laiyah
Burrowing Degu
Posts: 175
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Post by laiyah on Aug 22, 2022 11:37:23 GMT
Hi everyone,
so basically, after my boyfriend and I moved, I adopted the degus I previously fostered. (Moving ended up being the only way we met halfway)
I walked and unfortunately slipped on the enclosure "light" wooden pannel and Pimprenelle got her tail trapped underneath. I managed to react fast enough for her not to deglove her tail but I saw blood. I didn't have pet desinfectant so i desinfected with human desinfectant and then she went in the sand bath (I didn't react fast enough on that one.).
I used physiologic water with lots of treats to try to water it off until she just wouldn't let me anymore and then floured the tail, hoping it would be enough to wait until the vet opens. Since then, she has been hiding far from sight. (I can only coax her out with her favorite treat.)
I have a picture of "after" the sandbath. I will call the vet as soon as it opens, but i was hoping for some advice or at least, try to calm down.
Here is the picture of her tail after the sandbath.
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Post by savvy on Aug 22, 2022 12:19:41 GMT
I'm glad you've got them back! Accidents happen so don't feel too bad.
OK, the best way to deal with the injury is to bathe it with boiled, but cooled salt water. You can use a cotton bud for this to avoid soaking the area.
She will be a bit wary of you for a while so treats are the best way forward to win her over.
Check the wound daily for signs of infection, but see if your vet will prescribe a painkiller such as metacam as her tail will be a bit sore.
Keep the sand bath out for a few days.
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Post by teemu on Aug 22, 2022 14:49:39 GMT
Sounds like things didn't turn out too badly, and the tail was just chafed a bit. As Savvy advices, just cleaning the tail carefully with sterilized salt water and keeping it clear of dirt will likely sort that out. Degus can be very skittish and scared after something unpleasant happens, which can easily stress out the owner as well and make things seem way more dire than they are. But that should clear up pretty quickly with some treats and gentle treatment in general
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laiyah
Burrowing Degu
Posts: 175
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Post by laiyah on Aug 22, 2022 15:52:07 GMT
Yeah. I have calmed down a bit because she is going around like it's a normal day. I also called the vet who gave me an appointment Wednesday. If she is fine tomorrow too, I'll just bring both for a health check instead.
I will try to drip some salted water later since the tail still has the flour. I feel like I panicked so much I did weird things haha...
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Post by savvy on Aug 22, 2022 15:58:08 GMT
Yeah. I have calmed down a bit because she is going around like it's a normal day. I also called the vet who gave me an appointment Wednesday. If she is fine tomorrow too, I'll just bring both for a health check instead. I will try to drip some salted water later since the tail still has the flour. I feel like I panicked so much I did weird things haha... Oh we've all been down the panic road more than once believe me, lol.
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laiyah
Burrowing Degu
Posts: 175
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Post by laiyah on Aug 22, 2022 20:18:06 GMT
So, it's official, it was just some chaffed because I just looked back inside the cage and the flour disappeared from her tail. All her fur is still there, but I can see some small redness under the fur.
On the metacam thing (1.5mg/ml), I realized I was given a bottle that is set to expire on 08 2023. I'm not sure how useful it'd be to give some to her though ? She doesn't seem to react differently so I'm unsure if it's painful for her.
And on the side note, if tomorrow Pimprenelle still lives "normally", I'll probably delay the vet appointment due to busy irl life (finish moving, installing, etc. a friend wedding) to finish the whole thing. I'll keep an eye out and hopefully everything will work out fine.
For the salted water, is it water boiling with the salt in it or added after ? (I'm not sure if it will change its effect, but who knows)
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Post by savvy on Aug 22, 2022 20:27:02 GMT
If its looking ok, I'd leave the metacam for now, just keep a check on her tail for infections, etc.
Personally, I put a small amount of salt into a small bowl or cup and pour boiling water over it, and then wait for it to cool.
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Accident
Aug 22, 2022 22:06:05 GMT
via mobile
Post by teemu on Aug 22, 2022 22:06:05 GMT
Essentially, you want a bit of salt in the water since saline water has antibacterial properties, and you want to boil the water beforehand because that will sterilise it and make sure it's totally clean. Likely best to add the salt afterwards, easier to mix as it's cooling.
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laiyah
Burrowing Degu
Posts: 175
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Post by laiyah on Aug 24, 2022 10:03:36 GMT
Okay. So in the end I still went to the vet. I got confirmation it was nothing bad and I just need to rub betadine on it.(a colored disinfectant that also helps with healing)
I was told my degus are basically the marathon runners of degus and are super ripped.
Just as a small check with you guys. They are 215g and 238 g. What's a normal weight for degus ? (I know I was just told it's mostly muscles, but just to know for references.)
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Post by savvy on Aug 24, 2022 11:03:04 GMT
Weight can vary and a lot depends on their frame size.
Just to give you a few examples;
Dixie was 315g, but was a big degu Reggie is 298g, but again is a big degu Sphene is 198g, but noticeably smaller than Reggie and she is currently on metacam as she has a growth in her mouth and was 234g before. Little Amber is 217g, but looks smaller than the others. Ruby the Foody is 302g, but although a bigger degu, does carry a lot of fat, hence her name, lol.
Next to Reggie, Sphene and Little Amber look about 7 months old, but in reality are 3 years next month. As long as they are active, eating and their fur is soft and shiny, I wouldn't worry too much.
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Post by bouncy on Aug 24, 2022 12:32:33 GMT
Weight is just a number, just as with humans. As long as they look fit and healthy, and are in proportion, that's great. It's more about sudden weight changes, as these are an indication of illness.
I keep my metacam and other degu drugs in the fridge, and they do occasionally go past their date, but my vet knows and doesn't worry about it.
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laiyah
Burrowing Degu
Posts: 175
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Post by laiyah on Aug 24, 2022 18:29:22 GMT
Tbh I just wanted a number because I don't know how fit degus look. Since they puff up and slim down when they stretch. I wanted a vague number to have an idea. I'm gonna assume if they go under 200g, I should be worried. Anyway. All is good for the two degus who have surprised the vet by how well behaved they were. (Basically scared but not hard to check on.) She actually brought a towel assuming she'd need to make a degurrito but everything was fine.
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Post by teemu on Aug 25, 2022 0:32:47 GMT
A good indicator of being underweight is when you feel their sides and back, if their flanks feel really sunken, or you can clearly feel the individual vertebrae of the spine or other bones pushing against skin. You can always feel the bones in a general sense in an animal like this if you carefully and gently feel for them, but in malnourished animals, they really start to stick out.
Degus can greatly vary in weight, and their size in general seems to vary quite a bit based on the area (small populations means that there will be a lot of regional variation between breeders) and the individual. My degus are all around 200-250 grams. The best way to keep an eye on their weight is to measure them on a regularly so you'll notice if the weight starts to increase or decrease noticeably.
In any case, good to hear that everything's fine! About the betadine, some degus can be really touchy about their tail, especially if it's sore, so if it starts to look like she won't let you wipe it down easily, here's a trick you can try: Mix a solution of it (in case it's a concentrate, otherwise just put some in) into a glass and gently hold the degu so that her tail hangs down. Then just lower her over the glass so that her tail dips into it for a bit. It'll get everywhere like that as well, and it generally seems to stress rodents out less if they don't want their tail touched.
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laiyah
Burrowing Degu
Posts: 175
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Post by laiyah on Aug 25, 2022 8:34:58 GMT
Uugh. I might have to give up on disinfecting the wound. Pimprenelle runs away because I've been bothering her with her tail for days now.
I tried dropping droplets on her tail, she ran. I tried to drop her tail in betadine water, her tail touched the side of the glass and she started to flail. I used a cotton to rub it, she ran and hid.
I have so much of her hair on me, I can probably start making a small wig...
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Post by bouncy on Aug 25, 2022 18:40:56 GMT
Degus hate getting wet!
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