Idk what to do.. They keep fighting

[cookiedegus]

I own three degu males, two are together and one is alone due to previous fights, now the two of them (Hugo and Marshmallow) are fighting like one-two times in a month, but serious. Yesterday we were just back from vacation and turns out they escaped because hugo managed to open the gate, okay im gonna quit the small talk rn.
Hugo is a bigger male naturally and Marshmallow weights 35g less because of his bone structure, he's always been "forgiving" because he doesn't bite Hugo when he gets hurt real bad, Marshmallow just takes out a few hairs and thats all; Dont get me wrong, i have separated them before and they have gone back together well (They are cousins btw) but the past few months bud has been getting hurt badly, and i dont know what to do, because the injuries keep getting worse, but at the night they sleep well together and groom each other ..
The injuries have been horrible, a few months back he got bitten between the tail and his private part, which was a pain to get him still and disenfect (idk how to spell) it to prevent further damage. Today he got a lip cut and when i was cleaning it I noticed a pretty bad new wound, (they got into a "deathball") and it was a bite in his neck, just below the mouth more to the right side. It was really terrible and there was blood; now i have no idea what to do, since bud keeps getting hurt and hurt, i don't know how long i can keep this up with the bloodshed of them..

[deguconvert]

Hi Cookiedegus. I am really sorry to hear about these fights! They are indeed very distressing, and they are also something that needs to be taken very, very seriously. To me it sounds like Hugo is intent on taking Marshmallow out. I don't think you should be putting them back together.

I want to ask some questions of you. Please remind us of their ages? And please tell us the size of the cage that Hugo and Marshmallow share?

Both of these are actually very important information. 1. Age will tell us if this is potentially related to dominance fighting, which is predominant among degus between the ages of 6 - 18 months of age, but can happen in degus older than that as well. 2. And cage size . . . more precisely the total of the livable surface area . . . will tell us if the issue is that the cage is too small, and if Hugo may be acting on instinct and trying to eliminate competition for vital resources.

Another potential is that Hugo may have a grudge against Marshmallow, or he might have decided he just doesn't like him. BUT, before we look in any other potential directions, please tell us about the two things I've asked about. Age and cage size.

[cookiedegus]

They're both almost the same age, two days apart, they were born on 2020-12-(10-12) so theyre almost 2 years old; The cage is 70(length) x40x100(height) but we let them out occasionally to run around

[savvy]

How many levels do you have in your cage? These must be at least half levels, not narrow ledges.

[cookiedegus]

Theres no levels, except for some raised branches they can jump on and down and hammacs they can rest on

[savvy]

Thats the problem.

The cage is way too small, you have a CARA of 2,800sqcm when you need a minimum of 12,000sqcm. They are fighting because of the lack of running space. You can increase the floor area of the cage by adding extra full or three quater levels, but given the cage size you state, I doubt if you can increase it enough to stop the fighing without joining it to another similar size cage AND adding the extra levels.

Until they get the running space they need, they WILL continue to fight and you risk serious injury or death to one or both your degus.

I know I'm being blunt here, but they need a lot more space than you're giving them. Letting them out 'every so often' is not going to solve this problem.

[deguconvert]

I have to completely agree with Savvy.

This space is so small it is dangerous to them. They need a lot more space, and they will become more and more aggressive if left in this small cage. It's similar to asking two people to live in an elevator car. Tempers will flare, and anger will increase, and since they cannot force the other out of a space that is completely enclosed, one will kill the other, or they will inflict such terrible wounds, they will die a slow death of their injuries. The only way to work toward the cessation of the fighting, is to greatly increase the size of their cage. The longer you wait to do this, the greater their grudges toward each other will become, and at some point it will be very difficult to repair their relationship.

Perhaps you can build a cage?

[bouncy]

I can only agree with the others. A degu's territory in the wild can be a square kilometre. Obviously we can't offer this, but it is important to remember. If their space is too small, they will fight with the others. In the wild, the intention is to force others to leave the nest until there's the right number.

The only solution is to find/make a bigger enclosure. Recommended minimum sizes are just that. If you want happy goos, give as much space as you can. If you leave them fighting, they will hold a grudge too, and they may never be friends again, so don't leave it too long!