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Post by Sunshinemeg on May 21, 2004 18:34:25 GMT
It is never nice when one of your pets gets ill. I have had someone in contact with me, and between us we couldnt work out what was the problem, and it was very sad when the poor degu died. This board is designed for people to post queries about problems they may be experiencing, but please also post if you have had past experiences that you can inform other people about in advance!!!!!
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Post by Fish on Sept 4, 2004 17:23:06 GMT
One of my degus tails has developed a little wart looking thing on the end of her tail, its kind of shiny and not covered in hair, its probably about 3mm at the end of her tail. Does anyone know what this could be? Should I take her to the vet?
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stephanie
Newborn Degu
Hey i have a beutiful degu called ROLO
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Post by stephanie on Sept 4, 2004 23:46:47 GMT
I WOULD TAKE ONE OF MY DEGUS TO THE VETS IF ONE OF THEM HAD THE SAME PROBLEM..
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Post by Sunshinemeg on Sept 10, 2004 17:48:30 GMT
Dont be afraid to take it to the vet, just to be on the safe side. But generally, if its not bothering her, dont worry too much. My degu Gromit has a wart on his ear, and he doesnt care!! hehe
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Post by Jemmy on Oct 2, 2004 0:44:12 GMT
We just adopted a degus pair, and one of them has a bit of a 'herck' and rubs it's nose - would this be a cold? It is eating fine and otherwise looks healthy...
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Post by Sunshinemeg on Oct 2, 2004 10:36:24 GMT
What is a "herck"?
If all your Degu is doing is rubbing its nose, I wouldnt worry too much. Keep an eye on how they are eating / drinking, and if you notice any changes take them to the vet!!!
If it IS a cold, you can ask the vet to give them a vitamin C injection, your little Degu wont like it much, but its not a good idea to risk any worse illness when they are such small creatures.
Gromit seems to be prone to colds, especially in winter, and a vitamin injection usually perks him up fairly quickly.!
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Post by jemmy on Oct 2, 2004 13:46:29 GMT
:)Thanks, a 'herck' is the noise that Sidney makes sometimes when she's breathing, and also little clicks - could this just be her 'sounds'? Now, I have also found this morning that there is a tiny bit of clear fluid coming from her nose. We adopted these little gaffers from the Humane Society - they had been there a month, so I'm going to take them to the vet to get them checked, just to be on the safe side.
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Post by Trisha on Oct 7, 2004 20:49:04 GMT
My degu also has a wart on her ear and my vet suggested that I put vitamin E (from a capsel) on it about once a week it seems to be working.
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Post by Dramagyrl on Nov 24, 2004 16:59:25 GMT
I am concerned with my male degu Darby. I have two large cages with two degus in each and about two months ago, one of the young girls got really sick and every vet I called said that they did not take degus. I tried all the tips for a cold and swollen throat (as that was clearly the case) and she did not make it. Now my boy in the other cage was showing the same symptoms this morning, just not as advanced. I saw how quickly my little girl detoriated, and I am worried about the same with him. I found a vet to see him this afternoon, but again it just seems like a severe cold. I am curious if anyone knows if it is possible to get antibiotics to keep at home for degus for instances when the symptoms first arise? Then if the problem continues, there is at least time to get them in to see a vet before it is too late....
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Post by tmcammond on Feb 24, 2005 3:01:44 GMT
my one degus is missing hair on her nose. Its a little bald spot. How do you tell if they have been mistreated?
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Post by darkiebabz on May 22, 2005 1:19:45 GMT
I am so sad because I lost 1 degu baby today "6 hours ago and another one got hurt" by the male "father" I hope the hurt one don't die "my female got 6 babies"
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Post by Aimeelou on May 23, 2005 15:04:23 GMT
Hi Darkiebabz I dont realy understand what you mean! If the father is attaking the babies maybe you should remove the dad before somthing serious happens How old are the babys?
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Post by lisaj on Jul 7, 2005 1:19:13 GMT
Jemmy, you mentioned a problem with a baby degu and mentioned "herck" and difficulty breathing. I found a later note mentioning respiratory problems, but I couldn't find anything after that. What happened? I have the same problem and don't know what to do. We have nine degu babies and one is all ruffly, eyes closed and weepy, nose running, and makes the same sound and clicks that you mentioned. We don't know what to do!! Can anyone help? Thank you.
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Post by smlmamlgirl on Jul 8, 2005 19:15:53 GMT
Okay- colds, 'pink eye', etc. are usually cause by an overflow of natural bacteria in a degu' body. I have the same problem with my mother degu of 6 right now- the babies are just draining her of her immunity strength. So this is my witches brew:
1) 10 drops of oregano oil in 2 tbsp of blueberry juice (low sugar) 2) 1/2 tsp chlorophyll juice for a heavy greens boost 3) probiotics- dairy or otherwise (they will come in capsules and you have to dump them out into the mix) usually 1 to 2 capsules.
Now the nasty key here is the oregano oil- it is a VERY powerful natural (and often more effective than antibiotics...my vet stole my recipe) anti-biotic, anti-viral and anti-fungal. BUT it burns. It will kill off most infections in one to three doses. SO what I do is wrap them in a tea towel (because believe me, they WIll bite you for this), keeping little claws out of the way and partly blocking their eyes. Hold them on your lap at a 45 degree angle and spoon or dropper a little milk into their mouths THEN put a drop of the brew in. It stops the burning.
You also might want to ask yourself if there is a trigger for this infection....an environmental allergy? Anyway- you treat the mom, you treat the babies. Sterilize everything, even if you have to take the nest apart, just provide lots of hay for mom and dad to rebuild. You CAN'T dose the babies directly. But you can use a warm salt water solution to treat the outer parts of the infection of their eyes and nose. Use a cloth, keep them close by. You can also use human polysporin eye and ear drops, or the equivalent. The warm salt water is soothing.
Youcan find the ingredients for this brew at a health food store. Be prepared for mom to be sleepy, oil of oregano is also a natural analgesic and will make her a little groggy. (no you can't overdose her, but too much will make her mouth swell because of the spice) 4 drops a day for 3-4 days, twice on the first day. You can also lace their water with chamomile tea which is a natural antibiotic. For some reason, with rodents and cavies the natural rmemdies work better than the man made ones. I've been working in a pet store for awhile now in the quarantine section treating animals with these same remedies and know them to work.
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Post by smlmamlgirl on Jul 13, 2005 21:37:32 GMT
lisaj- how is your surrogate family doing? Any improvement? Vet visit? Natural remedy?
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Post by smlmamlgirl on Aug 3, 2005 5:45:45 GMT
Bites in mammals can be dangerous things. This letter is not i response to any query, merely a relay of info from me to others that may have had the same experience and been uncertain of how to respond.
I had a female adult from another cage take quite a bite of one of my baby degus on the side, below the ribs (BAD placement). The problem with mammals (other than humans) is that they can have lightning fast healing processes- thus the issue of a bite or puncture that looks better the next day but explodes into a cyst and a hospital (vet) stay three days later. Their little bodies are so efficient that the skin will regrow over the dirt and bacteria before you have even realized there was an injury (and then the bacteria grow in the newly formed pocket etc. etc.).
For my part, I like to go the natural route when possible. So when Ouch (now appropriately and formally named) got bitten I treated het her three times in one day for the afore mentionned reasons.
1) first I shaved her 1 cm around and including the wound- electric shears for hair cutting- because hair is a contaminant, it naturally carries bacteria. 2) I used a non alcohol antiseptic wash on a q-tip so I could get right into the wound (although carefully- no need to further aggravate the injury). Next came poly sporin and (don't laugh) a non-stick bandage taped on to insure the polysporin's absorption. I then tucked her into one of my daughter's little pocket purses and wore her across my chest where she promptly turned upside down and went to sleep. When she woke up an hour or so later, the bandage was off, but the swelling had already gone down. 3) Three hours later I retrieved her from the cage and applied an anti-biotic bee cream and tea tree oil which promotes healing rubbing it in thoroughly. 4) Three hours after that I used relatively hot water and a chamomile tea bag (again very antibiotic) as a compress on and off for 1/2 an hour to draw out any residual dirt or infection, and then rubbed her again with tea tree oil.
Voila! She is fine, hale and hardy, and though it may read like overkill the compress in number four DID draw off bloody fluid and she seemed happier afterwards. Now we just have to wait for her hair to grow back!
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Post by deguqueen on Sept 10, 2005 1:42:50 GMT
wow...you reall know your stuff when it comes to natural medicines for animals. how can i learn this stuff??
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Post by thatllbe on Sept 21, 2005 13:25:52 GMT
i have only found this site today however i have had degus for around 6 years now and i am desperately coming to terms with the fact that my first and only male degu may well be dying and definitely on his last legs. He developed cataracts around two years ago xmas time and then at the beginning of the year had a snuffly 'hick' sound respiratory wise - i am lucky that my vet surgery is absolutely fantastic and has happily treated all my degu's at one stage or another - however he did explain that hopefully it was a cold but with his age in mind and other historical variables it could be due to nasal tumours which degus are apparantly prone too. The anti biotics didn't really work so i didn't take him back and have just kept an eye on him - it hadn't changed or intereferred with his quality of life until last night - when putting them to bed i noticed his right eye has turned completely red - as if filled with blood - he has definitely gotten quieter in himself and his breathing is certainly more laboured, but he still remains the same cheeky chappie that he will always be, as when i left for work this morning he was randomly chewing and playing with his wheel....mine and my partners feelings are to leave him to his own devices in his home where he is happy today and see how he goes as he doesn't seem to be in any pain, hasn't bothered with his eye and his temperature is the same as the other 5 Has anyone ever come across this before??....any ideas?
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Post by Sunshinemeg on Sept 21, 2005 20:13:09 GMT
That sounds very sad. I havent come across the eye condition, but have lost pets through the growth of tumours and respiritory problems. It is heartbreaking I know. I do however think you need to go with what YOU feel is best. afterall, you know him the best. If he seems happy to you, and is eating and moving around the cage as normal, I would be reluctant to put him through the stress of being moved to visit a vet. If his condition deteriorates however, I would seek expert advice. Also keep in mind that you can phone the vet to discuss the situation.
meg ;D
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Post by thatllbe on Sept 23, 2005 10:39:55 GMT
Thankyou for reconfirming what i was feeling - i have left him to his own devices at home and just spent lots of time fussing him and tickling him etc and he has definitely perked up - his eye hasn't gotten worse but unfortunately i don't think it will regain it's noramlity either - however he was merrily pinging on his cgae this morning to hurry me up and get me out of bed cause he wanted his peanut - so he is definitely feeling better we think!!
Which is good - still it was a shock to the system!! i didn't realise just how much he really means to me!
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