Need Advice on Introducing Degus with Different Personaliti

[msinhore]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post here. I've read many posts and learned a lot about various aspects of caring for my girls

I have three female degus. One of them arrived last November. I'm not sure about her exact age, but I believe she is around 2 years old. She is very calm and friendly with all the other degus. The second one came at the end of December and was approximately 2 months old at that time. After her arrival, it was very easy to introduce the two, and they became great friends. It was winter, which I think helped them bond.

I noticed they were always competing for dominance. After about three months, around April, the younger one, probably reaching adolescence, tried to take over as the leader and injured the older one’s front paw, leaving it raw. We treated the wound and isolated them within the same cage. This only worsened the situation, with the younger one always being nervous and the older one always making friendly sounds. They stayed like this for about a month.

We then acquired a larger cage, enriched the environment, and tried to reintroduce them. It worked for about two weeks. However, when we did a full cage clean in early June (I later learned this was not the right thing to do), the younger one attacked the older one again. The older one screamed desperately in fear. We isolated them again since the cage can be divided. Since then, we’ve attempted to reintroduce them several times without success. The younger one seems to hate the older one and wants no interaction.

The older one is very needy and seems to crave companionship. So, we adopted another degu. She has a completely different personality from the others. She loves humans (she is about 1 to 2 years old), enjoys playing and being petted, but if she sees any of the other degus, she goes straight to attack mode.

The other degus always make friendly sounds toward the newcomer, but she doesn’t want to engage. After two weeks, we tried to introduce them, and the newcomer attacked. We separated them, and now they have been in separate cages for two weeks.

The current situation is: all the degus are in separate spaces with no contact because there is a risk they might form a death ball. They all have completely different personalities. The youngest, about 7 months old, doesn’t like me and always seems scared (I am worried about this). The oldest is fine but feels lonely, and the newcomer enjoys playing with us but doesn’t want to interact with the other degus.

Does anyone have any advice for my situation?

Thank you in advance!


Marco

[bouncy]

Hi Marco,

You've had unfortunate luck! As you found, adults and pups can bond quickly, but it sounds like the bond didn't hold because of the smaller environment at the time.

Let's go back to basics.

Introductions (except pups) are normally a very slow process. How long did you wait before face to face meets? We usually recommend substrate swapping, face to face proximity, with comfortable behaviour between them before a meeting in a neutral place. It can take months or even years to achieve.

Have a look at the sticky thread in the fighting and introductions on our recommended process and let us know if that's what you followed. Also, can you confirm your cage dimensions and the number of full levels?

I cannot emphasise enough about how slowly you should proceed. Degus can hold a grudge like the worst bunny boiler. The fewer aggressive interactions you can have, the better things will proceed in the long run. You also have an adolescent degu with hormones that will be wild until they reach 18-24 months (think stroppy teenager), and this will also extend the timing.

[msinhore]

Thank you for your prompt reply!

We initially placed the cages next to each other on the first day, but they are now far apart.

Here are the dimensions of the cages:

Cage 1 (the new girl):

55x45 cm
70x45 cm
70x45 cm

Cage 2 (Savic XL), divided into 2 separate spaces:
1st Floor (older and calm girl):
Main area: 115x65 cm

Side areas: 2x 30x65 cm
2nd Floor (adolescent girl):
Main area: 115x65 cm
Side areas: 2x 30x65 cm

The Savic cage has a long bridge on each floor that the girls use to run between stages.

Additionally, I have a large wheel for each degu, along with sturdy cardboard tunnels, wooden houses, and chew toys.

I think these dimensions and setups are okay. What do you think?

[bouncy]

The Savic XL is a great cage for degus. If you can extend the platforms into full levels, this should make a comfy for three (when you're ready). There are some suggestions for doing this in our cages section.

Ok. The easiest intro will be the one between the one in the old cage and one in the Savic that can meet face to face with the other cage. Swap substrate to get them used to each others scent. Keep the cages together so they can interact. Start with them perhaps 30cm apart. If, after a few days, there's no sign of aggression, reduce the distance. Before you try a face to face, you want to have reached the stage where the two cages are basically touching and the two either spend their time snuggled against the bars together, or are ignoring eachother. If you witness any aggression, back up a stage until they calm down and try again. You want to have a several meetings in a neutral place, increasing in time. When you get to perhaps four or five 20+ minute meetings without any sign of aggression, you can think about living together.

At that stage, I would consider a thorough clean of both cages, keeping a handful of substrate back from each of the two about to cohabit, and add it to the cleaned Savic. It's all about territory. Put the two together in the whole Savic, and the remaining lone goo in the old cage. Give the new housemates time to settle together, then begin the process again with the two cages.

I cannot emphasise enough how you should not rush any of this, and take a step back at the first sign of aggression.

One of the other members may have a different approach to this, but this is how I would do it. If you have any questions, please just ask.

[msinhore]

Thank you for the detailed suggestions!

I understand the process and will follow it. At the moment, I plan to extend the Savic cage with two additional full platforms to make it more comfortable for the three degus (when they are ready). I have also organized a space where each of them spends about an hour outside the cage, one at a time, to bathe and play. I've created some mazes with cardboard boxes connected by tubes, providing a space for them to relax. They are very happy after these outings.

I will start the introduction as you suggested: keeping the cages close, swapping the substrate so they get used to each other's scent, and closely monitoring for any signs of aggression. I will follow all the steps with patience, as you emphasized.

If I have any questions along the way, I will reach out. Thank you again for the guidance!

[bouncy]

You're very welcome - good luck!

[msinhore]

I would like to hear from you when the cage rotation among the girls is recommended or if there is some recommendation.

[bouncy]

Degus are very territorial, so don't swap cages until the two who have been meeting through the bars are living together. Instead, swap the bedding/wood shavings. Once those two are living together in the Savic, then give the old cage a good clean, put some of the bedding from degu #3 in there to make them more comfortable , move that degu into that cage, and start the process again!

To be clear.....swap bedding, not degus. Only move degus AFTER two are successfully introduced and living together. Does that help?

[msinhore]

yes, it helps a lot! my wife decided this morning to exchange them cage and I noticed sadness in one of them. I undid the exchanges after your advice.

Thank you!