|
|
Post by sunshine on Mar 20, 2008 0:06:02 GMT
Hi everyone. As some of you know, i have 2 degus male, and I wanted to introduce one more...Well, Today i've bought one. He was alone in a tiny cage, and i've had to take him with me at home. I did what you told me; "introductions" in a neutral place, sand bath and separations in case of fight, but i'm a bit worried, because they have started to do very strange noises, and they put back to back all the time, making this noises (it was like if they were smelling something :?) I think the new one has bite Sam (he seemed to be the dominant one), but no hurt, and he has been a time complaining like he was scared. Now, I have the new one in a smaller cage inside the big, because I couldn't separate it in two. I feel bad, because the cage isn't very big, and he has little room to move, but I don't want to let them together because they could fight again. I think I would let the new one in her cage tonight and tomorrow, I'll try something new. Should I be worried? I hope you can help me, because I'm really worried for my new goo. I'd like to let him free, like the other  Thank you very much in advance, and, again, sorry if my english is a little incomprenhensible, I'm trying to improve it  |
|
|
|
Post by melmel1987 on Mar 20, 2008 12:10:41 GMT
Ok so , the "issue" you have is that you already have a bonded pair of goos and you are trying to introduce an "outsider"
The problem with doing this is that there is a 50/50 chance it will or wont work.
Imagine that you and your bestest friend in the whole wide world are sat in your bedroom having girly talks and giggling away, the all of a sudden this random girl that you have never seen before walks in and sits down in ur bedroom and starts giggling alon with you....your first reaction is going to be ummm who are u why are u here get out of my room and stay away from us.
Thats pretty much how it is for goos, just with physical actions aswell.
Its not fair that the new one should be kept in a smaller cage, and i understand that at the moment you have nowhere else for it. You probably should have considered this before buying him, becuase there is always the chance that they will never accept him (i had this issue when i bought a new pair to introdcue to my other pair but i had a spare large cage and accesories for them).
Of course it is early days. and its very uncommon for them all to get on in the first meeting. You do need to persue these things.
A few things you can do are buy another cage and place it near the pair of goo'#s that you already have so that they can smell and see eachother, again this didnt work for mine it just made them want to fight more.
Your doing the night thing by placing them in a neutral place, ie the bath. Have a towel, and a spray water bottle to hand.
Every time they bicker spray the one that caused it. Goos are smart and can associate thinsg with being good & bad.
Did you put vanilla essence in the sand bath (which should also be in a neutral container). Once the degus roll in the vanilla they all smell the same and this can sometimes help with acceptance.
You can try swapping cages ( when u get a new cage for the new one) this helpsthem smell eachother out, but again, they can then get dominant and try and re-scent eachothers cages.
If you do ever try them in the same cage, you MUST MUST MUST MUST dis-infect it, change and wash EVERYTHING to get scents off it. you cant just put the new one in with the pair's scents and territory markings everywhere. It would be like, me spraying you with my favourite perfume that you absolutely hate, and covering up the smell of your perfume with mine.
hope this might shed some light on your current situation. Im not having ago at you at all, im just stressing this point so if anyone else is thinking the same because they have seen a lone degu on its own in a petshop, you CANNOT just get it an expect them to get on, its a long and time consuming process and you MUST have a seperate cage to put the new degu(s) in whilst you are doing the introductory process. If you cannot afford to do this, or cannot split your time between cleaning two cages, feeding two cages, spending time with each degu seperately becuase they cant all play together, then do NOT let your heart control your head.
|
|
|
|
Post by melmel1987 on Mar 20, 2008 12:12:21 GMT
also please be 100% that the new degu is a male. other wise you are going to have breeding issues on your hands.
|
|
|
|
Post by sunshine on Mar 20, 2008 14:03:05 GMT
Ok melmel, thank you very much for your help. I'll do what you say, all that I want is the best for them, that is the reason of my worry. I love animals, and I just want the best for all of them (I also have three dogs, that are my life).I'm not a very impulsive person, I wanted a new friend for my goos, and I just thought that it was my oportunity, because I didn't want to take just one degu and let other alone in the shop, it would break my heart. Anyway, I'll take your advice and I hope that everything goes well.  |
|
|
|
Post by Lala on Mar 20, 2008 14:19:23 GMT
Good luck!! Melmel has covered pretty much everything, but it's very early days so they aren't likely to get on straight away. She also has a good point, do you have another cage and accessories on hand incase your original pair don't accept the newbie? |
|
|
|
Post by sunshine on Mar 21, 2008 12:25:04 GMT
Yes, I have it but, Is so difficult to get that they accept the other? I thought they were very sociable and almost always they accept other goos.
people always have said to me that it is not the normal thing that they do not accept other members... the fact is that my goos try to bite the new throught the bars, and they sometimes grunt at him moving the tail...I don't know if it is normal because of the early days or what. Well, we'll see...
|
|
|
|
Post by deguconvert on Mar 21, 2008 19:24:39 GMT
I introduced two new ones to my one original, and although it actually took about four to five months to produce a real cohesive family group, it is really tight now. They went through stages of on again and off again relationships. Then we went through almost three weeks of extreme hostility that required the purchase of a new cage. At that time, we would swap the one goo that was social between the two cages containing the two that were fighting. Two days with one, then two days with the other. Then, because of a mistake on my part late at night, the two fighters ended up in the same cage. (I was too tired, and working in the dark, to realize what I had done) They got along?!?! By the end of the week they were living together and happy. What I did have to do during that week is . . . this'll sound strange, but . . . every time they started to fight (the two fighters) I would go to the cage and squeak really loud at them. Eventually they got the idea that I didn't like it and they stopped. Now they are all great together unless we have them in the small cage we use to carry them places. All three in there makes them very claustrophobic and combative.
Anyway, I was thinking that if you were to introduce the goos to each other such that new goo meets just one original goo at a time, it might help. At least for the first couple of times. Two on one could be damaging if there was a big fight. If things are going well just one to one, then maybe start some two to one. Does this make any sense? I hope it does.
|
|
|
|
Post by sunshine on Mar 22, 2008 12:06:35 GMT
Yes, it really make sens!! What I've done is to buy a wire mesh to divide my cage in two parts. I will put my two originals in one side and the new in the other, and I'll see how it goes. I don't like to put them in separate cages, because I think they won't pay attention to the new. Well, just I have to be patient and do the best than I can.  |
|
josefine
Foraging Degu
2 goos: Lille Blaa and Fluffy
Posts: 70
|
Post by josefine on May 2, 2008 12:01:27 GMT
How did the introduction go? Are they all living together now?
|
|
cookie
Warbling Degu
Posts: 32
|
Post by cookie on Jun 11, 2008 22:26:41 GMT
I had nightmares about introducing my two newbies to Bella and i did everything by the book. But by the second day i returned from work and noticed all 3 in the big cage playing together. They had chewed an enormous hole through the small cage and dug a tunnel through. Bless it was a joint effort too. But they still have there moments the one i thought was the quiet weedy one is actually beefing up now and is becoming the new contender for queen bee. Bella seems to not mind at the min but she soon pushes her head out the way when i put the food bowls in. I was lucky with my girls but i still occasionally here this really loud squeak and two girls on hind legs scrapping, a loud squeak from me seems to stop them. Im the only alpha female in this house!
|
|
|
|
Post by sunshine on Jun 19, 2008 11:13:06 GMT
Well, they are not still living together... Frodo and Bilbo (the new) go on well at times, but with sam... it's impossible to put them togheter, they fight every time, until they are very damaged, even if they are separated by the wire mesh, Sam try to fight when he see him. I'm thinking about buy another cage and make this one bigger (thought this one is enought big), so they could have more room to run and move, and let Bilbo alone putting Frodo with him from time to time. I think this is the best I can do at less as long as Sam is so "unpleasant" LOL
|
|
josefine
Foraging Degu
2 goos: Lille Blaa and Fluffy
Posts: 70
|
Post by josefine on Jun 19, 2008 11:34:26 GMT
It's really frustrating when they are being so stubborn. I'm hoping that one day maybe all of my girls will live happily together. My two babies are very firendly towards the older ones, but the older ones are real b***** in return.
|
|
