gabba
Warbling Degu
Posts: 27
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Post by gabba on Sept 8, 2022 7:19:04 GMT
This winter will be first one with my degus. It's already getting cold in our apartment and heating season hasn't started. How can I keep my degus warm? |
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Post by savvy on Sept 8, 2022 9:15:01 GMT
Make sure they have plenty of soft cosy bedding and a nest box/sleeping area which is free from draughts. You could invest in a heat pad such as a snugglesafe safe which could be put under their bedding overnight. They will drag enough extra bedding into their nest to make sure they are warm, so just give them extra tissue and they will put it where they want it.
You will find that they spend more time snuggled together in bed on cold days, well you can't blame them, given the chance I think we all would.
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Post by teemu on Sept 8, 2022 23:50:09 GMT
A hammock would also be nice and comfy. Essentially, any warm places that they can huddle up in will be appreciated greatly. I also recommend checking to see if the area their cage is in is drafty, and seeing if that can be helped (for example, we noticed that our windows let in a lot of draft and stuffed frame with strips of cloth to insulate it a bit).
If it starts to become very cold, you might want to look into heat lamps, like the ones used for reptiles or young birds. I'm not sure how well degus would like them, but they'll probably be happy with any kind of a warm spot. In case you do end up thinking about getting one, take care to make sure that they can't reach the lamp itself (they might get burns from it) or the cord.
But to begin with, as a temporary measure, providing them with warm nesting materials and places and seeing that there's no unnecessary draft should go a long way.
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gabba
Warbling Degu
Posts: 27
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Post by gabba on Sept 9, 2022 7:30:15 GMT
A hammock would also be nice and comfy. Essentially, any warm places that they can huddle up in will be appreciated greatly. I also recommend checking to see if the area their cage is in is drafty, and seeing if that can be helped (for example, we noticed that our windows let in a lot of draft and stuffed frame with strips of cloth to insulate it a bit). If it starts to become very cold, you might want to look into heat lamps, like the ones used for reptiles or young birds. I'm not sure how well degus would like them, but they'll probably be happy with any kind of a warm spot. In case you do end up thinking about getting one, take care to make sure that they can't reach the lamp itself (they might get burns from it) or the cord. But to begin with, as a temporary measure, providing them with warm nesting materials and places and seeing that there's no unnecessary draft should go a long way. We have a hammock and they really love it. In summer I gave them cooling, but they destroyed it, I had to remove it from their cage. They also have a house in their cage. I gave them a lot of hay, so they made a big nest. I have a tour of the cage on my tiktok. But I speak Lithuanian there. The cage is not finished yet |
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gabba
Warbling Degu
Posts: 27
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Post by gabba on Sept 9, 2022 7:35:24 GMT
A hammock would also be nice and comfy. Essentially, any warm places that they can huddle up in will be appreciated greatly. I also recommend checking to see if the area their cage is in is drafty, and seeing if that can be helped (for example, we noticed that our windows let in a lot of draft and stuffed frame with strips of cloth to insulate it a bit). If it starts to become very cold, you might want to look into heat lamps, like the ones used for reptiles or young birds. I'm not sure how well degus would like them, but they'll probably be happy with any kind of a warm spot. In case you do end up thinking about getting one, take care to make sure that they can't reach the lamp itself (they might get burns from it) or the cord. But to begin with, as a temporary measure, providing them with warm nesting materials and places and seeing that there's no unnecessary draft should go a long way. They have a house in their cage, so I put alot of hay. In the day it's still warm, but nights are cold. I put termometer next to the cage, so I can track temperature better. But yet they don't sleep in the house, they sleep snuggled in hammock. It may be not so cold for them how I think. Im just worried. I will go to the petshop, maybe they will have something. They had cooling pads in summer. Maybe I could give them bottle with hot water, all wrapped up in cloths |
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Post by savvy on Sept 9, 2022 9:13:10 GMT
I'd be very careful with bottles of hot water in case of accidents, plastic they can chew through, glass can get broken. You could try warming a stone in the oven, so its not too hot, and use that instead.
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Post by teemu on Sept 9, 2022 10:30:27 GMT
A hammock would also be nice and comfy. Essentially, any warm places that they can huddle up in will be appreciated greatly. I also recommend checking to see if the area their cage is in is drafty, and seeing if that can be helped (for example, we noticed that our windows let in a lot of draft and stuffed frame with strips of cloth to insulate it a bit). If it starts to become very cold, you might want to look into heat lamps, like the ones used for reptiles or young birds. I'm not sure how well degus would like them, but they'll probably be happy with any kind of a warm spot. In case you do end up thinking about getting one, take care to make sure that they can't reach the lamp itself (they might get burns from it) or the cord. But to begin with, as a temporary measure, providing them with warm nesting materials and places and seeing that there's no unnecessary draft should go a long way. They have a house in their cage, so I put alot of hay. In the day it's still warm, but nights are cold. I put termometer next to the cage, so I can track temperature better. But yet they don't sleep in the house, they sleep snuggled in hammock. It may be not so cold for them how I think. Im just worried. I will go to the petshop, maybe they will have something. They had cooling pads in summer. Maybe I could give them bottle with hot water, all wrapped up in cloths
The hammock might be pretty warm itself, since it's made from fabric. Even if it's open from the above, the degus likely feel that it's very comfy and a good place to huddle up in.
Hay is probably not the best material to give them for making nests, since it's not very insulating. People usually give toilet paper or tissue paper as nest materials, and my degus have also used pieces of cloth to build theuir nests. You could try putting a folded cloth on the bottom of their house to entice them to stay there, since it would also be quite comfy and give them some warmth. Some degus don't seem to like houses at all, though.
As for the bottle, as Savvy says, you should be careful with that. If you try it out, use a glass bottle and try to find one with a cap that they can't chew through. Plastic can be really tempting for them to bite and gnaw into, and that's both unhealthy for them and will make a horrible mess if they manage to open it. Also make sure that the bottle cannot be pushed down and fall, since it could break or hit one of them if this happens. For a much easier solution, you coul try a snugglesafe or another similar heat pad intended for small animals, if they sell them in your pet store. It's a very useful thing, you put it in the microwave for a bit and slip it into the cloth pouch that it comes with, and it will be warm and very comfortable for the degus for many hours. |
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gabba
Warbling Degu
Posts: 27
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Post by gabba on Sept 9, 2022 11:19:33 GMT
I'd be very careful with bottles of hot water in case of accidents, plastic they can chew through, glass can get broken. You could try warming a stone in the oven, so its not too hot, and use that instead. Oh, so I then won't even try it if I'm not looking. Most of the time I'm spending time with them. I have alot of rocks and stones, I love to collect them, so I will try it |
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gabba
Warbling Degu
Posts: 27
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Post by gabba on Sept 9, 2022 11:23:15 GMT
They have a house in their cage, so I put alot of hay. In the day it's still warm, but nights are cold. I put termometer next to the cage, so I can track temperature better. But yet they don't sleep in the house, they sleep snuggled in hammock. It may be not so cold for them how I think. Im just worried. I will go to the petshop, maybe they will have something. They had cooling pads in summer. Maybe I could give them bottle with hot water, all wrapped up in cloths
The hammock might be pretty warm itself, since it's made from fabric. Even if it's open from the above, the degus likely feel that it's very comfy and a good place to huddle up in.
Hay is probably not the best material to give them for making nests, since it's not very insulating. People usually give toilet paper or tissue paper as nest materials, and my degus have also used pieces of cloth to build theuir nests. You could try putting a folded cloth on the bottom of their house to entice them to stay there, since it would also be quite comfy and give them some warmth. Some degus don't seem to like houses at all, though.
As for the bottle, as Savvy says, you should be careful with that. If you try it out, use a glass bottle and try to find one with a cap that they can't chew through. Plastic can be really tempting for them to bite and gnaw into, and that's both unhealthy for them and will make a horrible mess if they manage to open it. Also make sure that the bottle cannot be pushed down and fall, since it could break or hit one of them if this happens. For a much easier solution, you coul try a snugglesafe or another similar heat pad intended for small animals, if they sell them in your pet store. It's a very useful thing, you put it in the microwave for a bit and slip it into the cloth pouch that it comes with, and it will be warm and very comfortable for the degus for many hours. I give them toilet paper too, they destroyed some of the toys, like ropes for dogs, old hammock, they use it for the nest too. They took both donut toys in to the house, they made it cute bbig nest with a lot of things, it seems so comfy there. Here's a picture of the donut toy. Now these two toys are inside, they made it like a door out of them, so I think It shoud be warm for them there Attachments:
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Post by winic1 on Sept 9, 2022 17:32:50 GMT
To explain, a Snugglesafe is the name brand for a hotpack item designed specifically for pets. If your pet stores don't carry it, you may be able to find it online. Search for " Snugglesafe ", just like that, as one word.
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Post by winic1 on Sept 11, 2022 5:33:12 GMT
another possibility would be one of the types of heaters used for reptile enclosures. There are gentle heating pads that stick to the side or bottom of an enclosure, you could use one by modifying it for a degu cage by sticking it to a ceramic tile or something similar, so that it would radiate the warmth but not give them access to it nor set anything on fire.
The other type is a heat lamp, there are some that radiate heat only, no light, so that it would not encourage them to stay awake at night. This could sit on top of the cage, radiating heat to the level below (or mounted to a side area). You would need to choose one of a size and heat level appropriate to your cage type and configuration, so that again, it would not be too hot for degus or cage contents.
Both of these types of heating would heat just one area of the cage, so that the degus could either go closer to the warmth or move away as they felt the need to for comfort. If you do explore these options, just make sure you check carefully what you are getting and how to use it so that the situation does not become unsafe for degus, cage, your home, etc.
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