A third degu?

[diabloandchico]

Oct 10, 2022 0:48:15 GMT diabloandchico said:

Hello!

my boyfriend and I have two wonderful goos called Diablo and Chico. They're brother, about 1 yo. We took them 6 months ago. As new degu owners, it was quite of a journey but we think we've now adjusted well. They stay in a big cage (cage) which I suppose it's similar to the Critter Nation. They're very sweet and loving between each other and also with us. They bicker sometimes but never been in a real fight. Since the beginning Diablo was open to being handled and always searching for us, while we struggled more with Chico, but now even he's confortable to come to our shoulders and being in our hands.

Today we went to the store for buying hay and we saw there was a lonely pup, all by him/herself. Unfortunately in Italy people is not used to have small animals like in other countries and I keep have this feeling that lots of people buy them without any knowledge or consideration (we were also naife at the beginning but at least we knew that it's not fair to take one and leave the other alone!). Anyway, since lately we've been thinking about enlarging the crew, when we saw that little pup we immediately wanted to take him/her home... But we didn't want to rush things, especially since we know it could be a problem if they don't get along.

We are worried about introduction because if it won't succeed we don't have the space in the house for a second big cage like this one (we live in a small house). From the other hand, we think how nice and funny would be having three goos, and also that in case, sadly, something happens to one the other wouldn't remains alone... Plus we would like to rescue the little pup. Of course we need to be sure about the pup's sex before, but I read a lot about understanding the sex and it seems doable (I really don't get why the people at the store "weren't sure" about it).

I'm reading a lot about introduction and it seems that it could be ok if we follow the right steps... But do you think having a third male degu could be a problem? What do you suggest to us newbies? Do you have some tips for helping our confusion?

Thanks a lot in advance!

I attached a pic with Diablo and Chico saying hello

Attachments:

[teemu]

Hey there! Firstly, it is good to keep in mind that it's very unlikely that any degus accept a newcomer immediately. You would have to have a temporary cage for the pup, and you will need a neutral space that you could use to do the introductions slowly. Introductions can take a long time, so for all of that time, you would have to have a temporary cage for the pup. The cage does not need to be as fancy, but it can't be tiny, and it must have all the basic requirements.

It really depends on the degus how quickly or well introductions can be done. Some degus accept newcomers quickly, others are very slow to warm up. So if you rescued him, you can't rely on any housing arrangements being just for a little bit. It could take a long time. It is also possible that introducing a new male can make your existing degus act up, since this will affect their social hierarchy and requires them to sort out who's the leader and so on. So if you do it, be prepared for possible problems that may happen.

I don't want to give the impression that it's dangerous or hopeless, though! Generally speaking, most degus can be introduced to new ones, given time and patience. It is likely that he would get along with Diablito and Chicolito in the end, it's just that it's hard to say how long that takes or if there would be some scuffles and unpleasant moments. The cages themselves can be in the same room, and they do not have to be far away from each other (just not so close that they can reach each other from between the bars), if that would help with space issues. But the location of the introductions would have to be separate, and if your degus have been there previously, you would have to clean it completely so that there are no smells from them there.

If you can do it and find space for a spare cage (it is also good to have a spare cage available in case you need to separate degus for whatever reason), I'm sure it would be a very good thing for the pup. It sounds like you really want to help the little guy. So if you can find the space for the spare cage and think that you would be willing to be patient and take however much time it requires, you'd be doing the little one a great service

[deguconvert]

Hello Diabloandchico! Welcome to the forum!

I'm going to give you links to two different threads. One is about introductions.
deguworld.proboards.com/thread/17619/deguconverts-detailed-introductions-fighting-guide

The other is about how to identify the sex of a degu.
deguworld.proboards.com/thread/13070/degus

These will be helpful with the questions you were asking. Read them through. Ask all the questions you will have. There is a lot of information in there, lots of ideas and suggestions that are helpful, that you can tweak to fit your degus and home. We are here to help! It isn't a race, introducing degus, it's more of a . . . very complicated 3D puzzle . . . with occasional booby traps. LOL! It is navigable though! We'll help you all that we can.

A second cage of the same size will be great for when you have them together and you can join the cages as one.

[diabloandchico]

Thank you a lot, teemu and deguconvert, for your answers!! We read what you wrote and the links deguconvert send us and it helped a lot. We knew about the introduction process and yes, we have a spare cage for the third goo during the process, but it's smaller than the one we have now. We changed it because at the moment was the biggest one we found in stores but weren't satisfied with the measures, and also wanted a cage easier to clean. We think the spare cage could be ok for the third degu alone, as a temporary step, not a definitive one... But you made very clear that we can't rush introduction, we have to be patient about it and it could take some time.

Anyway we came back to the store today, after reading your messages, the pup was still there and we couldn't resist to rescue him but... Surprise! We're not sure he's a male! At all... so we decided to wait. I would like to ask your help for this but I suppose I have to post the picture in a different thread, right?
We felt terrible to leave him/her there, but at least a different employee told us that she is searching for a mate because she hates when they leave them alone... So let's hope it's a boy, or they found a company for the little pup!

[diabloandchico]

I can't find a thread for posting the picture so I will try here. Hope it doesn't bother you! Based on the video deguconvert send and similar images I found on degutopia, I have a big suspect she is a girl... I know it isn't the best framing for telling it but I wanted to be quick cause the pup was obviously nervous about it

Attachments:

[teemu]

It's a bit hard to make out since the cone is in the way, but essentially, if the anus and the cone are very close to each other, it's a girl. If there's more distance, it's a boy. Maybe someone else can weigh in more, but the fact that the cone seems to cover the anus makes me thing that this could indeed be a girl...

I'm noticing some sort of a big lump next to the right leg as well. Is that just some sort of a way the pup's fur was bending, or did you notice that there was a bump there? That could be some sort of a medical issue, like an abscess.

(Is her tail just bending back in the picture, or does the pup actually not have a tail at all?)

[deguconvert]

I am inclined to agree, it is a female. I also notice what looks like a distinct lump. Did you notice it, Diabloandchico?

[diabloandchico]

Thanks again to both of you for your opinion! I know that wasn't the best perspective for the picture but you confirmed our idea... We are so sad that we couldn't adopt the little one. I have to admit I didn't notice the lump, maybe it was just the lighting in the picture or the fur like teemu was saying. Anyway I wrote to the store and they say today the vet is there and they will ask for it. Let's hope it's not a medical issue, but better to be sure, so thank you again!
As teemu asked, the tail was there, it just doesn't appear in the photo.

[teemu]

Alright. Sad that it couldn't work out, but things don't always.

Though, one option you might consider is the possibility of spaying the girl as she grows up a bit, or possibly neutering the boys. But this is quite costly, can have risks and is also a big stress on the animal. So the situation being what it is, I'm not sure if I would recommend it even as a serious thought. It's just something that you might consider if you really, really wanted to consider adopting the pup from a bad situation. Introducing a non-fertile member of the opposite sex could be easier (but is not always), and as long as you kept her separate from the others until the operation could be carried out, she would still likely have a much better and nicer life there, rather than at the pet store.

But it's a really dedicated and a bit extreme plan, so I don't want you to think that you need to consider this unless you're really, really set on it. Just, a general note about the fact that gender does not necessarily make introductions impossible, if you are prepared to go some big extra miles. I have an older, neutered male together with a female after his brother died and she was exiled from her own sister group. It took a lot of time, but it worked out in the end.

(Though unless you know a good vet who has experience with operations like this, I would not even consider it. And sorting out the lump, if there is one, is absolutely crucial before you even consider this).

[deguconvert]

And added piece of information. Female degus have a higher degree of mortality than do males from the surgery for neutering. It is a high risk surgery for degus in general and requires an experienced vet that has had successful surgeries with other degus.

Thank you for telling the store about the lump that seems to be visible in the photo. I hope all goes well for this little one!

[teemu]

Oct 11, 2022 16:33:17 GMT deguconvert said:

And added piece of information. Female degus have a higher degree of mortality than do males from the surgery for neutering. It is a high risk surgery for degus in general and requires an experienced vet that has had successful surgeries with other degus.

Thank you for telling the store about the lump that seems to be visible in the photo. I hope all goes well for this little one!

Yes. I really don't want to sound like I'm suggesting it off-handedly. It's, as I said, a rather severe plan. So even if it is sad, it would be for the best to not adopt, or adopt without the idea of introducing (this is still better than keeping the pup in a pet store, but it means more space needed and all that).

[moletteuk]

A female living with multiple males is likely to cause fighting anyway, so I don't think neutering the female would be worth the risk.