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Post by moletteuk on Feb 13, 2022 11:51:29 GMT
It's normal for them to nibble at the litter and it should not cause any problem, degus can probably even partially digest paper, it's not that different to nibbling wood and bark. Is the Carefresh new to them, or had you recently done a clean out? Both these would make them more curious. It's only man made non soluble things that cause a problem or paper type products that swell significantly that cause a problem.
It's fairly normal for them to squabble at that age, can be hormones directly or just changes in dynamic and status as they grow up. The only concern related to this is if a degu is being prevented from eating by another degu guarding the food, a form of bullying in effect.
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laiyah
Burrowing Degu
Posts: 181
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Post by laiyah on Feb 13, 2022 17:32:56 GMT
From my test, it's been almost 24 hours and the carefresh litter isn't really dissolving. I've changed out the litter to put cardboard anyway, so I'll see how it goes. As far as the water test goes, though, the litter in my pot of water isn't dissolving at all. I will see if the degus are fine in a few weeks and I will then decide whether I'll put the litter back in or not.
For the squabble, they did kind of stop each other from eating, so I have pretty much started to do two bowls again. I was going with unlimited pellets, so the squabble felt like bullying. Now, I've started to ration again since they seem to not eat enough hay but it'll be with two bowls.
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Post by savvy on Feb 13, 2022 17:51:04 GMT
As long as the litter isn't swelling they will be fine, they should pass any that they've eaten without any problems. Chances are that they only nibbled it to see what it was like.
The squabbles sound like their growing up a little and sorting out their place in the clan.
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Post by moletteuk on Feb 13, 2022 20:59:06 GMT
Degus have very sophisticated guts full of bacteria which will break down the carefresh.
If you are using bowls it's usually much safer to offer one bowl per degu.
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Post by deguconvert on Feb 14, 2022 18:16:16 GMT
I agree . . . a bowl per degu is a good strategy.
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laiyah
Burrowing Degu
Posts: 181
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Post by laiyah on Feb 24, 2022 15:06:33 GMT
So, I have more or less run out of human patience toward my rescue toward this so I'm still trying one last place...
The degus' nail have gotten REALLY sharp.
I used to lay the wheel with sand paper in the playpen because the degus didn't let me do much with them. But now, they climb on my hand, walk on me as I move... So I'd like to avoid the possibility of their feet bottom getting hurt.
The rescue has been pretty silent on this because they really don't want to pay a vet for nail filing and have pretty much told me to add more different surfaces... But I currently have a lot of variety, I believe : Wooden house, cardboard litter, plastic plastform, metal wheel, ceramic tile floor (in the playpen), some rocks in the cage, tree branches, a terracotta bowl, etc. But they're not really racking their nails on the rocks so it kind of stings...
I have tried to file their nails a bit while they're on me, but they won't really stay still. So I tried to use a tissue to make a "degu burrito", but I am not sure what I'm doing wrong, Mélusine kind of sneaks out and learned to JUMP to avoid me rolling the tissue on her.
So I'm back to the issue of... Should I line the wheel with sand paper again ?
I am also considering using pet safe glue and gluing bathing sand on a surface to create something more close to the sand paper...
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Post by hpdegus on Feb 24, 2022 18:01:13 GMT
Their nails can get so sharp! I've had to trim the nails of a few degus (just on the hind feet). I'm only one person, so you may be able to figure out a better version, but here's what I do: Have favorite treats in left palm (I used a handful of sunflower seeds/puffed rice). Pick up degu such that their back is to your front, while your left (treat filled hand) is openish and close to their mouth. Extend your left pinky so that you can brace their back feet on it. Now your right hand should be free at this point to hand the nail clippers. While they're distracted you should hopefully be able to trim their nails! Its awkward, but its worked for me. Sorry if this description doesn't make much sense! If you have a second person to help, this would be much smoother since one person could handle degu wrangling and the other just clips nails. I started getting the goos more comfortable with this by petting their feet while giving them treats. Best of luck
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Post by moletteuk on Feb 25, 2022 12:07:35 GMT
Flat but rough surfaces at the bottom of ramps and jumps are the best and safest. You may be able to just turn your ceramic tiles over and use their wrong side.
I used to do opportunist clipping using penknife scissors that are small and precise. Give degu a decent treat so that they don't care much what you are up to and then just clip a couple of nails while you can.
You need quite a big piece of fabric to do the burrito, wrap the whold body and then control them at the shoulders to stop them escaping out the front. It takes practice. It would be even more awkward to do and then try to extract the leg you want to trim the nails.
I should say, it's fairly normal for degu claws to scratch bare skin.
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Post by deguconvert on Feb 25, 2022 18:14:02 GMT
I was going to say what Moletteuk said about the bottom side of ceramic. I also used to keep rocks in my cages, but they were quite large. Large enough that I found them heavy to lift . . . which assured me that the degus wouldn't be able to move or jiggle them, and perhaps receive an injury from the rock shifting. These rocks were large enough, and several were in a kind of formation, that the degus were regularly running over them, which helped to reduce the length of their nails. Did it reduce the sharpness? I often thought about how we sharpen knives when I tried to answer this question. LOL!
I suffered a lot with sore degu scratches for a long while, and then when I went through a prolonged effort to build a bond with one of our boys that would scratch and bite with every encounter, I learned that when I immediately washed/soaked my hands in water with Epsom salts in them after each encounter, my bites AND the scratches didn't get so sore. I continued with the careful washing after the bond was built, and any time that a scratch would become inflamed, I would quickly soak in water with Epsom Salts. I also would use a mild disinfecting spray, which helped a great deal as well. In fact . . . as I look back . . . I started keeping a bottle near the cage so that I could be quick if I received a nasty scratch.
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laiyah
Burrowing Degu
Posts: 181
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Post by laiyah on Feb 25, 2022 20:56:41 GMT
So, to keep you guys updated. Basically, I tried one last time to get Mélusine to file her nails, but she gave me a toothy snap as a warning to quit bothering her. As a half last attempt, I changed the content of the terracotta bowl with bathing sand to motivate them to do their nails in there. I've heard them scratch it a bit, so I'm gonna give it a week before I rethink my strategy. Last little thing : I have seen quite a few of you talk about a strawberry jar for the degus and I found it absolutely amazing and lovely. Sadly, I can't seem to find one in store to check the size of the side 'entrances'. I would have for the degus to get stuck. I've done the same with several other websites and none had this in store. www.castorama.fr/jarre-a-fraisier-terre-cuite-35-cm/3491780116581_CAFR.prdIt says it's 35 cm wide and 28,5 cm tall. Do you guys think it might be too small ?
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Post by deguconvert on Feb 25, 2022 22:23:47 GMT
I tend to think it would be alright. It's not very small, and the opening pockets for the plants are likely about 5 cm wide and 2 cm deep? They shouldn't be too small for them to move through.
Anyone else have thoughts?
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Post by moletteuk on Feb 26, 2022 19:17:43 GMT
I think the size of the pot looks pretty good.
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laiyah
Burrowing Degu
Posts: 181
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Post by laiyah on Mar 16, 2022 10:32:04 GMT
OK so, I did tell deguconvert about it, but I have to tell you guys now.
It is with a heavy heart I have to announce I have asked my rescue to find another caring family for the degus. I live in a one bedroom one living room appartment, so I can't separate the degus more than right now for my bf's allergies. His allergies have worsened and he has been taking medications, which only lighten his nose issues, not completely get rid of them.
I am still working on making their stays with me as comfortable as possible until they can be rehomed. I will be renegotiating adoption if/when my bf and I move to a bigger home, making me able to keep them in a separate room from him. I do hope they'll be staying long enough to enjoy the flowers and the grass I've planted for them... (but long enough to destroy the toys, obviously since they've already started lol)
On a separate note, I have been looking into a forage mix for degus for the rescue (since my understanding of the recommended pellet feels like they're not perfect) and I was wondering if you guys had a POV on the SAB diet ? I don't quite understand the description they offer since it seems like the coverage of needs isn't quite what I've usually read.
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Post by deguconvert on Mar 17, 2022 7:17:57 GMT
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 17, 2022 11:28:56 GMT
I'm sorry you've had to decide that you can't keep the degus long term. It must have been a tough decision but I think you've done the right thing for your boyfriend.
I think suitability of SAB diet depends on the degus and the human. The human has to be totally on top of and understand the nutrition including the specifics of the vitamin and mineral requirements, and also has to be able to source and afford a wide enough range of food. The degus need to have the taste for a good enough range of forage and seeds.
I used to feed lots of forage, I was able to pick and store my own, but I still fed some pellets.
Did you have particular questions?
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