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Post by johnaa1916 on Jan 27, 2023 21:50:09 GMT
Hi I have a middle aged degu and ever since I got her a new cage she has been rolling in her urine I think. It's the sides of her butt and her lower underside. I'm lining her cage with fleece but was curious of methods to clean her fur because dust baths are not restoring her fur.
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Post by savvy on Jan 27, 2023 22:32:34 GMT
Welcome to the forum.
First of all I'd recommend getting rid of the fleece lining, it sounds like she's laying in her urine which is pooling because its not being absorbed by the fleece. She'll wee, it will pool, she'll lay in it, roll in the bath, get clean, then as soon as she wee's again she's back to square one. Try swapping it for something more absorbant like wood shavings, or a paper based pet bedding, and see if her fur improves.
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Post by johnaa1916 on Jan 27, 2023 23:22:35 GMT
I just switched over to the fleece, it's way up on her sides because she rolls in it. She didn't even have bedding in her old cage but ever since this new one she's been doing it. My chinchilla was sitting in pee when the new chinchilla came but that was solved in a week by switching from bedding to fleece.
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Post by moletteuk on Jan 28, 2023 11:14:43 GMT
I also think switching from fleece to loose substrate is the most obvious way to solve the issue. If she is not used to fleece or any substrate then she may figure it out and learn not to roll in it, but I wouldn't wait too long for this. The only way to clean her up is dabbing with water, which isn't really feasible to do every day, and urine on the skin can irritate the skin.
I wonder if this is a behavioural issue relating to the new cage and perhaps new home, did you get her very recently? Perhaps she is trying to scent mark or retain her smell around the cage.
Do she seem to be doing it accidentally or deliberately?
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Post by bouncy on Feb 1, 2023 11:37:14 GMT
Just a quick question - does your goo live alone, and does she have a dust bath?
I have an elderly goo who sometimes has a crusty bum. This is a combination of him not having a cage mate to clean him (he attacks others and eats toes, and his brothers have now all died), and mobility issues from a tumour near his heart and arthritis. He's also gone a bit blind. It's best to keep them on a substrate with good draining properties, like large shavings, which will keep his bum dry.
How have her poos been? They can occasionally get the runs, or very soft poo. Because they're not used to having to dodge soft poo, it can become matted into their fur. If this is the case, you'll need to bite the bullet and clean her with warm water and cotton wool. An infection down there is something to avoid!
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