New Degu, scared?!

[jon]

I'm new to the Degu world and its good!

I have 2 in a large cage, I got them on Friday night and I think they are wikid! But they are very shy and hide when u go near the cage...

...is this normal for a new degu? As others I have seen in shops have been very friendly, is it just because they are in a new enviroment?!

Cheers!

[laurieb]

Hi, Jon
It may take a while. They are away from their normal care takers and have lots of new things to get used to. New voices, smells, sounds.

They will get to know your voice. Keep talking to them and coaxing them onto your hand with healthy treats. The trust will come as they will know that you are taking care of them and mean them no harm.

One of our 2 litters are almost ready for new homes. To make it a little easier for the new "parents", I have moved the 6 boys into another, 3 tier cage to let them climb and get used to it. I let the 2 girls stay with Moms and the younger litter. Until now, a large 1 story aquarium is all they knew. They are loving it, but I hear horrible chirps at times from both cages, as I'm sure the 6 boys miss being with their moms and siblings, as well as them missing the 6 boys that I took away. Honestly, their mom may be relieved! She looks exhausted because she's trying to wean them and they wouldn't leave her alone!

Take time every day just talking and trying. It will come. The day that they climb onto your hand even without a treat ;D

If you have any more concerns, let us know. I'm sure you are doing great!

[jon]

Thanks for the quick reply! I'll take all that on board.

Whats the best "treat" to use?! I have been told raisins are good. @ the mo all I'm using is Chin pellets and a sun dried corn on the cob...

[laurieb]

I started out with a 50/50 mix of chin pellets and guinea pig pellets. The corn may have a lot of natural sugar in it?

The best treats are fresh grass, dandelion leaves, and clover. I sometimes carry them outside and try different leaves that they may like, after being sure they are not unsafe, of course!

During the winter, I have given them plain rolled oats, dry right from the can, and mini unsweetened shredded wheat squares.

The longer that you have them, the more treats you will discover. Just read labels to make sure there is no sugar and very little fat.

Raisins are OK occasionally, again, natural sugars. You can also give them (sparingly) sunflower seeds, cleaned and peeled yam pieces, even a peanut or 2, but fresh lettuces and such are the best. ;D

I remember Degutopia having a nice safe treat list, if you would like to check there.

Luck to you,
Laurie

[Sunshinemeg]

NO RAISINS!!!!!!

Degus should be treated as if diabetic. They come from an environment where natural sugars are minimal, and therefore they have not evolved to be able to digest any sugars. If a degu should be exposed to eating sugars on a regular basis they will become diabetic, often the first sign being the development of cataracts in the eyes.

Suitable treats need to be sugar free. They adore dandilion leaves, some will eat peas, lettuce, carrot etc.
hope this helps

meg

[jon]

I have not tried raisins yet, but I did read it in a book about Degu :S
Apparently they raid vineyards for it in the wild...

I'll try some fresh veg

[jon]

I just want them hand tame, I assumed they would already be tame, how wrong am I! lol

[laurieb]

They do raid vineyards in the wild. But also sometimes don't have a very long lifespan because of diabetes. As like all of us, we do like things that we shouldn't have!
Your work with them and patience will pay off. Sometimes it takes a while. Don't give up!

[sarah]

Yes, treats are the key! Ours were extremely shy at first and hid every time we went near their cage. Now they'll jump right out onto our laps when we open the door. We give ours whole oats for treats, along with tiny dried pieces of sweet potato and an occasional piece of dried carrot. They also like rose hips and the babies love dried broccoli. We haven't had much luck getting any of them to eat fresh veggies.

Laurie's right, it takes time and a little patience, but it's worth it!

Sarah

[jon]

Well, its working! One of them is coming up to my hand now (I used shredded wheat!) and he loves it! Only thing is he tries to nibble and bite me :S

But its progress!

[laurieb]

That's wonderful, Jon! ;D Nibbling is OK. As a matter of fact, normal. He wants to get to know you, too! Even how you taste!

Shredded wheat is a favorite in our house, too. Even the little ones fight over it. They are only 3 weeks old!
You'll find that there are some treats that they like more than others.

Try not to give too many treats. Most of their nutrition should be from their pellets. So, just tiny pieces of treat will do the trick.

Congratulations and keep us posted! Sounds like your doing great! ;D

[jon]

Ok will do, gonna get them a dust bath later. I'll let u know how it goes tonight!

[jon]

Still very nervous with people in the room but they have eaten from my hand!
They seemed to have stopped biting already! One of them is still shy and only grabs the food then runs the other is gettin braver and braver!

[laurieb]

Make sure you keep talking to them. They will get to know your voice and recognize a trusted sound. Yor doing great!
Laurie

[jon]

I've had them 3 weeks, still no change, one will get food from my hand then hide the other sits in front of me and eats but doesnt like to be touched. Am I being impatient?! lol

I think the fact the cage is currently on the floor doesnt help so a table is on the way! Its boring having a cage that just looks empty!

[jon]

I am being impatient!

They are getting better and better ;D

[elfmaid]

Hullo luv!

I'm new to degus too, and boy my two girls are SO much fun already!

My girls were really shy and skittish at first too... but here's what I did. I took an old towel and made myself a kind of apron with it, putting a pouch high up like a bib. I took the girls out by waiting for them to climb in their wheel, then just carefully took the wheel out with them still in it, and then placed them on the bib/apron/pouch. They climbed around, sniffed me, sniffed my fingers, let me pet them a wee bit and if startled or scared they'd dive into the pouch.

I let THEM approach me, and now a month and a half later they are VERY friendly and even seem to look FORWARD to their time with me. They can piddle or whatever, cause the pouch thingie is washable - also gives them something to hang on to (man their claws are VERY sharp!). I use a non-scented enzymatic natural detergent to wash all my clothes in- so the wee beasties don't get nuked by perfumes either.

The girls are now SO relaxed around me that they sometimes sleep in the pouch with my hands cupping them through the material, and will now even let me rub under their chins.

I really hope this helps, I'm really impressed at how tame my girls are getting.

Best of luck!

[Sunshinemeg]

Hello Elfmaid, welcome to the forum (please check the forum rules and update your profile with a location)

The pouch is a very good idea. Degus seem to like pockets because the provide a bolt hole. They can duck into them if they feel intimidated, and can feel a "wall" on all sides of them so dont need to worry about someone sneaking up from behind!
I often end up with a degu in a pocket (not jeans pockets I should add!!) and they will happily stay there for as long as I want!! Its great to hear how you have approached this problem of getting them tame, but I bet you look funny with your "apron" can we have some pics please?