And was prepared to rush to the vet (Our vet is 24/7 available, or at least for dogs) or needing to bottle feed a baby. Also because of Remi being around 190 grams when she got pregnant and her bleeding during her pregnancy. But nope! They are perfect little stars! And although the babies were not planned they are very welcome and I am so glad they are here, and that they joined the family! All all of them are amazing, and all are developing their own personalities. Elphias is the little guy who is more chill and he loves eating and sleeping the most (also why he is one of the biggest) Narfi is a real active little lad, he was the first to explore the wheel and couldn't wait to run with his aunt. And so has everybaby their own little things. But what all of them have in common is that they love exploring, are curious, a bit stubborn, not afraid of humans (or dogs) and walk on my hands (and arms) when the cage is open, they love to snack on the seeds and forage while sitting in the bowls, love playing with each other, mum or aunt (which auntie is not so keen on), running on the wheel and piling up in the cage! They are truly amazing! (just like mum and aunt 😉)
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Post by bouncy on Nov 9, 2021 21:52:42 GMT
How about Dipdab or Swizzle for the blue with the black tail?
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Post by Bexi87 on Nov 13, 2021 18:59:18 GMT
Oh my word. Look at these gorgeous little monsters!
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lindie
Foraging Degu
Posts: 107
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Post by lindie on Nov 19, 2021 8:25:57 GMT
When should I separate the boys from the girls and move the baby girls, aunt and mom to the new cage? I read on this forum not earlier than 6 weeks, but I read on Degutopia to separate them between 4-6 weeks. I want to baby boys to stay as long as possible with the adults but without any risks that someone could get pregnant.
Also, Is it a problem that the degu's can see each other from the cages? The two cages are attached to each other and there is one place where the degus can see each other (there are 2 walls/bars between it). Do I need to put cardboard between it so that they can't see each other. And could it be a problem that right after separating them the degu's are desperate to get back together and will chew the bars on this spot where they can see each other?
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Post by savvy on Nov 19, 2021 9:18:23 GMT
6 weeks is preferable so they can learn about being an adult degu from mum and auntie.
Seeing each other should only be a minor issue when you have a female on heat - heads up, its the girls who do most of the chasing! As long as they can't get to each other to impregnate it should be fine, a gap of a few centimetres should be fine.
If they are confident little guys, they'll be too busy exploring their new territory to worry that the adults are next door.
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Post by teemu on Nov 19, 2021 13:21:16 GMT
Yeah, the only real issue would be if they can physically reach each other easily, which can lead to all kinds of mishaps (such as getting pregnant). Other than that, having cage neighbors won't normally be a big issue.
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Post by deguconvert on Nov 19, 2021 20:23:56 GMT
I kept all my pups with the adults up to the age of 6 - 6.5 weeks. It was never a problem. The only time there was a problem was when one of the male pups that we were rehoming escaped his transportation cage, away from his brothers, and we didn't know he had got away. We found him about 32 hours later, and popped him back in with the ladies. He was only with them until he was in his 8th week, and then was in with the boys in their cage. I had to separate their cage in half so that he would have a safe place to be, and their cage was HUGE, really it was big enough for four degus, so the two having just half for a time didn't suffer. Counting backwards from all the pups that were born three months later, it was during his 8th week that all the mischief was done.
You will be just fine to leave them with the adults until they are 6 weeks old. It actually very important that you do. At lot of the social and colony skills are learned in those two weeks, and if they are separated before then, they tend to have great difficulty getting along with other degus.
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lindie
Foraging Degu
Posts: 107
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Post by lindie on Nov 30, 2021 11:02:10 GMT
Hi, quick update/question.
The babies are doing really well! Thursday they are 6 weeks old. But yesterday and also today I saw that the babies started trying to mate with each other, mum or aunt. So I am thinking to separate them a few days earlier. And separate them today instead of tomorrow what I originally planned. I just don't want any more pregnancies. Is that a good plan?
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Post by savvy on Nov 30, 2021 11:23:02 GMT
Little tinkers, lol!
I think its a wise precaution.
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Post by teemu on Nov 30, 2021 12:20:58 GMT
Yeah, it sounds like it would be a good time to separate them. It's likely just tentative first sparks of an idea for now, but some degus develop faster than others, and it's best not to take risks. A day or two earlier will not be any worse in that regard.
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 3, 2021 8:51:03 GMT
I agree . . . it was safe to separate the boys out at that time. I'd also like to just point out that humping is as much a social behavior in degu society as grooming and boxing is, and what you are seeing isn't necessarily mating, as much as pups beginning to display and understand appropriate social norms. You will see even more of it as they grow week by week. However, you are at the right time in their lives to part the sexes in order to prevent potential pregnancies.
Well done, Lindie!
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lindie
Foraging Degu
Posts: 107
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Post by lindie on Dec 17, 2021 14:36:37 GMT
I am not sure if I should ask my question here, or on the health part of the website. But because it might be related to the pregnancy I decided to ask my question here. My question is about Remi (mommy). I already made an appointment for her with a vet who also works at a zoo (so he is experienced with exotic rodents), but I also wanted to ask on the forum if any of you knows what it could be. Since her pregnancy, Remi has lost some weight (which is to be aspected), but a week ago (or 1,5 weeks ago) I noticed that she looks skinnier than her sister Ethel, her weight was 214 grams, which is still more than her weight at the beginning of her pregnancy, but since I suspect her to be under a year old (maybe 10-12 months at this moment or so) she probably has grown a little. I then decided to feed her oats every other day and made some changes to the diet of the female group. Today I weighted her again and her weight was the same, and after I weighted her there also were degu hairs on my shirt, which I have never seen before. Oh, and before I forget to mention it. She has also lost some fur on her tail. This could be from the babies grooming her tail (I have seen the babies interact with Remi's tail (even biting a little)) but I have not seen them grooming, or pulling on the hair. I will insert a picture of her tail here. On this picture you can also see that she has a 'mark/scar' on her tail, which I am not sure how and when it happended. But my gues is that someone in her previous home tried to grab her by the tail and the tail almost degloved which made this perfeclty round 'mark/scar' on her tail. The male which was with had half a tail. And another thing is that the vet found dead fleas on my guinea pigs fur a couple of months ago. Since we did not find any live fleas, and there were not any signs that the pigs had fleas (only dead fleas), and Remi was pregnant at that time we decided to treat the guinea pigs and degus for fleas after Remi's pregnancy (the vet said that the degus and guinea pigs might be closely related enough that guinea pig fleas can live on degus). I have treated the pigs for fleas in the summer before I had the degus because our chickens had fleas and they traveled from the bin to the cage when cleaning the cage. So the guinea pigs were probably still protected from that treatment when they got the fleas, which meant they layed eggs and died after. The eggs hathced and died after hatching, which would leave dead fleas on the fur without finding any living fleas. Chicken fleas can not live on guinea pigs according to the vet. I have no idea were the fleas came from.Since I have not seen any live fleas since then, and also no new dead fleas I have not treated the animals for the fleas (I don't want to expose them to drugs (even when they are not proven harmful) if not necessarily). But I thought it could be helpful to mention this since it could be a piece of the puzzle. I have treated the guinea pigs for fleas So to summarize it: - looks to skinny, underweight, a bit to 'bony' (especially compared to her sister) - lost the weight after pregnancy - still heavier than her weight at the beginning of the pregnancy, but she probably has grown. - Lost hair on her tail (could also be from the babies grooming her tail) - small probability she could have fleas. I hope someone knows what it could be, and what the vet could look at. I am not to worried since her behavior is normal and her weight is stable at the moment. But I still don't trust is, it does not feel right.
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 17, 2021 17:56:22 GMT
Can you remind us when she gave birth and when she stopped nursing the pups? From memory, I think it's two or three weeks since you removed the boys, so presuming she stopped nursing round about then, I would say it is only since then that she will have had chance to put any weight back on at all.
Make sure you feed a variety of nutritious foods inclucing forage and high calcium seeds and other oils seeds, nuts, dandelion roots, not just extra grains. I would offer extra nuggets too, possibly from a different brand to get her interest.
I'm sure the vet will help on the matter of the fleas and the tail. Fleas are normally visible to the naked eye if you look closely, I think.
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Post by bouncy on Dec 17, 2021 18:06:32 GMT
Ok Lindie, don't panic Right now, mum needs more calories. Although she's no longer pregnant, she's been feeding and rearing them. Try seeds with a higher oil content, and a better calcium:phosphorus ratio, which should help her. There's a list in our nutrition section. She does still have some growing to do, so don't panic. Perhaps a more nutritious supplemental feed would be critical care? Even after human pregnancy, mums also struggle with calcium levels (which is why they're given free dental care in the UK), and suffer other outward signs such as hair loss. Your goos may also be changing to a winter coat. Your vet will be able to help you more information on this, and the fleas. The fleas, if present, may be easy to spot. Try combing your goos over a piece of white paper. If fleas are present, you should be able to see evidence on the paper.
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lindie
Foraging Degu
Posts: 107
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Post by lindie on Dec 21, 2021 8:43:55 GMT
Sorry for my late reply.
I was already focussing on feeding an array of things, but I am paying more attention to it now. I feed them 3 different types of pellets, I feed them the SAB seed mix (they only eat certain seeds though), of course, they also get hay and forage. And I feed her dandelion roots and seeds as a treat more often. But I am not sure how many pieces of dandelion roots to give and how many seeds to give each day. I cut the dandelion roots into small pieces and I have pumpkin and sunflower seeds. I also feed her a dried pea, pea flake, or a piece of dried vegetable sometimes as a treat (I have around 12+ pots with different treats).
about the fleas, I have not seen any signs that the goos have fleas.
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